Has masculinity really changed?

After learning about the Indigenous and African communities and their own gender relations that were severely altered after the Spanish invasions, it was actually nice to learn about the other side of the coin, the Spaniards themselves. To actually read and learn a little about the Spaniards own ideas of gender and its roles would possibly help explain to me the shifts that were seen as Indigenous and African communities’ own gender relations were completely uprooted. I was expecting to see this major patriachical system among the Spanish due to the seemingly lack of women’s rights among these uprooted communities, even though both men and women from these communities basically had no rights, but was surprised to read about the property and legal rights of women in Spain! Who would have known? But, as easy as it would be for me to discuss women’s roles and rights (it’s clearly a favorite theme of mine), I’d like to focus on the men.

In saying that, if anyone hasn’t read Edward Behrend-Martinez’s article about manhood and the male body, then do it! This was so interesting, and I think that for someone like me, for instance, it’s always interesting to see how the male body is discussed and objectified since normally we focus on women. Thus, I was very enthuised with what was in store. I think there are many standards that men have to uphold or reach in order to express “masculinity” that are equal to women expressing “femininity,” allthough in different forms. Martinez really revealed how Spain upheld what it meant to be a man, and deviating from this norm had significant consequences. I was utterly blown away about men having to prove their sexuality by mere physical genitalia, and at the same time, was impressed with the accounts of many women getting by living their lives as men by acting like a “man” should even though they obviously lacked the correct genitalia. Clearly, not being able to perform sexually was pertinent to being a Spanish man, and in fact, it was important in solidifying marriage through actual intercourse.

Martinez also pointed out castration that existed in this culture, and how it was used alot of time to keep men in the choir! Of course, if a man was castrated then, their manhood in the eyes of Spain was nonexistent, so I did not really understand why young boys were castrated to the extent of retaining a good voice if so much of their future lives through manhood was at stake. However, all of these insights that Martinez revealed really begged the question as to how we define manhood today and whether or not many differences are apparent.

The Spanish saw manhood in physicality through muscularity, deep voices, chest hair, and of course the penis, if not being the major signifier of manhood. Sometimes I think that being a “man” in our own culture today hasn’t really changed much. I mean, yes, I do believe that we have more gender fluidity, for more women than men, but still men have a little more access I would hope to notions of gender than Spanish men did. Still, though, doesn’t this macho masculinity still exist somewhat in our own culture? I think because we still have this ultimate masculinity that men are somehow supposed to express really suppresses men’s ability to have fluidity in gender, while women, on the other hand, due to being feminine (somehow less than being masculine) have much more gender fluidity. I feel a little everywhere with this blog, but Martinez highlighted some interesting points about masculinity, and that can sometimes go unsaid when discussing gender and its roles.