Chicana Women Norms

Growing up, I moved around from place to place. From the suburbs of New Jersey, to the tranquility of the Dominican Republic, to the wilderness of the city. I learned from each of these vastly different places the importance to respect and embrace different personalities, cultures, and lifestyles. I lived in the Dominican Republic from the 3th grade to my sophomore year of high school and there are many things I learned whiles living there. The Dominican Republic is still a very conservative country in many aspects. One of the aspects that I was influenced the most, was DR’s gender roles. As a girl I was expected to act and think a certain way. I couldn’t dye my hair, or paint my nails, or wear makeup before the age of sixteen because if I

Ana Garcia, the protagonist of the film Real Women Have Curves, is a perfect example of the contemporary Latina in the United States. She is an ideal illustration of the intersectionality between race, culture, gender, and class. When deciding what she would do for her future, Ana had to choose between her cultural values and mainstream expectations, between her Mexican heritage and her American mindset. After deciding to continue her education at Columbia University, Ana holds a feminist conference aiming to bring more attention to gender and race-based discrimination within the workplace and the unrealistic beauty standards set forth by society for women. These two issues are particularly prevalent in the United States and have widespread effects, therefore Ana would primarily focus on them. Both issues are applicable to Ana herself and could very easily have negative repercussions on her own life.

Common stereotypes about women in the Mexican-American culture include that women are uneducated, good housewives, and very fertile. Many parents still believe it’s the woman’s job to stay home and be the homemaker. The concept of gender, which is socially constructed, is reinforced since birth. (Sociology Lecture 08/24/2015) Ana was caught in the middle of gender politics. Her mother oppressed her daughter so she can become a grandmother. The film “Real Women Have Curves” deals with gender stereotypes and struggles of poor women living in East LA. Carmen was trying to have Ana chained to the notion of women being inferior to men. Carmen believed men to be superior, whereas Ana thought differently. However Ana strived to liberate herself from traditional cultural norms by pursuing her college education. Her mother’s negative influence only caused Ana to rebel.

Edited by several scholars such as Gabriella F. Arredondo, Aída Hurtado, Norma Klahn, Olga Nájera-Ramírez, and Patricia Zanella, this book in particular highlights the development of Chicana identities in the twentieth century by showing “how Chicana feminist writings move discourse beyond binaries and toward intersectionality and hybridity” (Arredondo e.al. 2). What is interesting is how the feminist scholars in this book used different epistemologies and methods in capturing the experiences of the Chicanas which include oral histories, poetry, theatrical performance, painting, dance, music and social science survey. Some of the contributors also combine “analytical tools and cross disciplinary boundaries” (5). The approaches used are very unique as they enables to unravel the Chicana experiences thoroughly and disrupt “the notion of Chicana identity as monolithic and homogeneous” (6). Also, the format of the book which presents articles and then the responses by another activist or scholars offers a very distinct way of presenting critical and provocative analysis. Such format allows the editors to “reaffirm the tensions and creativity of individual and group consciousness that underlie Chicana feminism and scholarship” (Salas 122). From this edited volume, I choose three articles along with their responses. Those articles are Cartohistografía: Continente de una voz/Cartohistography: One Voice’s Continent by Elba Rosario Sánchez (response: Translating Herstory: A Reading

Whilst Mexican Americans were looked down upon as a whole minority, it could be said that female Mexican Americans were in an even worse position than their male counterparts, with little or no input permitted whatsoever. Female actresses in the film are demoted to supporting actresses or dancers in comparison to the heavily male orientated cast who have leading roles. According to Fregoso (1993: 659) ‘Chicanos and Chicanas became visible in public discourse as ‘social problems.’ Moreover, Chicanos became foreigners in their own country which led to the increase of so called ‘gang culture.’ In attempt to counter act the media and public perception of Chicano culture Fregoso (1993: 660) explains ‘Valdez deconstructs racist images of Chicano youth as ‘gangs’ or social problems, depicting the male members as victims of racist institutions… the male subjects are reversals of dominant depictions of Chicano masculinity.’

The film Mosquita y Mari directed and created by Aurora Guerrero is a coming of age story set about Huntington Park in the southeastern part of Los Angeles. It uses tense scenery that seeks to explore what it means to be in a romantic relationship versus a close friendship. Furthermore, upon legitimizing Yolanda and Mari`s relationship the film provokes the audience to ask the question, “If they are queer, what is keeping them in the closet?” This question is most effectively answered by examining how Yolanda and Mari`s ethnicity, locational, and immigrant descendant identities intersect to keep them in the closet.

The second thing I learned is when the Chicanos shame the Chicana women being sexual objectification. The way men view the Chicanas and how they said they would never touched a woman because of being the same culture as them. Acosta addresses “Across the street, the huge lawn is crowded with Chicano students and skinny trees. The broads are fantastic. I am eye-popping the incredible asses, the slim waists and the bulging breasts of these savage wenches who move with graceful twists. Since I have come to LA, I still have not touched a woman of my own culture. I swallow my milk and feel my pants bursting with heat.” (38) This is a sign of Chicana Feminism the way the Chicano Militants looked at Chicanas as sex objects.

This highlights that Chicanas prefer Chicanos more than they prefer each other; they perpetuate gender hierarchy by constantly placing males above females. Chicanas fear the criticism they will endure if they defy gender boundaries. Joan Riviere addresses this phenomenon in her essay “Womanliness as a Masquerade. Her essay explores the discomfort that woman feel when they act outside of the boundaries established by a male dominated society. In one example, she describes a

Anzaldúa recounts her experience growing up in a community where her Chicana culture wasn’t widely accepted. She would be punished for speaking the language her culture influenced to create a language, which corresponds to a way of life. In Gloria Anzaldúa’s “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” the variety of languages helps her compare, contrast and define her argument of the distinguished languages concerning her Chicana identity.

Christianity is widely known to be the most popular religion in the world, so it’s not unreasonable to believe that it plays a major role in Latino societies. Latinos, immigrants to the United States and their descendants in particular, practice various denominations of Christianity and modify them to suit their own needs and personal morals. One practice that most Latino communities have in common is the role that women play in the religious upbringing of their children. Latina women are generally relegated to the role of child rearing, but, as they raise their children they continue to practice their faith and in turn their children imitate them and develop a mental association between their families and their faiths. Two separate Spanish

In the novel Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquivel exposes her strong feminist attitude through a controlling first person limited narration and a detailed, descriptive portrayal of the characters. This exploitation of feminist views supports two major themes: change in traditional attitudes towards authority and freedom of expression. In this novel, Laura Esquivel shows how Mexican women can overcome the powerful traditional authority of men and the traditional mindset of women; and how women can overcome society's suppression and express themselves freely. . These two themes have a direct

In conclusion, Ana and Miguelina are different, but they were raised in the same type of environment, and even attended the same university. In fact, they both played a very important role in each of their family. It is clear that Ana was too negative about her upbringing in life. On the other hand, Miguelina was always optimistic about supporting her family. Neither of them determined their success because they are responsible for it. Even though Ana and Miguelina are both admired by their families and coworkers, they learned to embrace each of their own careers, ambition, and

Though they may be loved equally, parents tend to show off their sons more than their daughters. They show how strong their sons are or how many sons they have. With their daughters, they tend to not care much of what they do until they become adults because they just expect women to clean the house, cook, and find a husband who has a job and protects the family. In Sandra Cisneros, Caramelo, one of the main themes is how the main character, Celaya, feels left out from her family because of her six brothers and how Mexican mothers baby their sons no matter how old they get. Today, women are more conquering and stronger than before. Women can do anything

Living in Mexico throughout her teen years was very rough. Unlike other teenagers where their parents constantly provide for their children, Marisela’s life was a lot different than the usual parent- child relationship. She lived with her Abuela ( Grandma) Lupe, along with her 3 brothers and sister. She constantly had to take care of her brothers and sister at such a young age, that she became the mother-like figure of the

In ‘’Never Marry a Mexican”, the author, Sandra Cisneros, tells the story of a protagonist, Climencia, whose mother gives her some vague advice. “Never marry a Mexican, ma ma said once and always” (Cisneros 109). This advice was given due to the fact her mother is insulted that the man she married came from a higher social class then her. Climencia is troubled with the true meaning of her mother’s words and applies it different aspects of her life in an everlasting tug of war, that in the end, destroys her. Clemencia watches her parent’s relationship deteriorate because of her mother’s vindictiveness. Her mother even has an affair while her father is on his death bed in the hospital. Climencia used to swoon over the idea of getting married someday and being a man’s arm candy. But after experiencing first-hand her parents’ marriage problems she changes her mind. After the death of her Dad, Clemencia’s mother abandons her emotionally. Clemencia vows she will never marry any man. She thinks she expects too much out of marriage and will only be let down. She becomes involved with a lover named Drew and through this relationship, in a twisted way, she gains self-worth and self-love. She considers her own kind unworthy of happiness but does not see herself in the group.