With celebrities like Gina Rodriguez, America Ferrera and Eva Longoria speaking out about Latinxs in the entertainment industry, it got me thinking about times where I’ve been made to feel like I am not Latinx enough. I’ve been told that I’m “white” or “not Latinx enough” several times. It comes in the form of a “compliment” such as “oh my goodness you weren’t born here? You don’t even have an accent!” or “oh well you’re basically white so you’ll blend right in.”
Then the lack of an accent comes back at me with family members also calling me a “gringa” and shaming me for not remembering certain words in Spanish, or certain cultural aspects. When asked about when my country was colonized, I come to a blank but I can easily talk about the history of the U.S.A. Although I would love to know the entire history of my people, I’ve only been taught the history of the American people from elementary through high school, and some even college. I celebrate American Independence Day more than my country’s. Assimilation is a b***h.
Juggling two cultures comes at the cost of your ethnicity. There is a mentality that if you don’t speak Spanish then you are not Latinx. Same with liking certain foods or spices or dressing a certain way. I’m either not Latinx enough that I am used to peers either telling green card jokes around me (yeah, not friends anymore), or too Latina that they have to hold back their thoughts on my people.
What exactly is a Latinx supposed to act like anyhow? Are we supposed to have a thick accent wherever we go, and an attitude that’s been portrayed on TV and movies? We’re not all Sophia Vergara, you know. Even then that is a character she portrays, not who she is.
Latinxs come in all shapes and sizes. We’re not all hourglass figures or supermodel thin. We are just like any other human being — unique in our own way.
My “Latinx card” is not taken away from me for liking J Crew and Kate Spade. It is not taken from me because I do not have an accent nor is it suddenly acceptable to validate it when I fumble with my words as my brain tries to make sense of both native tongues. I could have fairer or darker skin and still classify as a Latinx because we are not all the color of Jennifer Lopez’s sun-kissed skin.
What makes me a Latinx is the blood that runs through my veins. The blood of my ancestors dating back to my Incan and Spanish roots. The blood of hardworking people trying to strive forward each and every day. I am Latinx enough because I do not let myself have limitations due to my vernacular or cultural instincts. As a proud Latinx, I am more than enough because I am able to recognize the differences and similarities that unite me to other Latinxs.
So please do not dismiss my ethnicity for not meeting your stereotypes.