Four Latina stereotypes

Latina_VoicesBy Alexandra Ahmad, Latina Voices

I am a Latina. I am Colombian and Puerto Rican.

Every time I mention my ethnicity, I hear comments like, “Damn, you’re a crazy one,” or “You must always be angry, and have a bad temper.”

But, do they know me? The answer to that is usually “no.”

They have no idea who I am.  They define me and judge me by my ethnicity.

Chances are if they knew me they would be surprised at the fact that I am actually quite shy and timid at times.  Not once have I been loud or obnoxious, unless of course it’s necessary.

Do I have a temper? Of course, but who doesn’t?

When you hear the word Latina, four stereotypes, a few mentioned by the blog Tu Vez, come to mind almost immediately: heels, the hoochie, the hothead and tattooed eyebrows.

Heels: Latinas are always overdressed. They even wear heels to the grocery store.

I get this all the time. Do I go to the store in heels? No, not purposely at least. I dress up for myself, not to impress anyone.  But it’s also something that my mother taught me.  It was a custom that I was taught, and I am not ashamed to show it.

The Hoochie:  The loud Latina who wears tight pants lives in the ghetto.

I am from a suburb called Aurora outside Chicago.  It is known to be rough around the edges, but I live on the border of more affluent Naperville and Oswego.  If I say I am from Aurora, automatically assumptions are made.  “Oh you’re from the ghetto,” is what I hear repeatedly.

“East Side? Or West Side?”

“Neither,” I reply.”

If I say I am from Oswego or Naperville, they say, “Oh, so you’re rich?” So at times, I rather not respond because many people just don’t seem to understand.

The Hothead: The loud Latina, who always takes off her hoop earrings before a fight. 

In my 22 years of life, I can say that I have only been in a fight once. Not to mention I lost because I had no idea what was going on. I just remember saying, “Dios mio, que no me toque la cara.”

Tattooed Eyebrows: Wow, you’re Latina? Then why are your eyebrows so damn thick?

My eyebrows are unusual to people because they are so full.  Let’s just say they’ve got some volume.  At times, the comments make me want to thin them out a bit. But then I remember when I met Khloe Kardashian and the first thing she said to me was, “Doll, I love your eyebrows.” A small detail, but it stayed with me.  Sometimes what makes us beautiful are the unique features that set us aside from others.

In an interview with Esquire Magazine, Colombian actress Sofia Vergara admitted to not caring about those stereotypes because they are true. She is not ashamed of them.

“We are yellers, we’re pretty, we’re sexy, and we’re scandalous. I am not scared of the stereotypes,” Vergara said.

And I think the key lies there, either embracing those stereotypes, or proving to society that yes you are Latina, but a Latina in your own way.

We are all made differently, and we shouldn’t let the opinions of society mold us into something we aren’t.

This article was originally published in Latina Voices.

Alexandra Ahmad is a journalism student at Columbia College Chicago.

[Photo by (Lolita) • 8]

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