During the last episodes, on the blog of "Teach me Italian" we told how through the cinema many interpreters of characters also regionalistic have managed to achieve the fame of stars on the national stage through the camera. But are the vices and virtues narrated in masterpieces of Italian comedy throughout the twentieth century real or have they been stereotyped?
For every culture and every people it is possible to refer to multiple stereotypes, traits that certainly are not lacking for the "pasta, pizza and mandolin" exported around the world since the dawn of the eighteenth century and depicting figures of Italic representation. Famous all over the world for our culture, both artistic and popular, we Italians have done nothing to avoid finding ourselves depicted as stereotyped specks in the cinema but also in the discrimination of which we have inevitably been victims in the expat mode.
To smile we have therefore decided to group some of the most widespread stereotypes in the world concerning the figures of Italians abroad passing through good taste, flavors, gestures but also ... passion!
One of the most widespread Italian stereotypes is the ability to always be fashionable. And there must be a reason why our country is famous abroad especially for the arts, cuisine and high fashion. According to foreigners, Italians often dress with style, even to run the simplest errands. More or less the opposite of what happens to foreigners… "All Italians love coffee, pizza and pasta". On how many occasions, in a simplistic way, have you found yourself listening to something like this in the definition of an Italian by a foreigner? Here, in this case perhaps they were not all wrong! Our love for Italian cuisine and its "musts" (pizza, pasta and coffee, in fact) is renowned; but often not understood. Abroad we are amazed by the fact that we drink a simple espresso in one sip, standing for more! And what about the fact that, if it were for us, we would eat pasta and pizza every day?
"Italians gesticulate a lot". Well, another truth. Gestures are an integral part of the Italian language, so much so that sometimes we could communicate even without using words: and we can guarantee that this happens regularly, especially in regions such as Campania or Sicily. And also because of this characteristic of ours we can be recognizable all over the world without having the need to camouflage ourselves.
Not all stereotypes come to harm. Among the most positive there is certainly the style that distinguishes the Italic man. Even in the most derogatory narrative of Italian gangsters represented by cinematography, Italian men always stood out for their elegance in neat clothes. Beard or mustache always regular, as well as hair with perfect fold, complete the picture.
Latin lover, according to the Treccani dictionary, is an "expression with which men with particular qualities of gallantry, charm and virility are defined, mostly jokingly; in particular with reference to the men of Latin countries, to whom these qualities are traditionally attributed". Here, this is also a characteristic of Italians seen from abroad.
Everything starts from the language, known for art and poetry and handed down for passion, in direct competition with the French. The Italian language is loved abroad because of all the values it evokes, from good food, to design, to love. Try to relate to a foreign woman and speak to her in Italian to fascinate them. There could be two ways: either he will move away suspiciously or he will smile at you making you understand the importance of sometimes successful stereotypes!
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