Marianismo
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Marianismo is the female equivalent of Machismo in Latin American folk culture, that is it is the embodiment of the feminine rather than the masculine. It is the cult of feminine superiority. Evelyn Stevens states: "it teaches that women are semi divine, morally superior to and spiritually stronger than men." The ideas within marianismo are that of feminine passivity and sexual purity, but are not exclusive to these ideas. There is power in marianismo that stems from the female ability to produce life.
This term supposedly derives from Catholic beliefs of the Virgin Mary (María) as both a virgin and a madonna. According to the New Testament, she was a virgin when she gave birth to Jesus. She was eventually given the title Mother of God, thus a subject of veneration and admiration. From this is derived the idea that an ideal woman should be spiritually immaculate and eternally giving.
This ideal woman is emotional, kind, instinctive, whimsical, docile, compliant, vulnerable, and unassertive. She has a higher status in the community if she has children and is a caring mother. She is also pious and observant of religious laws.
The concept of marianismo gives rise to the virgin/whore concept in Latin culture, where women who are not perfect or inviolate are assumed to be base and vile.
A common tendency in “marianismo” is that the wife or woman is to remain sexually pure and abstain from sexual activity unless explicitly for becoming impregnated. The male wants a “María” for a wife- to raise his children and be a spiritually pure and submissive example, but he is also free to express his “machismo” in having side romances in which his masculinity can be conveyed.
[edit] See also
- Evelyn P. Stevens. 1973. :Marianismo:The Other Face of Machismo in Latin America.
In: Ann Pescatello, ed. Female and Male in Latin America. University of Pittsburgh Press.
