As with other Italian stereotypes, this one has old origins. The best we can tell, Italians were always stereotyped as "ladies men." They were always portrayed as being suave and charming- and their Mediterranean, olive complexions didn't hurt their sex appeal. It also helped that they were not classically "white" like other Europeans- which furthered their image as being exotic.
Italy was also an exotic land, and was the transplanted home of many English poets and writers. Through their stay there, Italy became a romanticized place where food, art, architecture and the beauty of its people were accentuated to great heights. Italy was also a borderline "risque" place to inhabit- after all it was Catholic and we needn't say more about the disputes Catholics had/have with Protestants.
The "exotic" trait was placed on Italians for a very long time- and it created both an allure and an otherness about them for centuries. It also gave way to the first Italian "lady killer"- Casanova. The exploits of Casanova are well known, and much of his allure can be traced to 1) His being Italian and exotic and 2) The mystique of a handsome foreigner.
| Casanova |
The image of Casanova took us from the late 1700s to the early 1900s (roughly 120 years). Then, we were all confronted with the next Italian scion of seduction: Rudolph Valentino. Another famed ladies man, Valentino would be the sex symbol of his day- and his day happened to be at the dawn of film and mass-media. Images of him and stories of his exploits could be disseminated rapidly like no other time in history.
He was James Dean and Elvis wrapped into one. His popularity was so far reaching that my immigrant grandfather used to use Valentino as the gold standard for how handsome a man was. Frequently he would say, "He's no Valentino." And what we really lose in all of his hype is that this legend/myth of Valentino was written in a very short life time- he was only 31 when he died.
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| Valentino |
From our best guesses, it was with Valentino that the image of Italians as womanizers truly soared. The media morphed the exploits of Casanova and the popularity of Valentino to give us this "image" of dark skinned, exotic Italians who were seducers and tempters. At the snap of a finger, they could have any woman they wanted. While no time frame exists, we do know that this concept of suave Italians was alive and well for the Godfather, evidenced by when Jack Woltz (non-Italian) said referring to a past girl of his:
"She was beautiful, she was innocent, she was the greatest piece of ass I've ever had, and I've had it all over the world. And then Johnny Fontane comes along with his olive oil voice and guinea charm and she runs off. She threw it all away just to make me look ridiculous"The "ladies man" image is also associated with the "bad-boy" image, and the belief that women flock to ne'er do-wellers. Italians, always being aligned (somehow) with crime and violence were easily given the bad boy image. These two stereotypes together formed a potent (and popular) media creation.
What is most alarming is that we are living in a time where there is a sex role reversal- Italian women are now being given this Italian stereotype. They are all quick to fight and jump in the sheets with whomever they please. Proof of this can be seen in elements of Real Housewives NJ, Jersey Shore, Mob Wives, etc. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly when this reversal began - but it has certainly gotten worse with the expansion of reality programming.
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