Modesty and tradition in mexican culture a thread:

Traditionally women didn’t work outside the home & were to defer to the authority of the husband although this is true for most cultures, the difference is women are seen as caretakers of morality in the family. They teach their children religion. They have dominion over this.

Traditional Mexican women will refuse to have their husbands present during child birth. It was inappropriate for the husband to see his wife and child before they both had been cleaned and dressed.

The standard of a male is centered around machismo (strong sense of masculinity/power). Both traditional Spanish and indigenous cultures idealize the hyper-masculinity of a warrior/fighter. The two together have created a culture hostile to any hint of femininity in a man.

The standard of a woman is centered around marianismo which include ideas of female passivity and sexual purity (virginity). It comes from the veneration of the Virgin Mary (AS) as both a pure virgin and a mother. A good woman is one who emulates her.

Traditionally during ceremonies/get togethers women and men were separated. Women and men in some regions never ate or danced together at weddings like in Sierra Nahuat. Women usually occupied spaces in the kitchen while the men congregated in the main room of the house.

My family is still mostly like this when it comes to having get togethers with extended family/friends. It’s an unspoken rule, no one will discipline you for being with the men but they will not continue their conversations while you’re there.

My generation has changed its views on gender roles but our parents and grandparents have still mostly kept to their traditions. Our grandparents especially are often uncomfortable with women dressing in nail polish let alone the actual clothing many wear today.

When it comes to clothing, it was very common for women to cover their heads even outside of church with rebozos.

Quechquemitl are ponchó like garments that cover the chest and shoulders

Across all regions, clothing always covers most of the chest, shoulders, and to/below the knees (skirts to the ankles were the most common) and is usually paired with a rebozo for the head.

These are no longer worn except by older women/women in rural areas. Our traditional attire has always been modest but we have lost our modest traditions to the point that an archbishop in Mx asked both women & men to dress more appropriately in church but was called a misogynist