Pristina Arenas

Dr.Tessa McIntire
1 July 2019
Living Under Machismo

What is Machismo?
Machismo is defined as “aggressive male behavior that emphasizes the importance of
being strong rather than being intelligent and sensitive” in the oxford dictionary, but the opinion
on the matter depends on who’s reading it. Machismo is more prevalent among lower-class
Latin families. In some cultures like in Hispanic cultures, gender roles for both men and women
are implemented at a young age. For machismo to be present, there are personal, social,
physical, and emotional characteristics that must be present.

This predominate sense of superiority adopted by many Hispanic adolescent men has
been passed down through generations as a commonly acceptable male custom. A male
machista must be prideful and have a dominating, and at times aggressive, presence in the
house. This masculine trait goes back centuries in Hispanic cultures, where education was
uncommon among families so a hard worker was necessary. This sense of superiority in the
home was developed from the gender customs of past generations where women were labeled
as housewives, their only role being mothers and wives. While males took the role of being
overall providers and protectors. Machismo among Hispanic cultures has lead to female
oppression and fuels violence. According to the U.S Department of Justice, statistics report that
“18.8 Hispanics per 1,000 people were victims of domestic violence”. This statistic only accounts
for reported cases. This lack of equality among the household adds to this fuel of male
superiority that exists in a personal environments.

Machismo has also been the product of the social expectation the community around
has created for the men, particularly amongst Mexican American culture. This expectation
creates an ideal person as a “man who is protective of women and family, altruistic, and socially
engaged”(Lu,121). This often leads men to believe that it’s okay to feel this level of superiority
over women. Two main roles men identify when interviewed in Lu’s article was their role to be
achiever and providers. When identifying as achievers they stated “I must always accomplish
my duties, both socially and educationally. If I do not, I feel inferior to others who do.”(Lu,121)
This underlying feeling of inferiority leads to this high need to demonstrate masculinity among
Mexican American men. This is based on the American social norm to be successful.

Since these gender roles are very present in such cultural norms these young men grow
up with this social pressure of being viewed as masculine and do their best to look and play the
part. This norm of success adds more fuel to males need to not be inferior increasing the need
to showcase hypermasculinity, leading to the sexism that is expressed by young Mexican
American boys. There are now differences in culture trends as the image of the “machista man”
changes (Avila). Men are taught to act and dress in a masculine manner. Therefore, machismo
is found in more traditional homes with influence from older generations rather than new
households that are more open to asexual roles. Sharing your sexual prowess, or being known
as a womanizer, is respected rather than frowned upon.

Machismo goes as deep as the mind. Boys in Hispanic households are taught that
emotions show weakness. Men should be strong minded as they are considered the head of the
family. The only emotions that should be expressed are what have been deemed masculine.
The embodiment of a “true man” includes expectations for men to have “bravery, respect,
responsibility, strength, dignity, and nobility”(Lu,121). Any “feminine” emotions would be
frowned upon, and may even be considered shameful in the eyes of fellow males in the
household. Males who do not follow this in return may have lower self esteem which can effect
them in their everyday lives.

At a very premature age, there is this gender expectation both boys and girls must
conform to that leads boys to grow up with this sense of Machismo. It is a common belief that
the term “machista” is defined through a male, but machismo is not actually gender specific. As
a noun, machismo focuses on what makes a man masculine. However, as an adjective a male

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or female could be machista. A machista is an individual who holds a set of beliefs that label
male as dominant gender in their lifestyle. A female machista would have accepted her role
under her partner both in the house and in their community. As long as the common belief in a
household is the superiority of one sex over the other, all family member are machista. This
acceptance of outdated gender roles among females strengthens the hold machismo has on
Hispanic households.

As the years have progressed, the roles for both men and women have changed. Today
gender roles are more flexible due to individuals fighting for equal rights among men and
women through the years, from the women's rights movement to the acceptance of the LGBT
community. One aspect of gender roles that our society has not focused on is the role
machismo. Young boys were raised to be strong while young girls were raised to be
housewives. However, this is far from describing todays new and bright generations as such
ideals are thrown out the door. The practice of machismo is out-dated, but still common in
traditional households.

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Rhetorical Analysis
An article obtained by ProQuest titled “Stressful Experiences of Masculinity Among
Young US Born and Immigrants Latino American Men” discusses the issues of masculinity and
the stress it triggers among men. This article overall is directed to a diverse group of Latin
Americans. The audience can be either men or women as the article holds a welcoming tone.
Some men appeared to be quite honest when asked about then pressures they face, stating “I
must always accomplish my duties, both socially and educationally. If I do not, I feel inferior to
others who do.”(Lu,121) This gives readers a better understanding of the motive behind the
machismo. Showing the vulnerability of these men and their need to demonstrate masculinity
among peers almost convince the readers to sympathize with those who still follow the old
school ideal. The article also mentions high levels of stress men face at an adolescent age.
According to this article, the decrease in machismo is associated with a decrease in stress, that
can occur by creating a new picture of what a man looks like in today's society. However, stress
is only one of several factors that enable machismo in society. Machismo should not be
tolerated like mentioned in the article by convincing the audience that society should let boys be
boys. In following such notion, society would reinforcing the social gender roles being
implemented. This article makes fine points in moving past machismo later in the article.
However, it focuses on providing a reason as to why machismo exists as its argument. Overall,
the article succeeds in providing enough support through its emotional statements in order to
defend its argument.

Citations
Avila, Mitzi B. Aún Hay Macho? Machismo Across Two Generations of Mexican Men,
California State University, Fullerton, Ann Arbor, 2014. ProQuest,
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1529417187?accountid=14515.

Lu, Alexander, and Y. J. Wong. "STRESSFUL EXPERIENCES OF MASCULINITY

AMONG YOUNG U.S.-BORN AND IMMIGRANT LATINO AMERICAN MEN." Culture, Society
and Masculinities, vol. 6, no. 2, 2014, pp. 111-128. ProQuest,
https://search.proquest.com/docview/1673056154?accountid=14515

U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Intimate Partner Violence,

1993–2010." Special Report November 2012