Masculinity Viewed from the Black Community

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A TikTok series by Julian Ade

 

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Growing up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, I mostly felt alienated within the school system because of my race and how people perceived me. Other students felt I had to fit the characteristics of a stereotypical “Black” kid to be considered Black, characteristics such as being aggressive, athletic, sexual, and speaking a specific slang. I never fit into the crowd associated with these qualities since I’m described as a nerd, non-athletic, and care more about my academics than about social appeal. Ever since I’ve gotten to Rutgers, I’ve been engulfed in a completely different atmosphere. Here, many Black students are more fluid and confident with their masculinity even if they are different from the stereotypical image of what a Black man is supposed to look like in our society. This has made me feel more connected to and included in my community. So, I decided to make a series of TikToks documenting how Black students view masculinity in the Black community to show that it’s not all cookie-cutter for every Black man.

Julian Ade writes, “I am a Haitian-American student who’s trying to get a degree in Computer Science and maybe a minor in Communications. I have engaged in multiple creative activities, growing mostly within arts, such as choir, band, and video production. Creating is the best way to express myself, and being a perfectionist about my passions, I always feel as if I cannot release something until it’s exactly how I envisioned it.”

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Check out the rest of the videos in this series below:

Part 2:

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Part 3:

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Part 4:

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Part 5:

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Part 6:

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