Tracking Down A Tradition By Julia Alvarez

Marked as a celebration of the transition from childhood to womanhood, quinceaneras have been a long-standing tradition among Latin American families. Though “quinceanera” literally means “fifteen year old girl,” the term has become more closely associated with the celebration itself, oftentimes by non-latinx people. Among Latin American families and culture, the celebration is often referred to as “fiesta de quince años” (fifteen year party) or simply a “quinces.” To avoid any confusion, I use “quinceanera” to refer to the celebration, rather than the individual, for the remainder of this paper. Historically, fifteen was seen as the age when Latina girls were ready for marriage, and the quinceanera celebrated that transition. While modern quinceaneras have drifted away from this initial intent, and now reflect more of a celebratory coming of age narrative, the marriage and wedding-related symbolism is still apparent.

Our gender has an effect on every aspect of our lives, varying from how we view ourselves and other people to how we interact in social and civic life. It also impacts the way we set our goals in opportunity areas such as education, work, and recreation. Gender socialization starts at birth then manifests through family, education, peer groups, and mass media. Gender norms are automatically placed on us, where women should learn how to be nurturing, sensitive, emotional, passive, and always hold a man’s position higher than hers. On the other hand men should be overly confident, aggressive, dominant, and view women beneath them. This paper uses various readings to show how these gender norms are supported and challenged in today’s society.

Throughout history, most young girls have a Quinceanera which is a special occasion and traditional celebration of a young girl turning fifteen on her birthday and making a transition from child to adult. Reached maturity and eligibility for marriage, which has been custom in most countries. A Quinceanera is something that started many years ago when a Spanish conqueror brought the tradition to Mexico and other countries. Throughout most countries, parents don’t celebrate their daughter’s fifteenth birthday by having a Quinceanera; they celebrated daughter’s birthday differently from other countries. While in countries like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central, and South America are the only ones who celebrate their daughter’s

To begin, the protagonist Clemencia is like a chameleon, who can blend into any social event and with any class of wealth when she says ““I’m amphibious. I’m a person who doesn’t belong to any class. The rich like to have me around because they envy my creativity; they know they can’t buy that. The poor don’t mind if I live in their neighborhood because they know I’m poor like they are, even if my education and the way I dress keeps us worlds apart”(Cisneros 71,72). Clemencia is a woman who knows how to talk and have a good time. By nature she is a very creative being who loves to impress by wearing the best clothes, and show off to anyone to make herself seem better than others. (Cisneros 71). Clemencia is poor and does not have much being that she works for the school system as a translator, and other various positions. But acts rich and very wealthy to all of her friends (Cisneros 72). This connects with the myth of La Malinche, of how the character is a bad woman who sleeps with lots of men.

Deborah Tannen is a linguistics professor with a focus the communication between men and women. In her essay, “It Begins in the Beginning”, she has little credibility in on her stand concerning her stand social interactions between boys and girls. Although she is an educated women and her work regards males and females, she is not an expert in the development of the gender. Tannen gives claims to prove her main point, but does not have any sources to substantiate her claims. Tannen demonstrates stereotypes through her essay as evidence of claims such as, “Girls don’t give orders…”

The Quinceanera tradition started many years ago when the Spanish conquerors brought the tradition to Mexico and others say the tradition originated with the Aztecs. During the 1400s and early 1500s, young girls were considered marriage-ready at the

What is it going to take for people to be equal in this world? What is the point of putting men on such a high pedestal when they are no different than women? Why are women perceived as the “weaker” gender? All of these are questions that people have and want answers to. Its’ safe to say that Werhane, Posig, Gundry, Ofstein, and Powell were spot on when they mentioned that we live in a male dominated world. Anything that has to do with power is generally associated with a male figure. These instant thoughts that women are less likely to own a business, or are more likely to live in poverty need to come to an end.

A man’s ego is his best friend, as he gets to shape it based on the things he likes or not and could even use it at his advantage. If a man lacks discipline as the leader of the family, he is seen as less of a man, something that does not make sense. Men and women are both responsible for raising awareness concerning this type of behavior towards a specific group, and the sexism portrayed in their daily life should not be occuring. Instead, women are seen to follow orders and be doing housework and taking care of the children so the man of the household does not get upset over something he could have clearly done. How Dolores Barrios de la Chungara mentioned, “We are used to looking down on ourselves and undermining our own abilities” (p.348).

A quinceanera is a religious celebration that is celebrated when a young girl turns fifteen. This is a time where the birthday girl is going from girlhood to womanhood. Quinceaneras are celebrated in Spanish-speaking countries and the United States. The elaborate celebration begins with a mass, and is followed by a party or reception. A mass is a memorial of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. People who are invited to the mass is the girl, her family and her godparents. At the party portion of a quinceanera the girl's friends and family are invited. As the girl walks in she is accompanied by her “court” also known as her maids of honor. The party has lots of delicious food, and entertainment such as music and dancing.

Over the years, the perspectives of men and women have continued to be polar opposites. From the time we are children, society portrays gender as men being controlling and unemotional while women are the opposite. Young boys are brought up to “become men” and to adopt the roles society forces on them while women are dehumanized and portrayed as submissive to males (The Mask). These roles have altered slightly over the years but have always been separated by the characterized gender roles in society. Women are to be working in the kitchen and keeping the home, children, and man happy while the man of the household is the breadwinner and comes home to a wife making dinner while he rests from

“The difference between me and these daughters was that they saw me, because of my sex, as destined from birth to become like their fathers, and therefore as an enemy in their desires. ”(Sanders 136). The differences between males and females in society are an evident effect due to the cause of not fully understanding each

The master, ascribed status associated with being a woman has countless affects on my experiences and how it has designed my life. Everything I do is with the mindset of a woman, whether it is how I dress or how I speak. From the time when I was young, I was the first female child within my generation. Even at the age of five, I recall countless times where I had to prove I could “hang with the boys.” This sort of initiation occurred in countless ways from doing gross dares to having to show I can take a punch—literally. Enduring all this mayhem only seemed natural because I did not want to be seen or treated differently from the boys. Time passed and my woman-ness became even more prevalent as boys were able to get away with things that I could not. “Close your legs,” “girls do not play with toy guns,” “Put down the Gameboy, go play with

In today’s world, it’s easy to overlook the flaws of society, but this issue should never be overlooked. Mothers are treating their male sons differently from their female daughters. People are more concerned about their daughter’s waistline, and their son’s brain. These kind of things carry on throughout women’s lives. It’s easy to see women and men are treated differently even today, though most people think it’s wrong.

In her response she examines the gender stereotypes there are in our society without me instigating a response or asking for there to be a comparison. Her ideas that are similar to ones that Henslin (2007) acknowledges of the idea that men are supposed to be manly and females feminine. She shares the concept that it should be divided up based on desire, and

The roles that gender play in society are well affected by culture, physical abilities, religion, and even stereotypes. The characteristics one holds are molded and shaped by the beliefs that a gender can identify what one can or cannot do. From the day we are born we are judged and socialized to obey certain roles based on our sex. It is not only viewed as a controversial issue towards women rights but also men. The article A gender-equality club, run by men by Jena McGregor’s states how if both genders come together this worldwide issue can be eliminated and everyone can be viewed as one. Jena McGregor purpose is to advocate the right of gender-equality; she demonstrates it by her use of rhetorical strategies. Without the use of images or sound, she grasps the audience’s attention ethically, logically and emotionally. She mentions stats that give her article credibility, her word choice and even paragraph syntax