Boyz in the Hood

In the movie Boyz in the Hood, there are several different tyes of masculinities being portrayed. The first one is of Tre's father who takes responsibility for having a child at such a young age. He makes sure that his son is raised with correct morals and understands what is right from wrong. The second type of masculinity is portrayed by Tre's best friend, Ricky, who is the athlete that is looking for a college scholarship from USC. Typically, sports is seen as a masculine activity, especially football. The last type of masculinity portrayed is that of the "gangster" shown by Doughboy. He was sent to juvenile detention as a young boy, and when he got out, he was a member of a gang, and all they did all day was sit on the porch steps with their guns looking menacing. The masculinity that is seen as dangerous was the character Doughboy who was considered the "gangster".

Race is plays a major role in African American masculinity. Doughboy and his gang were not expected to do anything else with their lives when they came out of juvenile detention, especially since they were black, and so they did not feel the need to change anyone's opinions of them. They did not go to school, and drank mass amounts of alcohol.

Women were not a large factor in this film. The women were portrayed as meek and not being able to control the men in their lives. The mother of Tre sent him to live with his father because she could not keep him from fighting in school. Ricky and Doughboy's mother could not keep Doughboy from being a thief, and favored Ricky because he was the good child. They play very passive roles. A character that is an outsider within could be Tre because he was raised so differently than his friends who lived right across the street. He seems to live in a bubble like world because he was raised with morals and had goals to aspire to, and a strong father figure to look up to.