Preview

Women Have Curves

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
180 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Women Have Curves
As a Latina woman, Khristian Mendez-Aguirre’s lecture on the work of Latino theatre really grabbed my attention. It was my first time building a strong connection to the plays presented in lecture. The stereotypes that come with gender, body image, ideals, and family in both Real Women Have Curves by Josefina Lopez and The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Lorca are concepts that I have firsthand struggled with. Like the ambitious Ana, in Lopez’s play I was told women are better daughters when they stay close to home before coming to UT, and like Adela, I have made decisions that are too modern for some of my family members. Overall, it was interesting learning more about my roots and its theatre history. Through this lecture I discovered

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Julia Alvarez’s short story, ”Nombres”, and in the visual, “Graduation Day”, both depict the common theme that people should embrace their culture and heritage. In “Nombres”, the theme can be seen when Julia's mother states, “You know what (Julia’s) friend Shakespeare said, ‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’,” (Alvarez Pg. 1). This shows that Julia’s mother doesn’t want her to be ashamed of where she comes from, and that she should embrace her name. This theme is also evident in the visual,” Graduation Day”. The fact that the loving daughter, who just graduated from school, is hugging her hard-working father, shows that she is grateful for him, and that she is proud of him. Also in “Graduation Day”, the daughters decorated graduation…

    • 278 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Right from the start of the essay, Cofer establishes Latina stereotypes as harmful by relaying her own personal experiences with them. Cofer evokes visual and auditory imagery when she recounts the story of the man who “with both hands over his heart…broke into an Irish tenor’s rendition of “Maria” from West Side Story” (Cofer 370). Cofer’s use of imagery intensifies her experience and makes it much easier to relate to, thereby inspiring empathy toward her and resentment toward the stereotypes under which she suffers. Cofer later creates more imagery when describing the man who “sang a ditty to the tune of “La Bamba” and “stepped directly into [her] path” (373). Cofer’s sensory imagery conjures a feeling of being cornered and caged, unpleasant by anyone’s standards. The images highlight the persecution that is part of Cofer’s life, making them more relatable and once again inspiring empathy for the Latina woman’s plight.…

    • 854 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Latinos are currently the largest minority group in the United States, and Mexican-Americans are the largest group within the Latino population. It may be unfathomable for the younger generations to think of the Mexican population in the United States as a silent minority group; however, it was not until after World War II that we see a rise in Chicano nationality and identity movements. What was the role of the theatre in this discovery of identity, and how did the theatre give social voice to this formerly unheard group? The clearest answer to this question can be found through the Teatro Chicano movement, Luis Valdez’s character El Pachuco in Zoot Suit and the performance art pieces and writings of Luis Alfaro.…

    • 2117 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The main character, Ana, in the movie Real Women Have Curves faces adversity within her family. Her mother and father are immigrants from Mexico and came to America to make a better life for their family. Although they want their family members to succeed and moved to this country for better opportunity, Ana’s mother struggles to allow her to leave to go off to college. I believe that their struggle is due to the fact that their Hispanic heritage often obligates the mother to feel responsible for keeping the family together, which is apparent in the film. When discussing her move to college she asks Ana if she wants to leave all of them behind and makes her feel especially guilty for leaving her grandfather.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    IOne of the methods straight edge women used as a resistance mechanism was by “refusing to prove their femininity” as a method to align themselves more with the superior and larger population of men (Haenfler 149). By adopting more of a masculine appearance and attitude, this is how the women aimed to set themselves apart from mainstream society. Rejecting one’s gender role expectations is what these women should have focused on rather than rejecting their gender identity completely. Marilyn Monroe embraced her sexuality and beauty to become one of the most confident, idealized women of her time. In fact, Monroe’s ability to showcase her womanhood and graceful attitude is how she began her career (“Marilyn”). Straight edge women would…

    • 149 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brent Staples

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages

    She tells us of other situations where people have looked at her as being “easy” and as a teenager, her friends and their mothers felt that the cloths she wore were, “too mature and flashy”. Judith Cofer’s main theme is to show the misconceptions as well as the stereotypes people have of Latin women. She uses examples like how the media uses certain words to describe Latin women, words like: hot tamale, sizzling, and smoldering; how, many Latin women that work in factories are victims of sexual harassment and that people think they are maids or waitresses. She expresses feelings of anger and discontent because of how Latin women as well as she are treated by people. One of the incidents that affected her the most was when she went to a luncheon to read one of her poems an older woman mistook her for a waitress and tries to order a cup of coffee from her. She says she understands that the woman was not intentionally trying to be cruel yet; she became very angry at the…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The House On Mango Street and “ Only Daughter” both prove that being an Mexican- American women is a struggle. As Cisneros shows her first hand experience, and as well shows it through story telling. Yet without telling a biography and going straight to the point she shows emotion by using literary elements. Sandra Cisneros Chose to use metaphors and imagery to express the hard ships of being a Mexican- American women. If Sandra Cisneros did not use literary elements to show the lifestyle of a Mexican-American women, the points that she showed in both the texts would not have been as powerful as they were.…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Real Women Have Curves

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the movie Real Women Have Curves multiple obstacles that may impact a student’s possibility of continuing with his or her education are clearly pointed out. In the movie Real Women Have Curves there is Ana, a character in the movie that has the opportunity to continue her education after high school by attending a university but, has to work as a seamstress with her mother and sister. The one issue that I can relate to is that like Ana I have had to go to work with my father. In a home were the parents are the head they have complete authority and roles which include providing food to sustains ones appetite providing a place to live in, providing items that one can not obtain without their help. For the most part one as a child who is not bringing in an income does not have much of a say in the home.…

    • 719 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play Real Women Have Curves by Josephina Lopez, and the film by director Patricia Cardoso, portray Mexican culture differently but both manage to perpetuate stereotypes. They do this by showing how Mexicans can be very family oriented, are paranoid immigrants, and put work before schooling. These factors shown by the play and film are crucial because they help the audience fabricate stereotypes about Mexican culture.…

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Real Women Have Curves

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages

    George LaVoo. Perf. America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros, and George Lopez. New Market Films, 2002. DVD.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Latina Body Image

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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,…

    • 463 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    stereotyping latin women

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Judith came from a Puerto Rican family that lived in Jersey. Throughout her life she was put into situations of others stereotyping her for being a Latin woman. One of those times was for Career Day at her catholic school. The girls were supposed to dress formal with the tailored skirts and silk blouses to look professional. However, she wasn’t dressed appropriately to the occasion and that caused her teachers as well as her classmates to look at her as a “negative models” Another one of her experiences was at first formal dance where the boy she went with kissed her, and when she didn’t go along with it his response was “I thought you Latin girls were suppose to mature early.” The next thing that happened at a hotel she was staying. As she was walking to her room she ran to a man and her daughter. He soon began to sing part of a song, “Don’t cry for me, Argentina”, and after that a famous Spanish song “La Bamba”. To the men and the others around him it was an innocent joke to make others laugh, but for Judith it wasn’t funny at all, she took offense to it. Simply because they were Latinas the man found it perfectly fine to sing Spanish songs, to make it seem funny. Latin women are often portrait as only working in factories or having housemaid jobs because of the lack of skills they have and because of the little English they know. She stated “The big and little screens have presented us with the picture of the funny Hispanic maid.” I come from a Mexican family and throughout my whole life have also experienced some form of stereotyping. I was born in Mexico and came to the United States when I was eight. Some people assume that my family was poor in Mexico and that’s the reason why we came here, and that’s completely wrong. My parents were teachers, we had a decent house and we had a car. The most common one that most Hispanic girls have to deal with is being asked about their quinceanera. Of course it’s a tradition for girls to celebrate…

    • 438 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Compare and contrast

    • 944 Words
    • 3 Pages

    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).…

    • 944 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays