Social Life in Argentina
Behavior
The Argentines are conservative in most aspects of their lives and this is best seen in their behaviors. They tend to dress and act conservatively, much of which is based on the doctrines of the Catholic Church. However, in the political realm and on the social front, they are quite liberal compared to many other South American countries.
As a visitor to Argentina try to follow the lead of the locals by dressing somewhat conservatively (see below for details), dining in the local etiquette (see our Argentina Dining & Food Page), and avoid doing anything that makes you stand out as a foreigner (although most locals will surely pick you out as a tourist no matter how hard you try to fit in). Also try to avoid being loud, rude, showing off wealth, or getting noticeably drunk in public.
Dress
Historically much of Argentina was ranch country and today many people still make a living by ranching. Due to this, gaucho, or ranch clothes are still popular and some aspects of this dress have made their way to mainstream fashion. Traditionally, the ranchers or cowboys would wear long pants in white, black, green, or blue that are durable enough for horse riding. On top they would wear ponchos, which were simple, but durable as it is worn in a style similar to a cape and generally only used during the colder and windier months.