Machismo is a known and accepted concept. Those who identify as women and girls and men
and boys support the idea consciously and unconsciously. My dad practiced great balance and I learned
from him. Folks would describe him as a
man’s man; an army man. He also took
pride in cooking and keeping the house in order, literally. Holidays he would spend the most part in the
kitchen with other men swapping recipes and sharing their cooking secrets. It was passed down to him as his father
cooked and happily cared for his children.
The interesting twist is women and girls particularly who are
Latine also feel the need to take on a masculine/even machismo role. To be a leader
like many other cultures women approach it in the same way that their male
counterparts do whether they are naturally feminine or not. I know like racism,
people struggle with the definition of feminism since it changes and is not
well defined.
Everyone is both feminine and masculine. For me, it’s all about balance. I step in when I need to and I step back when
appropriate. In fact, I have been in
situations where women around me feel uncomfortable when I show any emotion or
cry. They label me weak and can’t stand the site of me. When men see me cry, they describe feeling
helpless and wanting to fix my hurt. Why
do feminine traits get such a deep negative reaction? When and how will we embrace our feminine characteristics?
