“Maaaaacho, Devoured by a Pop Culture”

Abstract

From November 8 to December 7, 2007, Chicago-based, all-Latina theater group Teatro Luna debuted a performance piece titled MACHOS in which the women interpreted various Latino male characters in an exploration of what it means to be a Latino man. While it may seem strange to begin a study of masculinities and male identity with a performance by women, such a choice underscores the performative nature of gender as argued by numerous gender studies scholars.¹ It also crucially separates actions, behaviors, and feelings marked as masculine from the male body. The very act of women performing as men and purposefully engaging the loaded definitions and connotations associated with the term macho allows performers and spectators to literally and metaphorically step outside their own skin. Given this function, the piece joins a corpus of recent artistic and scholarly work that seeks to better understand Latino masculinities and their implications.

Be fair. You know that many Latino men are very loving and are invested in gender politics.

—Coya Paz, artistic director of MACHOS