Italian stereotypes

Before I even begin, let me just say that these are by no means an expression of my own thoughts or sentiments. I just felt that given the circumstances, it would be amusing to write a post of some of the typical Italian stereotypes that I'm sure we're all used to hearing. So, let this be an official disclaimer that this is meant to be a funny post, not to be taken seriously, and certainly not aimed at offending anyone. That said, let me proceed:


1. Italians take their food very seriously.

 I’m not even in Italy yet, but I’m willing to bet that this stereotype is very true. I’m pretty sure that not every Italian meal will consist of spaghetti and meatballs as we’ve been led to believe in movies and TV shows, but let’s face it, Italians do have some of the best food on Earth. Wouldn’t you take it seriously if you were them?

2. Italian men are the world’s biggest players.

C’mon, I know I’m not alone in this! We’ve all heard the stories of how Italian men are the greatest womanizers in the whole wide world. Is it true? Who knows? Maybe I should give myself the challenge of finding out just how passionate Italians really are, you know, for the sake of diplomacy and International Relations (hehe.) Either way, I’m sure that Italy has its fair share of ‘Casanovas,’ but then again every country does too, no? I just find it hilarious that every single person that finds out about my upcoming trip to Italy feels that it is his/her moral imperative to warn me about Italian men. Even my older brother told me, “My poor sister, you are heading into the lion’s den.” I feel that this is one of those: “Proceed with caution” type of situations, lol.

3. All Italians have connections to the mafia. 

This one is probably just as absurd as saying that all Arabs are terrorists. So, I have no intention of getting too deep into it. That said, it is a very prevalent stereotype and I felt that it should be mentioned.

4. Italians are very fashionable.

Considering that I spent a substantial amount of time living in the United States where I constantly saw women heading to the supermarket in their pajamas (the horror!), I’m certain that Italians will be much more fashionable than your average Jane or Joe. Also, let’s keep in mind that I am heading to Milan, one of the world’s fashion meccas. So yes, I’m actually prepared to see some Italian fashionistas. That said, am I expecting everyone to be runway ready? No, of course not.

5. Italians are loud. 

Do Italians go around screaming “Mamma mia” and “Vaffanculo” all the time just as they’re portrayed in the movies? Probably not. However, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be loud. I’ve yet to see just how loud and expressive Italians can get, but again, I lived in Miami for a good portion of my life and am used to hearing Cubans scream “Oye” and “Coño chico!” every two seconds. So, I’m sure that I can handle it.