Classical (Greek) connotations of "malakoi".
1)
Homeric tradition associated malakos with
softness.
2)
Solon wrote the emphasis on gender distinctions and the association between malakos and
effeminacy which originated around the late V century BC arose. His writings thus serve as a bridge between the original definition of soft and a later conception of effeminacy.
3) Herodotus, the 'Father of History', is the first author to define malakos as "effeminate". He also uses malakos to identify physical
weakness and lack of
will power, but these interpretations herald a new
era for malakos. Although the word still meant "soft", it began to exhibit extremely derogatory connotations, and represented a dramatic break between softness and
gender deviation.
4) Why were gender distinctions so important? In ancient Greek society, man's status was measured by his
manliness. To be a true
citizen was to be a true man. A effeminate man seemed to forfeit his claims to citizenship since he was not a true man.
5) Finally, effeminate men were frequently construed as
passive homosexuals. In
Diogenes Laertius,
Aristotle's Problems, and
Plautus's Miles Gloriosus, among other authors, implications of passive
homosexuality are present to varying degress.