By | Frigillana Dugan
Puerto Rican reggaetón artist, Benito Antonio Ocasio Martinez, better known as “El Conejo Malo '' or Bad Bunny, has made a strong impact not only through his music but also by his fashion sense. Bad Bunny has crossed societal gender norms between men and women, shown clear defiance against the Latino community's machismo culture, and shown his open support for the LGBTQ+ community through his style. Over the course of his five-year musical career, he has become a worldwide sensation, fashion icon, strong LGBTQ+ ally, male feminist, and a national Puerto Rican treasure, putting la cultura (the culture) on top of charts and billboards.
From Bad Bunny’s second last album, El Último Tour Del Mundo, Benito’s 7th track “Yo Visto Así” was a critical statement to those of the fashion scene who had something to say about not only him dressing more feminine, but also for those of the gay/trans community. Yo Visto Así is an incredibly powerful song if you really listen to what he says in his lyrics:
“Yo visto así, no me voy a cambiar. Si no te gusta, no tienes que mirar.
Yo visto así, no me voy a cambiar, me pongo lo que quiera, tu no lo va’ a pagar,
Lo que digas, no me importa”
Which translate to:
“I dress like this, I’m not going to change. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to look.
I dress like this, I’m not going to change. I wear whatever I want, you’re not going to pay.
I don’t care about what you say”
As we can see, based on his lyrics alone, the fashion choices he has total self-autonomy over will remain the same, and he’s going to continue to use his platform as a way to promote progressive fashion and gender fluidity in clothing. It’s quite important that we have celebrities who openly support the gay community in this way because society has marginalized this community across the world for centuries and we live in a world full of toxic masculinity, homophobia, and misogyny.
Machismo is a very old-fashioned and everlasting toxic ideology in Hispanic or Latino communities, impacting both men and women, along with gays and straights. Machismo can be best defined as dangerous and aggressive masculine pride and roles while the reverse of that, marianismo, is defined as women in the relationship being virtuous, submissive, modest, and abstinent. Machismo didn’t always exist within Latin America, but due to Spanish colonialism taking over both Latin America and the Philippines for over three hundred years, it turned matriarchies into patriarchies and openly encouraged feminine oppression. Machismo can be looked at as the Hispanic version of misogyny and sexism, therefore it’s safe to assume femicide, domestic violence, and hate crimes against LGBTQ+ are high in these countries. In the year 2020, Brazil alone registered 1,738 cases of femicide or anti-women hate crimes, and Mexico the same year reported 948 cases. As far as Brazil goes, they have made some incredible strides because they just made it punishable by prison to hurl anti-gay slurs, but the death tolls and numbers alone are incredibly alarming, not counting the other countries. If there are this many femicides occurring, one can only imagine how the perpetrators of these crimes would be towards somebody who doesn’t “dress their gender” or those of the homosexual identity.
It’s essential to understand the ideology of machismo and its impact within the Hispanic or Latino community, because it’s not touched on enough, and plenty of people from this current generation and before may have had to live with it or experience it within their own households and think it's normal or the treatment is deserved, which is why Benito openly rebels against it, he wants better for Latinos. On “The Tonight Show” starring Jimmy Fallon, Bad Bunny came to perform his new single Ignorantes, and once again used his platform to make a statement. He wore a graphic tee that read “Mataron a Alexa, no a un hombre con falda”, meaning “They k*lled Alexa, not a man in a skirt”, highlighting the inhumane death of a homeless transgender woman, Alexa Negrón Luciano, in Puerto Rico that local officials did not care to find justice or fight for. Regarding Benito, this is more than just some campaign for his career, it’s truly something that he believes in and is passionate about, and it’s not for the appraisal either, it’s long overdue for any community or group of people to fight against the norms of anti-transgender and anti-cross-dressing systems.
From Bad Bunny’s third album, “YHLQMDLG'' which stands for “Yo Hago Lo Que Me Dé La Gana” (I do whatever I want), came his unforgettable performance and stance from track 5, “Yo Perreo Sola”. In his music video to this particular song, Bad Bunny dressed in drag from head to toe, hair done, nails done, makeup done, and even attached fake breasts in a dress to commentate on letting women be when they are in the club dancing. He collaborated with fellow Puerto Rican reggaetónera/rapper Nesi, and they hopped on this song together both making a statement and paying homage to the Reina of reggaetón, Ivy Queen’s “Quiero Bailar”, from over twenty years ago. Even within his music video, he left hidden symbols or phrases in the background, such as a neon sign that said “Ni Una Menos”, referencing the Latina American movement against femicides and anti-trans cases, like Alexa Negrón Luciano. Respected Latina artist, Cardi B, told Harper's Bazaar regarding Benito in Yo Perreo Sola: “He dressed in drag even though Hispanic culture can be a little homophobic, he took that chance, and instead of hurting his career it made him bigger”, and that itself is the biggest picture of his career.
At the end of his video Yo Perreo Sola, he concluded the video with the following quote: “Si no quiere bailar contigo, respeta, ella perreo sola”, In simpler terms, telling men to respect women if they reject you under all circumstances. This isn’t his first time tackling political or societal issues in his music, he’s been doing this since the start of his career where in the song “Caro'' he questions sexual identity: “Por que no puedo ser así?” and domestic violence in his other song “Solo de Mí”, with the phrase “No me vuelvas a decir bebé.”
Bad Bunny’s impact on men’s fashion is big because he did more than just wear clothes of the opposite gender (though he states in his Jacquemus campaign he ‘doesn’t put gender on clothes’), he defied Latin American norms while simultaneously representing Latin America and putting them and their culture at the top of the charts, with collaborations like Drake, PartyNextDoor, Sofia Vergara, Shakira, JLo, Snoop Dogg, Booker T, Sech, Daddy Yankee, Rvssian, the list can go on and on. He told GQ in an interview that “Latino culture is very machista, reggaetón is where you have to be the manliest, the baddest”, and found a way to represent something new for more than just Puerto Ricans or Hispanics, but for people all around the globe.
Sources
Sotelo, Ixa. “Here’s What to Know about ‘Machismo.’” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 8 May 2023
Daw, Stephen. “Bad Bunny Paid Tribute to Murdered Transgender Woman on ‘The Tonight Show.’” Billboard, 28 Feb. 2020,
Martinez, Kiko. “Bad Bunny Opens up about Why He’s Always Liked Women’s Clothing.” Remezcla, 16 Aug. 2022
“Yo Visto Así.” Bad Bunny, YouTube, 26 Nov. 2020
“Yo Perreo Sola.” Bad Bunny, YouTube, 27 Mar. 2020
“Solo de Mí .” Bad Bunny, YouTube, 15 Dec. 2018
“Caro .” Bad Bunny, YouTube, 23 Dec. 2018
“The Importance of Bad Bunny’s ‘Yo Perreo Sola.’” YouTube, Youtube Genius, 2 Apr. 2020
Submitted by Take Out on Fri. “Rapper Bad Bunny Goes Full Drag Queen in New Video ‘Yo Perreo Sola’ or ‘I Twerk Alone.’” [Aazios] LGBTQ News and Entertainment, 28 Mar. 2020
Eckardt, Steph. “Bad Bunny Channels Brad Pitt in His First Jacquemus Campaign.” W Magazine, W Magazine, 7 Feb. 2022
Comments