Young Chicana women typical expectations are to follow the parents’ rules. In the films “Mosquita Y Mari” and “Real Women have curves”, the young Chicana women resist these gender cultural norms. The resistance of these gender norms is not a challenge to others but away to voice the opinion that I am my own person and not somebody else.
Anna from the film ‘Real Women have Curves” and Mari from the film “Mosquita y Mari” have a strong dislike for their families and want something else then what their parent s want for them. In both situations the young Chicana women want to be their own person. Anna family wants her to work and support the house, while Mari family will like for her to go to school. Even though the two young Chicana women
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This is not the expectations of a young Chicana female, they immediately expected a boy had her day dreaming and getting into trouble. Even when the teacher announce that she had spent a lot of time helping her friend out with her grades , Yoli’s parents still believe that she had a boyfriend. Yoli is more socially acceptable then Mari, because Yoli tends to follow the social norms more then Mari. Yoli tends to follow the rules and does not stand out in a crowd. While Mari does not follow the rules, and tends to be a bit of a loner, therefore not being as socially acceptable with the other children. These are not the traditional actions of a young social Chicana female.
Anna and Mari do not have a huge support system in the choices that they make. Anna has her boyfriend and teacher who supported her choice to go to college. But only a few members of her family even considered it a good idea for Anna to go to college. Mari only support was Yoli, she was considered a lost cause from everybody else. Not having anybody support the choices you make or to be a voice of encouragement is though on a person. Without the support of Yoli, Mari was ready to accept the fact that the school said she should drop out of school, until Yoli supported her to make them eat their words. These young Chicana women were able to encourage themselves to do their own thing without much help from the outside world.
In conclusion, these young
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
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.
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
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
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.
In the beginning, there were mothers. Like goddesses they create life, nurturing their offspring into adulthood and beyond. Through wisdom, culture, and tradition they educate their young on the wonders of life, gracing us with the opportunity to follow in their footsteps to become mothers ourselves. Through the study of Chicana feminism, it becomes apparent how motherhood is a recurring theme throughout much Chicana feminist art and literature, often discussing how these women fostered growth in multiple facets of their being through their general life experience. Perhaps, this is due to the role of a mother weaving the lives of their children, nursing them, guiding them, and creating a life that implements their own values and beliefs. They have the opportunity to create a mirror image or even an entirely new and improved version of themselves. Whether the maternal figure is a hero or villain, traditional or nontraditional, tangible or fictitious, these characters play a vital role in shaping the Chicana feminism we see today.
Why are Chicana women given a gender role? Ever since I was a little girl I was always given the talk “you cannot go out, nor have a boyfriend.” I asked myself that question. Why can’t I go out with my friends nor have a boyfriend? I would always get upset. I would ask my parents that question and their response would always be “you’re too young to go out and it’s really dangerous for you outside.” So I understood by then, but when I was 16-years old I wanted to go out with my friends. My parents gave me the same excuse and I told them, “Why am I treated differently than my brother, why can he go out at an early age and have fun and not me and the same response. So since then, I understood, in our society as Chicana women we are being treated unequally. Chicanas don’t get to do things that men have the opportunity to do because they are men and we are women. There are tons of gender bias roles placed upon the Chicana women as a Chicana woman ever since Before the Common Era Chicanas also had family expectations, According to The Bible, we have been given the stereotypical role that brown Chicana women have to get married at an early age and obey our husbands. Chicana women in society are given the unfair and unrealistic expectations that are only suppose to be housewives and servants, nothing more.
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
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.
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 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
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
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
Correspondently to breaking down gender roles, feminism plays an important role in Chicana/o literature. In Lopez’s Real Women Have Curves feminism is defined in accordance to the Chicana/o community and differently from 60s and 70s white feminism that did not considered intersectionalities (Ruiz, Lecture, 4/5/16). In the play Ana tries to empower the women by preaching about the power of taking control of their bodies, sexuality, and ultimate their destiny; however Estela harshly stops her with: “Ya, ya, Norma Rae, get off and get back to work!” and is supported by Panchas’s comment “Mira, all those gringas shouting about liberation hasn 't done a thing for me…” (Act 1, Scene 3). This reflects of the little affect or no affect at all of the liberation movement to women of color. This scene testifies that in order to have real women liberation that would benefit all women, feminism should be take a holistic approach and take inconsideration class, race, sexually and gender. At the same time, the play is a work of women of color feminism as it deconstructs the traditional idea of beauty (white, tall and skinny women) and highlights the importance of learning to love the drown body. In Act 2, Scene 3: the women undress and stop feeling ashamed for their stretch marks or for being what society considers oversized. Real Women Have Curves raises awareness of the importance to look at feminism from a holistic and cultural relativism approach without ignoring women of color
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.