Cofer goes around in America and these men and American people stop
Cofer goes around in America and these men and American people stop
In “The Myth of The Latin Women”, there are numerous stereotypes that Latin women are judged for. Being a Latin woman, Cofer was judged falsely. Clothing in the Latin culture is a means of expression. Cofer explains that woman and girls often wear brightly colored outfits, specifically dresses and skirts. The clothing that Latin women wear also has an influence on how others might see them. Cofer describes that, “As young girls, it was our mothers who influenced our decisions about clothes and colors,” Unfortunately, the media twisted this tradition, making it translate into “Hispanic women as the hot tamale or sexual firebrand” (245).…
The purpose of Judith Ortiz story is to explain how hard, and at times uncomfortable it is to be a Latin woman, because of prejudice and stereotypes regarding their dress. Latin woman, are usually taught to dress in a “mature way”, which many times is confusing to both a Latina and the larger American culture. To a Latina, it is ok to dress sexy, and wear lots of jewelry, and accessories such as tight clothes, bangles, and big hoop earrings on different occasions. This style of dress however, becomes problematic particularly as it is what is taught in the culture as being formal and too often confused with being professional. For Ortiz’s generation, it was ok for woman to wear their best party clothes as she mention, to go and flirt with the boy they like in the park because they were protected by the extended family and traditional Catholic…
The ideal Latina was also seen as having a different way of “interacting in society.” Participants perceive the foreign ideal as originating in the United States and possessing Caucasian features and an ultrathin body type (Casanova, 2004). A study conducted in Ecuador based on concepts of race and beauty among adolescent women demonstrates how young girls have body image ideals starting at an early age. During a series of group interviews, Casanova learns about how young girls construct a Latina stereotype. The two most commonly mentioned Latin beauties were Salma Hayek and Jennifer López. Of course, the image that eventually propelled López to superstardom was one of a domesticated Latina, with pared-down curves and chemically lightened hair, as opposed to the fuller-figured, darker-complexioned brunette of the movie, Selena (Casanova, 2004). Throughout the film Princesas, Caye constantly talks about her disappointment with her body. She is regularly showed counting her savings and budgeting for her potential breast augmentation. The beautiful women, as depicted in questionnaires, discussions, and interviews, is usually tall and thin but with a pleasant figure or buen cuerpo. This archetype has long hair (with a preference for straight hair of any color), light-colored eyes (hazel, blue, or green), and white skin (Casanova, 2004). In Princesas, Zulema exhibits the ideal Latina beauty and she is exactly what Caye aspires to be. Throughout the film Caye gives subtle hints of her admiration for Zulema by complementing her clothes, eventually telling Zulema that she wants to copy her exact breast size and is willing to achieve it via surgery. Latin women are typically said to be curvy, fina (respectful) and delicadas (delicate) (Casanova,…
Judith wants everyone who reads this essay to understand what Latin woman go through for being stereotyped as a Latina. Even though, she has earned PHD and has worked hard to be educated and to have what she has there are people who see her just as another Latina. Meaning that most people think that she is uneducated who works as a domestic, waitress, housekeeper, etc. She feels that everywhere she goes someone tends to make a rude comment or remark. In some cases most people don’t see this as rude but Judith does. Perhaps because the comments and remarks are being…
When a type becomes a part of the discourse it is no longer stereotype, inserted out of context as a stand-in for a type, the group in essence has muted its negative connotation and reverted it back into a new archetype. Because the archetype “fits” within its context we can begin to discuss how these symbols are used in self-identity rather than whether or not they should be used at all; as Davalos explains the study of group ethnologies and gender should not be a “code for behavior”, but a “process-oriented” record of the group. However, the difference between its misuse by society and its use by the group as a tool to assist in self-identity is that its misuse is more ubiquitous in popular media. This is exemplified in by Brian Herrera in Latin Numbers: Playing Latino in Twentieth-Century U.S. Popular Performance when he refers to Rita Moreno’s role as Googy Gomez, a parity of the Latina spitfire roles she had previously played, and the stereotypical characters in many of the plays in Teatro Campesino. Herrera reminds us that stereotypes never disappear because when they are not being misused by base cultures they are used by the group in question to show that they should not be…
The essay The Myth of the Latin Woman : I just met a Girl Named Marie is about a women named Marie who was being streyptyped as a women and her race. The Americans think that Latinas dress all flashy and sexy and the american women dress modestly. A women has always been known to be perfect and no women is ever allowed to be imperfect or unlady like. Slut Shaming is part of a culture where people stigmatize or judge a women for being protactive. Slutshaming degrades women, allows boys/men to get away with inapproiate behavior, and it makes women have low self esteem.…
Judith Ortiz Cofer portrays in “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, how society often stereotypes groups without a doubt. In this particular case, the offensive stereotype of the Latino women. I enjoyed this article and somewhat agreed with it .I think this story is little different from other story were immigrant American faces different obstacle to adjust with American culture. Cofer was not an immigrant. She was from a Puerto Rican, which is part of America, but still people misbehave with her because of her dress and look which I found unfortunate but very common. Americans are so used to seeing one way and one culture that when something new or someone new comes along they automatically assign a stereotype to them or try to relate them to a movie character we have seen. Is it right to judge someone only by looking at their dress? My answer will be “no”. It’s not right, but we can’t deny that it is not only Americans nature but also every other county in the world nature that they try to judge someone from their look. Even though there are reasons why cofe dress openly, still I don’t want blame blindly to stereotypes groups because if I see a girl openly dressed, I will think that she wants to show her body to everyone on purpose. Cofer goes a little too far when she describes the incident where an old woman mistakenly thought that she was a waitress. I can feel and see the anger of Cofer when that incident happened. It is true that she had a ph.d degree and she deserve batter then that, but we can see that the old lady feel sorry for her behavior. This kind of thing happened with me couple of time were I went to shopping, but people thought I am an employee of the store. Those incidents made me unhappy, but not agree like her. But one the other hand; this article proves that anyone can succeed in life; no matter what…
In the essay “The Myth of The Latin Woman: I Just Met A Girl Named Maria” by Judith Ortiz Cofer she discusses how latin women get treated and how they are perceived. Cofer herself being a latin gets into detail on how she’s been discriminated against, objectified, and stereotyped. Cofer argues that Latin women are objectified by society based on stereotypes.…
One detail that supports my main idea is on a story “Bien pretty” and it says “I mean I’m an artist I need a models. Sometimes. To model, you know. For a painting. I thought you would be good. Because you have such a wonderful face.” This is another stereotype that they challenge they say that women don’t work that they are just at home cooking and taking care of kids that that's their expectation but in this book this lady is an artist and that her job to draw and the writer is challenging that stereotype by saying what her job was. Another supporting detail that was on the book was on the story “Bien pretty” clemencia doesn't just want to be to be a cooking lady at home with kids she is looking for other roles that she could do. This shows that woman not only want those type of jobs but they want something different this shows that they are…
Throughout Cofer’s essay there are several anecdotes that explain where Latina stereotypes evolved from, which ultimately convey Cofer’s purpose that the stereotypes are false. For instances, Cofer explains how she did not see how it is fair for Latin girls to be expected to “ripen” as fruits; whereas, other girls could mature into adulthood. She displays that the stereotype is false by providing the an anecdote: Cofer is at a school dance, with an American boy, he leans in for a kiss, but Cofer does not accept it, this causes the boy to say, “I thought you Latin girls were supposed to mature early”(106). This allows Cofer to terminate the stereotype that Latin girls mature earlier, since she explained it was part of her culture to act mature, nevertheless Latin girls did not have…
As you read The Myth of the Latin Woman and Finishing School racial stereotypes is the background to these two stories. While The Myth of the Latin Woman was set in a different time period than Finishing School it shows the discrimination minorities have gone through and have risen above these stereotypes. The Myth of the Latin Woman is different in a few ways than Finishing School because it is based on how a young woman despite of her success and accomplishments is still oppressed by those around her because of her culture and appearance. While Finishing School is of a woman named Margaret who stood up for herself although she was a minority in the era she wrote this story about. Both being young women told their story to show the oppressive situations they have been through in a time of their lives.…
What goes through the mind of most Americans when they see someone of a different race walking around the streets like one of them? Most people won’t admit to thinking racist thoughts every once in a while. If you were a girl walking at night and saw a black man what does your mind go straight to? That he’s going to hurt me or rape me? Well not all black men walking in the night are looking for girls to harm. Americans should change how they see other races because Americans have put stereotypes on other races that are false, and people in other races are here to live like and with us. Stereotypes for every race, if I say Somali you think of ISIS, right?…
In America, everybody’s beliefs and cultures are valid and worth expressing. But it doesn’t mean that American citizens should be able to distinguish who belongs in certain cultures and what their beliefs are and dress a certain way that is a social norm (the accepted behaviors within a society or group) in whatever country you live in. In America people get stereotyped and judged by the way they talk or dress. If a guy who is from another country and dress with super tight jeans and shirt, in America, people most likely think he is not manly. In Cofer’s essay, “Don’t call Me a Hot Tamale”, she describes how being raised as a traditional Puerto Rican by dressing in “tight skirts and bright colors” (592) is not socially acceptable in growing up in New Jersey if you just want to “keep cool as well as look sexy” (592). Instead of replacing her Puerto Rican bright colored dress code and accepting the American “tailored skirts and silk blouses” (592), Cofer complains that she should not change the way she is and she is doing something about being stereotyped in America by reading her composed stories, poems, and her dreams around the U.S and her goal is to get the…
This review paper will be evaluating and discussing the book “When I was Puerto Rican” by Esmeralda Santiago and some of its important themes. This book does an amazing job at giving a voice to countless minorities who have faced similar situations, struggles and triumphs that many of the characters in the book experience. It serves an important purpose by allowing a candid view into the lives of so many who are often misunderstood and misrepresented. There are many important themes that are addressed in this book that contribute to its overall experience. Due to its nature, a wide variety of themes are touched on from race all the way to human sexuality.…
Judith Ortiz Cofer wrote a classification essay in 1993 titled “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria” in which she reveals her feelings that she had towards all the racial instances she has been through resulting from her ethnicity. In the essay Cofer uses emotional appeal by writing: “But Maria had followed me to London…”,she writes this to expose the audience to her feeling as she was being embarrassed, she then uses exemplification when she says: “…Puerto Rican girls always stood out…” she says this so that the audience understands the difference between her way of life and the American way of life; also, Cofer uses arguments based on values when she says: “… provide a young woman with a circle of safety in her small pueblo…” she does this to contrast the two ways of life that she lived on the mainland and in her hometown, the author finally uses allusion and alludes to one of her previous poems, “I once wrote a poem in which I called us Latinas ‘God’s brown daughters’…” she does this to build ethos so the audience can believe that she is the best person to give an opinion on this issue. Cofer wanted to bring the audience into her thoughts and feelings in order to make them relate to her and her point of view of being Puerto Rican. Cofer is trying to get the audience to understand her point of view on this subject because it means a lot to her and most people may not understand where she comes from.…