Down with the ‘‘Homies”
83
gender with race and class as categories of analysis, and the Homies are a case
study: they are primarily working-class and/or blue-collar Hispanic figurines
and they enact gender according to their social position and relative level of
access to power.
Just as C. Wright Mills (1959) acknowledged the intersection of the
personal and the public, of history and biography, gender theorists recognize the
fact that the practice of masculinity can not be separated from the larger
historical, social, and institutional framework in which it is embedded.^^ The
male Homies, by virtue of their racial/ethnic and class position, stand outside the
Euro/American-defined masculine ideal and the ring of power and authority
associated with that dominant social structure.^^ As such, they represent an
overemphasized, or exaggerated, form of gender in several ways, physicality
and sexuality being the two discussed here.
Messerschmidt (1993) recognizes the limited legitimate access to
power and resources many lower-class men of color have within their grasp.
Men comprising these lower-status groups have fewer opportunities to “do
gender” and may assert masculinity and define self through the body/person.
Thus, a character like Bobby Loco is large and “doesn’t take any mess from
anyone. Loco works as a bouncer . . . likes to work out and occasionally enters
strong man competitions.”^^
It should be noted that numerous male Homies demonstrate
intimidating stances and reveal muscular and/or large physiques as expressions
of physical dominance. The characters Big Vato, Big Loco, and Oso are
exemplars of the male figurines that occupy considerable physical space and
would be primarily defined by their daunting and/or imposing presence and
demeanor. The Homies characters that could be considered smaller or average in
stature demonstrate a command of their physical space and gamer attention due
to their presence. For example, Eightball and Chuco are not particularly burly or
muscular, but their stance exudes attitude and commands attention, especially
from those outside their social circumstances. Additionally, male Homies—
large, small and in between—tend to be depicted in more active physical
postures. These dynamic stances not only take up more physical room but also
portray the men as more active, outgoing, and confident in contrast to the
“closed-up” postures of most of the female characters.
Sexuality is a second, but no less important, component of the physical
expression of masculinity that is often exaggerated by men in less dominant
social positions. For example, Hollywood, the main character and a self
representation of the artist, is described as a debonair Homie who has “several
secondary girlfriends and one naive primary lady, Gata.”^* The ideal type of a
playboy is often seen in many of the characters.^^
While a few of the accompanying character biographies mention
Homies who are devoted to their girlfriends, the majority of the male characters
are described based on their personal attributes and character traits in ways