Cofer - the Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria
Cofer - The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just met a girl named Maria
March 4, 2009
As Judith Ortiz Cofer says in her essay “mixed cultural signals have perpetuated certain stereotypes” (49). Since something can be natural in a determined culture and offensive in another, it is easy to find a variety of behaves that are misunderstood. This misunderstood is what promotes the existence of prejudice. The stereotypes should be ignored and forgotten by people. Each individual should be judge by its work and personality, and not by its clothes, physical appearance or place of origin. People should know better about distinct culture before believe in stereotypes.
As a Brazilian woman (and therefore Latina).I can talk about the stereotype created about women from my country. Brazil is known for its soccer team, carnival, and beautiful women. It seems nice characteristic to be identified with. Although, those characteristics make people believe that in Brazil the women are always or at least most of the time naked. Brazilian girls are believed to be easy ones, because they kiss in the mouth on the first date. In some countries (as the ones in Europe) people also believe the Brazilian women that move to there are all prostitutes. Those and much more related kind of stereotypes make the Brazilian women to endure a lot prejudice not only as a Latin but also as a Brazilian. It is very sad to know that people are so influenceable but that is how it is. And it is very difficult to change such an old idea that is attached to the people’s mind. But we should not give up of the transformation.
Cofer emphasizes that “we cannot change this (the myth of Latina as whore, domestic or criminal) by legislating the way people look at us. The transformation, as I see it, has to occur at a much more individual level” (56). I fully endorse her idea about the change be made in an individual level. I believe that each Latin woman should try show with her own example of life and behave that
March 4, 2009
As Judith Ortiz Cofer says in her essay “mixed cultural signals have perpetuated certain stereotypes” (49). Since something can be natural in a determined culture and offensive in another, it is easy to find a variety of behaves that are misunderstood. This misunderstood is what promotes the existence of prejudice. The stereotypes should be ignored and forgotten by people. Each individual should be judge by its work and personality, and not by its clothes, physical appearance or place of origin. People should know better about distinct culture before believe in stereotypes.
As a Brazilian woman (and therefore Latina).I can talk about the stereotype created about women from my country. Brazil is known for its soccer team, carnival, and beautiful women. It seems nice characteristic to be identified with. Although, those characteristics make people believe that in Brazil the women are always or at least most of the time naked. Brazilian girls are believed to be easy ones, because they kiss in the mouth on the first date. In some countries (as the ones in Europe) people also believe the Brazilian women that move to there are all prostitutes. Those and much more related kind of stereotypes make the Brazilian women to endure a lot prejudice not only as a Latin but also as a Brazilian. It is very sad to know that people are so influenceable but that is how it is. And it is very difficult to change such an old idea that is attached to the people’s mind. But we should not give up of the transformation.
Cofer emphasizes that “we cannot change this (the myth of Latina as whore, domestic or criminal) by legislating the way people look at us. The transformation, as I see it, has to occur at a much more individual level” (56). I fully endorse her idea about the change be made in an individual level. I believe that each Latin woman should try show with her own example of life and behave that