Nataly Arias

Dr. Mary Grover

College Writing R1A

13 October 2017

Inner Policing of Masculinity in Moonlight

In a hegemonic masculine society boys are constantly policing one another to not be

feminine or homosexual. Along with avoiding any action or emotion that may jeopardize their

masculinity. Unfortunately, during this occurrence of policing of masculinity there is a selection

on who can be a part of the pack, which comes with who in the group can prove their masculinity

through certain situations or challenges. If one fails to meet these standards because they are

different, such as they show signs of emotion, or femininity in appearance, then they are not

considered manly enough to be part of the pack, which ends in them being excluded, feeling

like they do not belong. We see this in a 2016 film titled Moonlight, and when viewed through

the lens of an article titled Adolescent Boys Experiences with Policing of Masculinity: Forms,

Functions, and Consequences by Christopher S. Reigeluth and Michael E. Addis it is evident

how policing of masculinity can occur within the male population. It can be argued that external

policing works in tandem with inner policing of an individual's masculinity, which can cause an

an adolescent boy to harden when his ideal masculinity is deemed inadequate.

Moonlight, is a film that follows an adolescent growing up in Miami. The film is broken

into three chapters of this adolescent's life, Little i. Chiron ii. And Black iii. Chiron in this film is

a boy coming of age in a drug infested community. Where he is neglected from his mother and

friends. As well as lacking a male figure in his life to look up to. Chiron has trouble finding

where he fits in, he is different than the other boys, smaller in appearance and timid in his
actions. Due to this, he is constantly harassed, made fun of and bullied by a pact of boys. This is

evident the minute the film begins, in the first scene we see Little running away from a group of

boys that are yelling Get that faggot, this act correlates with Addis and Reigeluth's POM

articles statement Misogynistic, manhood, performance, and physical body insults used in

conjunction: If you did something wrong, then everyone will be like, You suck . . . You have a

small dick. Along with the numerous ways that boys police one another verbally, participants

also reported using physical behaviors. While boys and men can use more victimizing forms of

POM (77).

In the article Adolescent Boys Experiences with Policing of Masculinity: Forms,

Functions, and Consequences Christopher S. Reigeluth and Michael E. Addis conquer that the

policing of masculinity being is a social process. When you look at the data provided from

Adolescent Boys Experiences with Policing of Masculinity: Forms, Functions, and

Consequences there are three functions when it comes to policing of masculinity: masculine

norm enforcement, status elevation and preservation, and friendship enhancement. It can be

argued that these are the goals and outcomes when policing masculinity. All of which fall into

the category of some form of pack and brotherhood. However, there are principles in this article

that correlate with Moonlight, many of the scenes work in sequence with the article. But this

article is focused strictly on one general form of policing. Reigeluth and Addis speak in terms of

external and interaction based policing, Boys reported using a wide variety of policing

behaviors to enforce various components of hegemonic masculinity including physical strength,

sexual prowess, fearlessness, emotional stoicism, performance and aggression (77). They do not

mention that there is internal policing that can occur as well. Men can police themselves out of

fear of being the outcast.

 There are particular scenes in Moonlight that convey internal policing of masculinity as

an outcome of external policing. In Moonlight, the alpha of the pack speaks with Kevin, Chirons

closest friend. In this conversation Terrell, the Alpha, challenges Kevin to a knock down stay

down saying, what Im saying is if I point someone out is you going to knock him out? Kevin

simply agrees by saying thats the game right? I knock him out and if he gets up its on you. In

this scene we can see how internal and external policing of masculinity work in tandem. Kevin at

the moment is being policed by Terrell through intimidation. On the on hand, Kevin is a very

masculine figure in Moonlight, yet here he is being put to the ultimate test and he accepts. Addis

and Reigeluth explain as to why Kevin might feel the need to follow Terrells orders using

POM for status elevation and preservation also serves an important ego-defensive function

(Herek, 1987) for adolescent boys who engage in this social process. According to participants,

for the boys who use POM to enhance or preserve status, their motivations include proving

superior toughness, showcasing physical and athletic ability, securing social approval (79).

Terrell is policing Kevins masculinity and challenging him to defend himself. While at the same

time Kevin is internally policing himself to go through with Terrells demand. For example, in

the scene where Kevin, Chirons closest friend, is challenged by Terrell for a knock down stay

down game, Kevins masculinity is being policed by the alpha in the group and Kevin is

therefore policing himself to maintain his place in the pack under the form of what Addis and

Reigeluth would consider self preservation. This act of violence was Kevin protecting his

status and him proving that he can knock down anyone, like he did in the past and he can still

now. Which was an act imposed by Terrell, the pack wasnt trying to see if Kevin could prove

himself, or make him a man, they already knew what he was capable of. On the other hand it was

Kevin that policed himself in order to enhance or preserve his status among the rest of the
group of boys implicating that external policing works in tandem with internal policing. He

needs to make a conscious decision: Scene foregrounds his anguish.

Moreover, in Moonlight the boys are that are policing Chiron, they tease him to belittle

him because he is different. He walks different, he dresses different, he talks different and the

pack are not willing to accept that. This harassment causes Chiron to remain to himself, this

harassment is a form of policing that Addis and Reigeluth explain The most common forms of

POM were misogynistic insults and homophobic insults (77). These kids that harass Chiron

make comments on the type of clothing he wears, Why your jeans so tight they call him names

such as faggot and even take it as far as making comments about his mother. This external

policing causes an internal policing within Chiron, very mildly. Chiron doesnt do much to

project the impact this policing has caused until he violently lashes out at Terrell. This was the

turning point for Chiron, this is coming of age. Chiron violently took a chair to the back of

Terrells head and Chiron had to the time for his crime.

When we encounter Chiron the next time he is now Black. A muscular, intimidating and

well respected man. This is how the early on policing shaped him out to be. Chiron was policed

since the start of his childhood, but we never really saw much affect until he became Black.

Black is the masculine man who took all the policing he was receiving and internalized it. He

became a victim of the culture of cruelty and so he molded himself to survive within this culture,

he fought, worked out, became a drug dealer, and made himself the tough masculine man that

society viewed as normal. He did this himself. He faced the external policing and internalized it

as he was growing up, it was his matter of surviving. This is how external policing and internal

policing of masculinity work in tandem with one another. The individual is subjected to
harassment and violence which then causes this individual to internalize these acts of policing

and uses them to correct himself.

To conclude Reigeluth and Addis data on policing of masculinity, their forms and

functions allowed for individuals to understand that policing of masculinity is real and young

adolescents can be affected by it. Chiron, in Moonlight, helped us as viewers become aware of

policing of masculinity. But we were also able to see how external policing works in tandem

with internal policing. Moreover, how the culture of cruelty plays a significant role in a

consistent policing of oneself. Allowing the individual, in this case Black, to never fall or feel

out of place in a hegemonic society, because he now fits the standards of what would be

considered a man.

Works Cited

Kindlon, Daniel J, Michael Thompson, and Teresa Barker. Raising Cain: Protecting the
Emotional Life of Boys. New York: Ballantine Books, 2000. Print.

Jenkins, Barry, director. Moonlight. 2016.

Adolescent Boy's Experiences With Policing of Masculinity: Forms, Functions, and
Consequences. Adolescent Boy's Experiences With Policing of Masculinity: Forms, Functions,
and Consequences, 2015.