Genderlects and Western Culture

In Western culture, genderlects propagate a hypocritical message: men should celebrate their
sexuality while women should be ashamed. As we discussed in class, derogatories like “stud”
and “player” now connotate a positive image of a sexually successful man who relishes his
“conquest.” On the other hand, terms such as “slut” and “whore” demean women and subjugate
them as merely sexual objects. Clearly, the same action has taken on an entirely disparate
meaning for each gender. 

From my personal experiences, I believe Spanish culture and language promotes these
hypocritical and submissive messages for women to a further degree than English.
“El Burlador de Sevilla” written by Tirso de Molina, depicts the antics of Don Juan Tenorio,
a pretentious nobleman and a womanizer. While Tirso de Molina originally wrote the piece
as a scathing criticism of “El Machismo” and male promiscuity, the play adopted new meaning
over time; the term “Don Juan” could even be interpreted as a compliment for an extremely
sexually active man.

However, Hispanic authors of both genders wrote influential pieces to combat this double
standard. Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican nun, and scholar, harshly criticized male
promiscuity and seduction in her extremely famous poem, “Hombres necios que acusáis.”
In the text, she uses beautifully crafted rhetorical devices to illustrate the predicament of
Hispanic women, and in one instance, she compares female sexuality to a foggy mirror.
As a result of her influential work and the work of many other figures, like Alfonsina Storni,
women gained a greater role in Hispanic culture.