Latino Manhood

The term Latino manhood refers to models of masculinity embraced by men of South American, Central American, or Mexican origin living in the United States. It has historically been complex, dynamic, and in many ways shrouded in stereotype. In the Anglo-American mind, Latino men are often perceived in terms of machismo, a generalized set of negatively connoted behaviors ranging from misogyny to belligerence. More specifically, white Americans typically believe Latino men to be heirs to a cultural heritage driven by a veneration of the male and a denigration of the female. The male is supposedly dominant and aggressive, the female subordinate and passive. Within the family, the father is the unquestioned patriarch, provider, lawmaker, and judge. He is obsessed with the need to prove his ...