Kyle Pedretti

College Writing R1A, Section 005

7 November, 2018

Moonlight: A Case Study of POM

Moonlight, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2016, examines the life of

Chiron Harris, a poor African American boy growing up in Miami, Florida. The movie is broken

into three parts, each depicting a different part of his life. In part one, we see Chiron (referred to

by the nickname “Little”) as a young child tormented by bullies for not being quintessentially

masculine. This bullying continues into the film’s second part, where Chiron (referred to by his

actual name) is physically and emotionally abused for his perceived sexuality and general lack of

masculine characteristics. In film’s final part, we see Chiron (referred to by his new nickname

“Black”) a decade later as a man who now conforms to societal gender norms, showing no

effeminate qualities. This transformation into Black is due largely in part to the way in which

society treats Little/Chiron in his adolescence. Psychologists Christopher Reigeluth and Michael

Addis would describe many of these societal oppressions as acts of policing of masculinity

(POM). Reigeluth and Addis describe the various aspects of POM in their article “Adolescent

Boys’ Experiences with Policing of Masculinity: Forms, Functions, and Consequences.” Using

this article as our guide, we can more deeply understand the ways in which Black is a product of

his adolescent environment and how the policing of his masculinity has affected his

development.

In the first scene of the film, we see Little, at this point still a young boy, running from a

group of other boys. As he ducks under fences and weaves through trees, we hear his pursuers

yelling from behind “get his gay ass”, “get that faggot ass”, and other slurs. According to data
presented by Reigeluth and Addis in their article, these homophobic insults would be considered

one of the most common forms of POM (77). Although none of the boys in this scene have

reached an age in which they can identify their sexuality (let alone understand what sexuality is),

these insults still serve a function for the aggressors. Through their research, Reigeluth and Addis

found three general themes in the function POM serves, noting how these themes can work

simultaneously with variable degrees of emphasis (78-80). In the context of the film, the policing

of Little’s masculinity serves two functions for his bullies, the first of which being to enforce

masculine norms. Through their actions, they are reminding Little that his behavior is

unacceptable and must be corrected. This characterizes the fear-based learning cycle that POM

imposes on its victims: the victim displays non-normative behavior, is made aware of their

idiosyncrasy through POM, and changes their behavior in an attempt to prevent further ridicule

(78).

The second theme that emerges within this scene involves the social status hierarchy

within this community. As these young boys long to become adult men, they place a high value

on their masculinity, going to extreme lengths to elevate their social strata and maintain their

position in the social space. Often times, boys do this by subordinating others to, in turn, re-

establish their masculine prowess over those who they oppress (79). Being chased through his

neighborhood, Little is left with two options: run away and hope to escape, or fight the boys and

presumably lose. Regardless of his choice, the outcome remains the same: Little is perceived as

weak and the other boys are perceived as strong. Since toughness is integral to one’s perceived

masculinity, this act of POM against Little further emasculates him while simultaneously

masculating his bullies. But why should we care about how boys police each others’

masculinity?
 It is true that for some victims of POM these acts have minimal lasting effects; however

for others, POM can be detrimental to the victim’s development. Through their research,

Reigeluth and Addis found that POM “likely leads to varying levels of conscious and

unconscious fear-based learning… and accompanying emotional consequences of experiencing

diminished self-esteem, social discomfort, and emotional distress and concealment” (82). We see

the consequences of Little’s masculinity being policed as we move into the film’s second

section.

Now a sixteen-year-old boy, Chiron is still a victim of POM in his high school

environment and shows many of the symptoms described by Reigeluth and Addis. Through the

first few scenes of this part, Chiron is characterized as a shy, friendless, reclusive boy who is

often the victim of verbal harassment from the school bully, Terrel. We see how the perpetual

policing of Little’s masculinity has led Chiron to be socially stunted and unable to connect with

others. In a male culture where effeminate behavior is socially condemned, the aforementioned

fear-based learning cycle has taught Chiron to repress any shred of vulnerability. However this

characterization is contrasted later in the second part of the film when Chiron runs into his

classmate, Kevin, late at night on the beach.

Kevin, a classmate of Chiron who is generally accepted by their fellow peers, represents

an alternative masculinity. When Kevin first approaches Chiron, asking “Was you waitin for

me?” and refers to Chiron “Black,” Chiron is caught off guard. A short while later, Chiron asks

“What kind of dude goes around giving other dudes nicknames?” While some may argue this

line of dialogue could be interpreted as POM, a deeper look into the scene reveals otherwise.

While it is true that the question does fall under the definition of a manhood insult POM outlined

in Reigeluth and Addis’s article (77), the function of the question prompts a different
interpretation. As Chiron is saying this to Kevin, he does so with caution; his body language and

eye movements suggest he is asking not to enforce masculine norms or elevate his own status,

but rather to understand why Kevin breaks the male gender norm. This difference in function

excludes Chiron’s question from being classified as POM; moreover, this discourse establishes

the tone for the rest of the scene. Kevin’s alternative masculinity and Chiron’s inquisitive

reaction to it sets the stage for an interpersonal relationship that delineates itself from what is

acceptable in a culture that holds maintaining one’s masculinity to the highest regard.

The two boys continue talking and share a marijuana blunt until Kevin comments on how

the ocean breeze “make you wanna cry it feel so good” to which Chiron responds by asking

“You cry?” Kevin denies crying, and then asks the same of Chiron. For the first time in the film,

we see Chiron being vulnerable, saying: “I cry so much sometimes I feel like I’ll just turn to

drops.” However not only is this the first scene in which we see Chiron be vulnerable, but also

the first time we see him be happy. Kevin is the first (and only) person in the film we see make

Chiron smile and laugh, a stark departure from the stoic face he puts on for the majority of the

film. After some time talking, Kevin and Chiron become sexually intimate and, after giving

Chiron a handjob, Kevin drives him home.

At this moment in the film, Kevin represents a delineation from the masculine ideals the

fear-based learning system of POM has taught Chiron to conform to. Chiron is able to be

vulnerable and intimate with Kevin, both of which he has yet to experience with anyone else in

his life. Given all of this context, we are able to understand just how paradigm altering this night

must have been for Chiron. A logical next question would be how such a profoundly positive

experience for Chiron connects to his profoundly caustic adult life. To answer this, we must

connect the events of the beach to those that follow.

shows a conversation in the cafeteria between Kevin and Terrel, the school bully who had, on

multiple occasions, policed Chiron’s masculinity. After reminiscing on times in middle school

when they had played “Knock Down, Stay Down,” Terrel asks Kevin if he would partake in the

game one more time. When one agrees to play, they are given a target who they are to hit in the

face until they are unable to get up again. In order to preserve his status as an accepted member

of the community, Kevin agrees to the challenge, not knowing Chiron would be the one Terrel

would select as his target later that day. Terrel circles Kevin and Chiron as they square up in the

school courtyard. While Chiron maintains his stoic expression, Kevin’s eyes show his fear and

resistance to hit the boy with which he had become intimate with previously. After Terrel and his

gang of friends egg Kevin on, he punches Chiron in the face. Visibly in pain, Chiron gets back

up. Kevin punches him once more, with the same response from Chiron. After the third punch,

Terrel and two others come in and kick Chiron on the ground until he is battered and beaten.

This act in and of itself would be traumatizing regardless of the context; however, when

keeping the previous scene in mind, we see just how much more traumatizing it is for Chiron.

While he has grown accustomed to being the victim of bullies’ verbal and threatened physical

POM, this is the first time we see POM by way of brutal physical abuse. Moreover, those

inflicting POM have always been bullies, but in this case, it is Kevin. Not only is the situation

escalated by way of the form in which the POM takes, but also in the individual who is doing the

policing. To Chiron, Kevin was the only person who he was able to show vulnerability, have

sexual relations with, and be happy around; this betrayal, coupled with the extreme physicality of

the abuse, must be devastating. Taking into account both scenes and applying the fear-based

learning system, we see how the major departure from the masculine norm in the beach scene
and the major consequences Chiron faces in the fight scene correlates to a massively increased

degree of consequence resulting from this act of POM. In the film’s final section, the emotional

consequences of the policing of Chiron’s masculinity become apparent.

Not only has Chiron adopted the name “Black,” the nickname Kevin had given him in

high school, but also a new physique and a new attitude. Once a scrawny, non-intimidating

teenager, Chiron has undergone a metamorphosis -- both physically and mentally -- and is now a

hulking man with grills and chains. Maintaining such a façade is now somewhat of a necessity

for Black, given his new career as a drug lord in Atlanta; by putting up this physical wall of sorts

he is able to intimidate subordinates and enemies nonverbally through his outward appearance.

However on an emotional level, he has also put up a wall. We see this most notably when Black

reunites with Kevin who is now working as a chef in Miami. In a conversation between him and

Kevin at the latter’s apartment, Kevin asks “Who is you, man? Those fronts, that car, who is you,

Chiron?” Black explains how Atlanta made him hard and that he’s just being himself. Black’s

response shows just how the policing of his masculinity has shaped his adult self. After he was

beaten senseless, the fear-based learning cycle forced Black to change himself and make himself

hard. It was his fight with Kevin and the seemingly perpetual societal pressure to adhere to strict

masculine gender roles that led Black to this point; he is a product of his environment.

This fact is made even more evident when Black reveals that he hasn’t been with anyone

sexually, male or female, since his encounter with Kevin on the beach. In response to being

policed for his sexuality, Black chose to repress that side of himself. While he may be correct in

saying that he is hard now, Black saying he is just being himself is clearly untrue -- a lie he has

told himself to justify his “Black” persona.

While this would likely be considered an extreme case of the disastrous outcomes of POM, it is

nonetheless valuable, showing viewers that POM is not, as some would argue, an inherently

benign social process. Ultimately, viewing Moonlight through the lens of clinical psychology

allows us to acknowledge the dangers of POM. Moreover, we can take case studies of POM,

whether it be films like this one or recounts of events in the real world, and hypothesize ways in

which we can diminish and/or prevent the negative outcomes of POM.

Moonlight. Directed by Barry Jenkins, A24, Plan B Entertainment, and Pastel

Productions, 2016.

Reigluth, Christopher, and Addis, Michael. “Adolescent Boys’ Experiences with Policing

of Masculinity: Forms, Functions, and Consequences.” Psychology of Men & Masculinity, vol.

17, no. 1, 2016, pp. 74-83.