Exploring Identity: Being a Latina LDS Woman

521 Words2 Pages

Some of my identity composite consists of being a Latina straight LDS women. The social construct theory rings true for me. I did learn many of my identity composites at early age. I am privileged in many ways like being in middle class and being straight. I have been especially socialized to know I was Latina at an early age, in good and bad ways. Being Latina is a part of my culture. People tend to recognize this and can sometimes label and assume things about me because of my culture; however, I have been lucky enough in my life where I have not had to face blatant racist situations like others I know. I have not experienced really bad essentialism. There was one instance I was labeled and it had bothered me a little since the person did …show more content…

I did not speak to him much, and did not know him well, and likewise he did not know me well. He said one of the terms people use for Latinas that have always bothered me. He said, “You’re Hispanic, so I know you have spice and sassiness to you and I like that.” At this point I had never exhibited such traits to him, so this especially bothered me. It can be frustrating to hear something like this because I have noticed in media that they will label many beautiful Latin women as “spicy Latinas.” At some point the dominant used their power and made it become a fact on media that Latinas are like this. To label all Latina’s as spicy does not make sense because every Latina women is different like everyone else. This type of labeling puts people in a box, and generally people do not like to be put in a box. I had gotten this label before and when I was younger I tried to act like a “spicy Latina.” I had some internalized oppression, and really believed I am sassy because of my Latina blood, but I realized not all Latinas possess this trait. When the boy assumed this about me, it further the thought that I did not want to talk to him anymore. I did not tell him, that this had bothered because in the end it did not matter much. I did not find it worth it since I would not be talking to him again anyway, but maybe I could have cleared it up. I could have said it’s not good to put a label like that on

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