Enrique Lavezzi kicking the ball at the friendly match between Italy and Argentina. Photograph by Giuseppe “Pino” Fama [1]. All rights reserved, Demotix (August 14, 2013).
The World Cup ignites passions and joy in many who watch it. But in Argentina, it isn't just the love of the game that is rustling up all these emotions [2] — star Argentinian player Ezequiel Lavezzi [3], also know as “Pocho,” generated a shock wave of female fans from the very moment he took his shirt off.
The Facebook page, “Pocho Lavezzi to play shirtless [4],” has 381,500 fans already since its creation on June 25, 2014. On Lavezzi's Twitter account (@PochoLavezzi [5]), after each one of his tweets, admirers respond:
Escuchame @PochoLavezzi [5] la próxima salís en pelotas o no entras!
— ♥ PeNeLoPe ♥ (@LaMasConchuda) julio 1, 2014 [6]
Listen @PochoLavezzi [5], next time show up naked or not at all!
Hola @PochoLavezzi [5] VAMOS A FESTEJAR EN BOLAS!!!!
— la huerfi (@huerfanita_) julio 1, 2014 [7]
Hello @PochoLavezzi [5] NEXT TIME WE CELEBRATE NAKED!!!
“¡El Pocho Lavezzi imitó la caída de Sabella e hizo reír a sus compañeros!”. Lo mío no es calentura, es AMOR. pic.twitter.com/L3Z9vZ0otY [8]
— NATI MESSI JOTA (@natijota) julio 7, 2014 [9]
“Pocho Lavezzi mimicked Sabella's fall and had his teammates laughing!” I'm not just hot for him, this is LOVE.
As if that wasn't enough, the soccer player already has his own cumbia (Latin dance):
What do men have to say about this? The Facebook page La Nueva [10] has one take in the publication “Pocho Lavezzi's women” [11]:
Y la verdad que el Pocho puede tener su pinta. Eso no se discute. Lo que se discute es la falta de clase: qué feas quedan las frases “te como todo”, “papito”, “mirá esos abdominales”…
Y ni hablar del mal gusto de “si el Pocho me mira, ¿sabés cómo largo al gordo?”, “mi marido tiene la misma plancha de ravioles (por los abdominales marcados) pero adentro”.
[…] Ya sabemos que somos menos deseados que el Pocho Lavezzi. Pero no hace falta que lo digan tan seguido, en voz tan alta y de manera tan grosera.
The truth is Pocho might be good-looking. You can't argue that. What we are talking about is the lack of class: how unpleasant are comments like “I'll eat you up,” “babe,” “check out those abs…” And how distasteful to hear “if Pocho so much as looks at me, do you know how fast I'll leave [my husband]?,” “my husband has the same six pack… but underneath.”
[…] We already know we are less desired than Pocho Lavezzi. But, it's not necessary to bring it up so often, and say it so loudly and so bluntly.
Enough with the Sexism [12] claims that it's not any different from what men do [13]:
¡Pero cuánta hipocresía en los varones que se escandalizan ahora porque algunas mujeres miran más los abdominales y pectorales de los jugadores que sus performances deportivas! ¡Cuánto cinismo en todos los que señalan el doble discurso de las mujeres, tipo: “¿No era que estaba mal cosificar a las mujeres? ¿Por qué hacen lo mismo ustedes ahora?”
Ojo, tienen razón, la cosificación es degradante sea cual sea el género.
Pero pregunto: ¿cuántos de ellos, cuando sus amigos, familiares, colegas, cosificaban a mujeres, les dijeron lo mismo y les explicaron, como ahora explican a las mujeres Lavezzi-maniáticas, que cosificar es degradante?
How hypocritical of men to be shocked because women are staring at the players abs and pecs as opposed to watching their athletic performance! How cynical of those individuals to bring up women's double standards, such as: “Wasn't it wrong to objectify women? Why are you now doing the same thing?” Listen here, that's correct, objectification is degrading no matter the gender. But I ask this: how many of those same men, brought up the topic and clearly explained to their friends, family members, and colleagues, that objectifying women is wrong, in the same manner that it is being presented to women obsessed with Lavezzi today?
We'll leave you with the following image to draw your own conclusions:
[14]Image from Pocho Lavezzi's Instagram account