This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Exeter chapter.
The Italian males have a reputation worldwide for being hopelessly romantic, overly confident and ridiculously good looking and after living here for almost a month I have had a bit of time to test out whether they live up to their notorious stereotype.
The confidence? They have it in spades. Being an avid people watcher myself I know the embarrassment that inevitably follows being caught out whilst partaking in this particular hobby. The Italian males however, do not seem to suffer this embarrassment when you catch their eying you up and down. In fact they are delighted, now they have your attention the staring will inevitably lead to an attempt in conversation. Whether they look like an italian version of Ryan Gosling or an overweight fifty year old man wearing white skinny jeans they believe that they are God’s gift to women. Strolling down the street, whether it be at 7am or past midnight you will see the Italian confidence in full swing. You could have no make up on, just out of the gym and wearing a black bin liner, yet I guarantee that you will still get stared at and commented on. “Bellissima!” is often the chosen phrase. For a split second you receive this lovely little confidence boost, your walk becomes a bit more of a strut, you instantly stand up that bit straighter and indulge yourself in a smirk and a bash of your eye lashes. Upon spotting the males who’s attention you have caught (most likely fifteen year old boys or middle aged men) you quite rapidly come crashing back down to earth. For many people it is source of great agitation and annoyance but it is not a carried out in a malicious way, it’s almost like a sport. They do it because they appreciate what they see, they do it for fun and to be friendly. In the beginning it grated on my nerves and made me slightly uncomfortable but in the end you just have to smile and accept that it is a part of the Italian way of life. An American friend of mine has lived in Italy for over a year and told me that’s how she rates her outfit, if she doesn’t get at least one wolf whistle or compliment whilst she walks down the street, it is seriously a bad look and it is time to change! I cannot imagine the boys at home shouting at how beautiful you look after sweating your ass off in the gym so you may as well enjoy it whilst it lasts. Why should someone constantly telling you that you’re beautiful grate on your nerves?
Another thing which I have noticed about the smooth talking Italian boys is that they treat Italian girls and foreign girls very differently. The reason for this is actually quite interesting. A lovely Italian boy explained this to me (yes it was crucial for the article that I sought out good looking Italian males to answer my questions!). Italian girls apparently are looking for more of a commitment and will interrogate them about their past girlfriends etc whereas foreign girls are either in Italy on Holiday or studying abroad. Therefore, they are much more likely to go for a drink or a cup of coffee with them without expecting much more than that. Relationships in Italy from what I have observed are on fast forward. My Italian friend recently celebrated her one month anniversary with her new boyfriend, I couldn’t help but laugh! One month? Surely within that month you have only seen the person a handful of times. They don’t seem to believe in taking it slow and the concept of dating for a while before becoming official seems almost unheard of. My friend said that within that month she could hardly remember a day where she didn’t see him and she certainly spoke to him every day. Therefore, I suppose a month feels much longer than it would for us. Italian girls are also very protective over their men. You will not be looked on kindly if you start a conversation with a boy who is already spoken for even if your intentions are nothing but honorable.
Are they as ridiculously good looking as I expected? I think that is a matter of personal opinion. Here in Forli the sense of style wouldn’t be the same as in some of the bigger cities but for me personally they are very soft on the eye. The sense of style in Forli is a bit less clean cut and classy and a bit more alternative and grungy. Probably due to the fact it is somewhat of a student town. However, the older generation are very stylish and it is rare to see a man wearing tracksuit bottoms and a hoodies whilst strolling along to get his morning paper and a coffee.
Another win for the Italian males is that their confidence leads them to be far more affectionate not only towards girls but also to each other. It is normal to see boys greet each other with the customary kiss on each cheek or a massive hug.
So far anyway the Italian stallions have lived up to their name, the confidence and the good looks are undeniable. The romance however? Ah sure that would be telling…
Photo Credits: 1.bp.blogspot.com, media.zenfs.com