Column: Italian men

"Have you noticed that many Italian men wear eyeliner?" I was recently asked this question by an Irish expat who had just moved to Italy. I nearly choked on my glass of prosecco, thinking she might be going to the wrong bars.

Nobody will doubt that the majority of Italian men are vain, but I have not (luckily) spotted them with eyeliner. In view of the fact that the Italian men have built up a rather famous reputation, further research into the Italian men's population seemed in order. Because no other male people on this planet has such a contradictory reputation with diverse alter egos.

Alter egos of Italian men

Italians are passionate lovers, but at the same time they are mammonia who still live with their parents until well after their 30s. They are real machos, but also vain ones who spend more time behind the mirror than the average woman.

I have to say that I don't know any extreme cases in my own circle of friends and also the Italian young men I've been on a date or two with have actually turned out to be pretty average. Perhaps because the adage kind seeks kind turns out to be valid.

Below is an explanation of the most typical alter egos of Italian men.

1. Mammony

This is the alter ego of the Italian man that has certainly been talked about a lot lately, at home and abroad. I know several who still live with their parents, some of whom have indeed passed the age of 30. The motivation of the gentlemen in question is always the same: the costs are high, the salaries low and there is also a crisis.

So they prefer to stay at home for a while so that they can save. And not having to do the dishes, tidy up and arrange everything yourself, but of course they don't say that. They are also right about the costs compared to the salaries. Because the costs of living space in Italy will not differ much from those in the Netherlands, while the salaries are indeed a lot lower.

I almost forgive them, were it not that I have to deal with the same costs and salary and that I do live on my own. So many Italian men prefer laziness to independence, unfortunately confirming their reputation as mammonia.

Because let's be honest, even if your parents don't tell you what time to go to bed anymore, as long as they're still scooping your plate at night, you're still under the mother hen.

2. Italian men: real charmers

The Italian man's most imaginative alter ego. They are huge flirts and they love to court ladies. But in that respect they are also real gentlemen; no awkward situations at the end of a date, because the man in question resolutely takes the bill to pay.

Even my Italian friends insist on paying for me every time. With some difficulty, I occasionally manage to pull out my wallet first and treat the friend in question.

Of course, all dates are well planned by the Italian gentlemen and they have a romantic touch; the Italian man doesn't just drag you to a random diner. And if an Italian man has seen something he wants, he goes for it one hundred percent. If you are what he has in his sights, then prepare yourself. The Italian man does not give up easily.

The passion and dedication you see then almost make you think that this must be true love. Unfortunately, that passion and dedication can also disappear just as quickly when they get something else in their sights that they want.

So they are real charmers, who know well how to win over a woman and they do it with a good dose of conviction. But don't let that fool you, because before you know it, it will be over again.

3. Mirror, mirror on the wall…

The average Italian man is undoubtedly more vain than the average Dutch man. In general, this remains quite limited to looking neatly groomed with just a little more emphasis on well-dressed. You hardly see badly dressed men.

With as much dedication as they do to womanizing, the Italian gentlemen head to the gym. Because a well-dressed body also includes a fit body.

It's a bit too much for me to ask my friends about their morning "beauty rituals" and how long they last, but I know they all go to the gym, like to dress well, and have an opportunity to get into a gym somewhere. mirror to check their hair certainly do not avoid.

But hey, you have to give them something. As long as they don't stand in front of the mirror longer than I do and they don't touch my eyeliner, you'll be fine.

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