Latina Body Image

“Of course, males and females naturally look different; being able to distinguish between the sexes is important to heterosexual reproduction, and secondary sex characteristics like breasts and beards help us to do so” (Crawford, 2011). In one scene, Caye is cutting and pasting her face onto photos of naked woman whose breasts she finds to be ideal. Although short, this scene demonstrates the most basic form of gender construction. Gender contraction is showcased throughout this film in many more ways. Whether due to the scarcity of clothes the women wear throughout the film, the amount of time spent in the beauty salon, or the time spent walking around the park wearing nothing but a little skirt and high heels to entice men, Caye and Zulema
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,