Made Men: The social production of masculinity and sexual risk behavior in hip-hop videos

According to the CDC, rates of HIV transmission are highest among young African American adult males engaged in risky sexual practices. Researchers attribute these higher rates to a broad range of psychosocial factors. Traditional masculine role socialization, which emphasizes risk-taking and sexual prowess, is one such factor. Media is one context for traditional masculine role socialization around sexual behavior. In fact, recent studies indicate that hip-hop music consumption is associated with decreased condom use and elevated STI risk among men of color. As a symbolic cultural system, hip-hop simultaneously communicates gender role norms and rules for men's sexual engagement. However, most studies focus on the influence of hip-hop lyrics on women's sexual behavior. Few studies critically examine images of men in hip-hop videos with an eye towards their impact on masculine role socialization and men's sexual risk-taking. We employ sexual script development and masculinity theories as frameworks for our content analysis of nonverbal messages in a random sample of videos featured in Black Entertainment Television's “Best of 2009” list. Building on previous studies, we specifically consider whether images of African American men in hip-hop videos can be understood as Cool Pose, or a ritualistic display of hegemonic manhood. Images imported into Atlas/ti and categories of nonverbal behavior will be presented and discussed.