Germaine Greer, an Australian activist once stated, “The tragedy of Machismo is that a man can never be quite man enough.” The term machismo was developed during the 1960’s-1970’s during the feminist movement. What led to the creation of this label was the abrasive behavior of men and constant need to feel superior to women. The macho attitude men hold on to satisfies their complexion of inferiority. Machismo has brought gender inequality along with a chain of many other problems. The good thing is that these problems can be prevented by changing the way society thinks, one head at a time. Although machismo has now suffused itself throughout America, it is still mainly seen in Latino communities. Machismo is a big issue that needs to be corrected in order to mandate equality because the power is tilted towards men and affects everyone else around them.
Machismo is when men have the egocentric tendency to think that they are naturally superior to women. It also describes a man’s way of living, especially their behavior. This form of behavior has become more common than ever before. The root of machismo goes back many years and has been passed down from generation to generation. It determines how a man should act in the eyes of society and interact with others. A man is often associated with the responsibility to provide for, protect, and defend his family. Most believe that men have it easier, but the truth is that men receive less help and attention than women. The Hispanic culture has created more damaging and constraining gender role stereotypes for men because they are living in a silent crisis. The way America prepares a man to fit into society’s norms is very intricate. The Hispanic community claims that men should have tough jobs, act manly, and be the one who wears the pants in the household. Acting otherwise would be considered obnoxious to the manly ideal. He must also ensure that he is always fearless, in other words, emotionless. Thus promoting aggressive behavior which is the root of many problems. The concept of machismo has been a huge problem because men live in constant fear of being ridiculed by other men for not being manly enough. Due to toxic masculinity, women are held back from many things. This type of power also builds resentment between a child and their father figure. Most importantly, this type of mindset can mentally affect the health of men. The most difficult thing about trying to end toxic masculinity in Latino communities is that men will not give up their power.
Moreover, machismo engulfs discrimination of the opposite sex and can lead to violent crimes. Women struggle for their rights due to male dominance. With that being said, women are unable to improve their lives in relation to social interactions and work environment. Women are held back from many things such as dictating their own life and achieving a higher education. When women grow up in a society that accepts machismo, women see the effects as normal because they are “raised for marriage instead of getting and education,” thus they “get used to serving men,” (Curiel). Mireya Curiel, a journalist, adds fuel to the fire in the article Machismo in the Latinx Community by showing some of the focal points of machismo. As a result of constant degrading, women do not know what is healthy and normal behavior from men. Machismo in families belittles young girls and their dreams. Young girls are told that only men can achieve a college degree in science. Women often listen to that advice and think it is the norm. That is why we see more women staying at home and working in the kitchen rather than in an office. Yet, when a woman works in an office, men are paid more because toxic masculinity promotes unequal pay between genders.
In addition, every day in Mexico and Latino communities, women are verbally harassed with outrageous comments. The way men mistreat women is often a way of proving their manliness to other men. According to Veronica Lira-Ortiz from Merion West, “ Machismo protects the aggressors by normalizing these conducts and not considering the implementation of consequences.” Ortiz is highlighting the issue that young women are seen as objects rather than as an innocent child. She reinforces the idea that Latino communities need to unleash a new change in the way young boys and girls are raised. Men go to extreme lengths to “compliment” women. Most often than not, women are put in vulnerable positions. The mentality that men have about sexuality is the underlying cause of many rape crimes, stalking, and unwanted cat calling. Toxic masculinity is the drive behind most violent crimes committed. Persistent and often aggressive harassment on the streets impacts the lives of women everywhere. Women start to calibrate every single detail in their daily routine in order to avoid being caught in situations like these.
Likewise, masculinity prevents young boys from a range of emotions. Men are taught to shut down their feelings. Manhood is something men are constantly fighting with because they are unable to talk about traumatic experiences. The Latino upbringing and machismo young males are exposed to continues the cycle of harm. Individuals often wonder why men are so aggressive and the answer is their upbringing. When men are not allowed to talk about their feelings, it leads to mental health issues such as depression. Although living in the 21st century is hard for women, it is just as bad for men. The percentage of men experiencing depression is higher than anyone expected yet there is still no action taken to change the way males are raised. Hip-Latina’s Deputy Editor, Johanna, stated that we need to inform men “at a young age that it is okay to cry, to express emotion, to be vulnerable, to be soft and to recognize that in no shape or form should that be a threat to their masculinity.” Johanna reinforces the idea that by changing the lifestyle of men at a young age, we can possibly change the lives of men and women for the better. Depression in men is ignored by the endorsement of machismo and men will never be able to fully explore themselves if machismo is still being embedded in the minds of young men. The lack of emotions that men show also affects the relationship between a child and their father figure These relationships are strained because their father’s way of “loving” is incomprehensible to them. As a result, children are love starved. Gender roles cause men to go through emotional repression. Women can express themselves but men cannot because they are more subverted by society to believe that they have to bottle in their feelings. If an individual has a problem, the “manly” thing to do is solve it themselves without any help. Males don’t go to others to seek help because it is seen as a weakness. This is why men, more than women, carry out with suicide.
Machismo creates ignorance between different type of men which leads to even more discrimination and racism. Men do not support all men- white, African American, Hispanic, trans, poor, rich etc. For example, transgender males are pushed to the corner because their masculinity is seen as fragile. Although men feel superior to women, men still put themselves in a hierarchy between themselves. Just like women are pushed to the bottom, men of color are also seen less than.
We need supportive men, not machismo. Men and women should be seen and heard equally. Machismo not only oppresses women but negatively affects everyone else around them. Machismo has taken over the lives of many men by subverting them into the idea that they always have something to prove in order to show that they are a man. Gender roles cause women hen a man becomes a social misfit, he is not considered a man anymore. Society has left men in a silent crisis. They cannot be true to themselves and they often find themselves wanting a shoulder to cry on. From a very young age, society has ingrained the masculine vision into their brains. The gender roles in modern society make living life harder for men because they have isolated men. The internet is one of the strongest tools in the 21st century. Through the internet, ideas of machismo can be eradicated.