![]() ![]() The depictions of Machismo vary, but not unlike like the gaucho, their characteristics are quite familiar. In Spanish, caballero referred to a land-owning colonial gentleman of high station who was master of estates and/or ranches. It was also associated with the class of knights in the feudal system. Like the English chivalric code, caballerosidad developed out of a medieval socio-historical class system in which people of wealth and status owned horses and other forms of horsepower for transportation, whereas the lower classes did not. (Note that the English term also stems from the Latin root caballus, through the French chevalier). Caballerosidad refers to a chivalric masculine code of behavior. The word caballerosidad originates from the Spanish word caballero, which is Spanish for "knight". ![]() Therefore, machismo, like all social constructions of identity, should be understood as having multiple layers. In this way, machismo comes to relate to both a positive and negative understanding of Latin American male identity within the immigrant context. Studies show that Latin American men understand masculinity to involve considerable childcare responsibilities, politeness, respect for women's autonomy, and non-violent attitudes and behaviors. Understandings of machismo in Latin American cultures are not all negative they also involve characteristics of honor, responsibility, perseverance, and courage, related to both individual and group interaction. Latin American scholars have noted that positive descriptors of machismo resemble the characteristics associated with the concept of caballerosidad. These include a particular pride in honor, especially when in context of treating women kindly with especial delicacy and attention. This meaning is derived from the concept of being one who follows a code of honor like knights used to do, or shares certain values and ideals associated with them. The meaning of caballero is " gentleman". " Caballerosidad" in Spanish, cavalheirismo in Portuguese, or the English mixture of both (but not a proper word in any of the previously mentioned languages), caballerismo, is the Latin American understanding of manliness that focuses more on honor and chivalry. Portrait of Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire Furthermore, researchers suggest that machismo can portray the supremacy or dominance that a man feels he has over a woman due to cultural and societal factors. This may also take a toll as physically well straining to be strong and overexerting the body, or the opposite of putting on weight by not having the desired physique and feeling inferior. Mentally, men may feel the need to take up more opportunities to meet expectations, such as supporting the home, or maintaining employment, leading to increased stress. Machismo is a factor challenged among different groups due to how an ideal man is expected to be portrayed, which builds pressure. Thus the origin of machismo serves as an illustration of past history, the struggles that colonial Latin America faced and the evolution of gender stereotypes with time. As history shows, men were often in powerful and dominating roles thus portrayed the stereotype of a violent macho man. To ser macho (literally, "to be a macho") was an aspiration for all boys. In addition, due to Latin America's history of conquest, battles and constant bureaucratic struggles, it was expected of men to possess and display bravery, courage, strength, wisdom and leadership. It was originally associated with the ideal societal role men were expected to play in their communities, most particularly Iberian language-speaking societies and countries. Macho in Portuguese and Spanish is a strictly masculine term, derived from the Latin mascŭlus, which means "male". ![]() The word macho has a long history both in Spain and Portugal, including the Spanish and Portuguese languages. The correlation to machismo is found to be deeply rooted in family dynamics and culture. While the term is associated with "a man's responsibility to provide for, protect, and defend his family", Machismo is strongly and consistently associated with dominance, aggression, exhibition, and nurturance. Machismo is a term originating in the early 1930s and 1940s best defined as having pride in one's masculinity. Machismo ( / m ə ˈ tʃ iː z m oʊ, m ɑː-, - ˈ tʃ ɪ z-/ Spanish: Portuguese: from Spanish macho 'male', and -ismo) is the sense of being " manly" and self-reliant, a concept associated with "a strong sense of masculine pride: an exaggerated masculinity". The Crowning of the Virtuous Hero by Peter Paul Rubens ![]()
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