The American way of life. Changes of masculinities in Chile based on north American influence 1920-1935

Authors

  • María José Cumplido Universidad de Duke

Abstract

The influence of American culture and the formation of a mass culture in Santiago de Chile in the early twentieth centuries influenced a change in the concept and construction of masculinities. This would be achieved through large imports of both beauty and fashion of sociability (such as sports and social activities), which hit the ‘must be’ of the Chilean man. Whereas being male as well as being a woman are social constructs, we think that in the early twentieth century, the construction of the Chilean model of man based on American trends that were being reappropriated by the young audience of upper-middle class Chile, showing the strong influence of the United States in these respects.

Keywords:

masculinity, USA, mass society, fashion, gender