“I Am Who I Am”: Black Masculinity and the Interpretation of Individualism in the Film Barbershop

Abstract

This essay will provide further insight into how Black audiences interpret a popular culture text by focusing upon how a group of young black men construct Black masculinity as depicted in the film Barbershop. Interestingly, a rhetorical community of young Black men discussed the representations of the characters in the film from a perspective of Black individualism rather than reaffirming identity through a collective orientation toward the culture. This reading contrasts with much of the “ghettocentric” film literature by highlighting how a Black audience's interpretation of a text can focus on individualism rather than on cultural representations and stereotypes.

Keywords:

• Barbershop
• Black Individualism
• Black Masculinity
• Black Men
• Identity
• Rhetorical Community

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Timothy J. Brown

Timothy J. Brown (PhD, Ohio University, 1997) is a professor and chair of communication in the Department of Communication Studies, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383. E-mail: [email protected]