I am Latina.
But not your version of Latina.
I am Latina, but I am not fluent in Spanish. Don’t get me wrong, I can speak and understand it, I just wouldn’t consider myself fluent by any means. Growing up in America is not easy for a bilingual speaker. Living in a rural, majority white neighborhood with my traditionally Mexican family put pressure on me to forget my native tongue and embrace the English language.
For lack of better words, I was an Oreo. Stuck between two dueling cultures that were not completely welcoming to me and my different ways. When I would be welcomed by one, I would in turn get critiqued by the other. This caused for conflictual relations with my family and friends. Was I being “too white” when hanging out with my family or was I being too defensive when people spoke about immigrant experiences that they knew nothing of?
I am Latina, but not a symbol of sex. I encourage body positivity and support women to feel sexy whenever they want! Feeling confident and sexy are things that I would love to do at all times, but alas I have my days where baggy sweats, boots, and buns are what I wear to feel comfortable not sexy. I love my curves and am proud of them even when finding the right pair of jeans is like a never-ending battle. I have accepted that I will never be a J. Lo, Gina Rodriguez, or even a Sophia Vergara but I can always stick to being a better me. These women are beautiful as are all women, but my body will never have legs that go on for days because at 5’2 they can only reach so far.
I am Latina and if you expect me to cook and clean then you have another thing coming. Now I am not saying I don’t make a mean caldo de pollo or carne asada with the works, I am just saying that if you expect that to be the only thing I can do then you can turn around and walk back home. I am more than my ethnic food and girls have more to offer than what is stirring in the pot. My brains and education have taught me a thing or two about equality and how to spot a misogynist when I see one.
Now being Latina does not mean that I fit into a box. There are not certain criteria I must meet that you can check off to make me “Latina-enough.” Latina does not mean I will parrot back to you your chopped up version of my native tongue. Or accept your love for the wall that is being built that keeps families torn apart. Think of your neighbors who are Latino and surely, there is a strong possibility that they know someone illegal. There are whole stories you do not know of Latino struggles, such as the “modern slavery” that we turn a blind eye to in American fields because, “‘Hey they are illegal and Mexican and we can abuse our power.'” If I were to try and pass the citizenship test I would without a doubt fail. Yet here I sit in my home comfortable and safe with no fear of being ripped out of the life I have grown into.
My family has always wanted me to aspire to do better and be better than what my predecessors have done and have pushed me to destroy the ceiling that limits me due to my gender and ethnicity. No matter what type of Latina you are just know there are no scales that need to be tested for you to embrace your culture and love for the ethnicity. The women above are different shades, body types, sexual orientations, and types of Latina’s who embody things that I strive to be everyday.
I am a Latina who is educated, strong minded, not fluent in Spanish, doesn’t always want to cook, looks good in sweats and a t-shirt, and is proud of my culture and fuerza of my fellow Latinos.
I am Latina.
And I refuse to fit into your box.
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