Farinelli

I find it odd how society generally esteems masculinity, but castrating young boys so they could keep their prepubescent, more "femenine" voice was acceptable in Farinelli's time. Farinelli was still held in high regard, due to his gifted voice, even though he never went through puberty, which many would consider the time when a boy becomes a "man." While I know that males were often considered superior to females during his time, it makes me wonder whether masculine qualities were as important as they are today. For example, in todays society, some more conservative people look down upon homosexual men, partially due to the fact that they stereotypically have some feminine qualities. I have noticed that at times I have met people who find that being a lesbian is more acceptable than being a homosexual man, a man who may have female qualities. However, Farinelli was accepted by society, even though he had qualitites that could be considered feminine, such as his high voice. It makes me wonder what people generally thought in those days. Were men superior to women, simply because they were men? Did castrati have any sort of stigma for having been castrated? Was being masculine as important as it is now?