Hegemonic masculinity in rock music in modern Mexico

Anthony Bellore

11/4/14

Research Article 2

Professor Currans

Hernández, M. A. (2008), Breaking the Mold of Contemporary Working-Class Mexican Masculinity: The Rock Urbano Music of Tex Tex. Journal of Popular Music Studies, 20: 3–25. doi: 10.1111/j.1533-1598.2008.00142.x 

           

            In, “Breaking the Mold of Contemporary Working-Class Mexican Masculinity: The Rock Urbano Music of Tex Tex”, Mark A. Hernandez talks about the hegemonic masculinity defined by R.W. Connell, and the hegemonic Mexican working-class masculinity that Hernandez is writing to.  Hernandez references the Mexican rock band Tex Tex, and how they write music about the Mexican working-class men’s beliefs in homophobia.

            Hernandez uses the band Tex Tex, a blues/hard rock band comprised of four brothers, as his main example throughout his article.  Tex Tex writes songs that go against the hegemonic Mexican working-class masculinity norms.  “Tex Tex and its songs engage these cultural norms and the gender scripts that they produce, expanding the hegemonic model to include a plurality of possibilities that enable men to be men in different and more progressive ways,” (Herndandez, p. 1).  Tex Tex’s songs usually were about the struggles of being in a heterosexual relationship, but every once in a while they would tackle homosexuality, and gender identity struggles.

“Artesano de la construcci´on” is a song about a working class male youth and his struggle to act on his desire to dress in women’s underwear while appearing to fulfill his parents’ expectations of heteronormative Mexicanworking- class masculinity. It narrates the story of a working-class mother who discovers that her teenage son cross-dresses and on the father’s ploy to rechannel this gender-improper behavior and its attendant implications into heteronormative masculinity. The story is told from the perspective of the cross-dresser-turned-muscleman son, who narrates the incident in third person until the final verse of the song when the “he” abruptly shifts to the first-person singular with the dramatic declaration that “I am a construction worker.” (Hernandez, p. 8)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulcU4Rj8r8Q

Tex Tex challenges the social norm of the Mexican working-class with this song.  This song shows that no matter a person identifies themselves as, for example a cross-dressing male, that person is still a normal human being.  The line “I am a construction worker,” shows that there shouldn’t be titles given to individuals.  The individuals who don’t identify with the societal norms are regular people.  In other words, “I am a construction worker, not a cross-dresser.”

            Another of Tex Tex’s songs that Hernandez references is, ‘Cristina.’  This song is about a heterosexual couple, and after a while, the wife comes out as being lesbian, and leaves the husband.  Hernandez discusses how the straight partners in these types of relationships are usually devastated, and are very self-conscious about themselves after the relationship is over.

Social science research on the topic of spouses in heterosexual marriages and relationships in Mexico who come out to their spouses as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender is nonexistent. So are studies on the impact of the coming out of a partnered woman as lesbian or bisexual on the heterosexual male partner. Tex Tex’s “Cristina,” however, openly broaches these topics. Moreover, it engages the underlying cultural norms of hegemonic working-class masculinity, and proposes a road map for heterosexual men who want to restore their self-image after their female partners come out as lesbian or bisexual. (Hernandez, p. 12)

This song is unique in that it addresses straight males on how to cope with their partner coming out, and leaving them.  Instead of bashing the person coming out, the song talks about supporting the partner, and understanding the decision to come out.  This song goes against the social hegemonic norms in Mexico, and tries to show how to cope with a significant other coming out, and changing their mind about their sexuality, rather than harassing them, and blaming oneself.

            This article highlights the band Tex Tex, and how they write music that go against the social norms in the hegemonic Mexican middle-class.  Tex Tex writes songs about anti-discrimination against gender identity, and homosexuality.  Tex Tex has been a huge influence in the country, and change in the ideas of the youth population are starting to change through music.