Piropos are flirtatious remarks shouted at passing women in Nicaragua. They typically involve compliments about a woman's physical features or double entendres and aim to impress the crowd and assert the man's masculinity. A piropo interaction involves a man spotting a woman, delivering a piropo as they pass, and the crowd observing the woman's reaction of acceptance, rejection, or no response. The goals are for the man to have his piropo accepted and impress the crowd, while the woman can accept or reject, and the crowd judges the outcome. Piropos are usually shouted in public spaces in daytime using rhyming phrases or introductions like whistling.
2. Definition:
Namely shouting out compliments or
flirtatious remarks to a passing girl.
It may involve crude metaphors
referring to certain body parts, or all
sorts of double entendres.
It also involvesskills such as creativity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB2aMtHbCiU
5. Expirential Piropoing
#1
Chelita, si tus piernas fueran los rieles, no me
imagino como será la terminal.
Chelita, If your legs were the train tracks, I can’t
imagine the train station.
#2
Muñeca, cantarito de arroz, si me das un beso,
me caso con vos.
Muñeca, little bowl of rice, if you gave me a kiss, I
will marry you.
6. Act Sequence
Tirarse un piropo: throw a piropo at her
A man spots a woman
He performs cues
He would approach her
He delivers the piropo when
they cross paths
The crowd observes
7. Act Sequence (cont.)
Accept Reject No
Response
Smile or
Acknowledge
him
Turn around Keep
walking
Keep walking Cross the street Ignore him
Yell/try to hit
him
8. Act Sequence (cont.)
Crowd Reacts
Approve, positive comments
Disapprove, laugh/ instruct
him/ look away
Participants return to what
they were doing
9. interaction and
interpretations
Andar piropeando: to go saying piropos
to married or unmarried women
delivered as close to her as possible
Acceptance v. rejection behavior
said it loud enough for the crowd
he sneaks up on her
must be said when side by side
11. Norms (cont.)
touching might be involved
non-standard Spanish
exclamations as an introduction
foreign women could be targeted
the perception of offensiveness
varies by social class
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXfczqCioyI
it can be said to a group of women
15. Key
Hacerle caso a un piropo: listen to a piropo
romantic
loud and clear
sexy
singing or poetic tone
16. Ignorar un piropo: ignore a piropo
Instrumentalities
orally
most frequent chunks
with some rhyming
whistling /
exclamation as an
introduction
17. Quasi piropo
Piropo clásico: a classic piropo
the goal is to
impress a woman
said to a friend or
a girlfriend
in private, never in
public
romantic and classic,
no vulgar speech