Comments on: Smart Latina vs. Sexy Latina

By: Essays by Latina Bloggers and Writers

Essays by Latina Bloggers and Writers — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:04:57 +0000

[...] OK? By Nilki Benitez.What are You? by Lizzie Bermudez.soy de tortillas y tamales by Tessa Lemos.Smart Latina vs. Sexy Latina by Maya Escobar.She is Easy Book Fodder by Ailen Arreaza.Tosotones 101: Or, How My American [...]

By: Ana

Ana — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:38:31 +0000

People that worry to much about to be sexy what they going to do when they get old? On the other hand, if you focus about to be smart it has NO age. I always admire people that are smart if they use this gift in the right way. People that worry about been sexy all the time have a little problem because it is really superficial.

By: Latina Women Respond « Maya Talk

Latina Women Respond « Maya Talk — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:17:18 +0000

[...] on TikiTiki Blog: stories with cultura, color and sabor, in a post by Carrie Ferguson Weir called Smart Latina vs. Sexy Latina. Carrie asked [...]

By: Veronica

Veronica — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:19:11 +0000

Great video and excellent points.

I think that this expectation for Latinas to appear sexy is one reason why I reject the hot mom movement. I wish there was just as much social pressure to be smart Latinas, smart moms, smart women as there is to be hot, sexy, etc.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 20:54:48 +0000

Liz, aha! Thank you for sending the post to your niece and validating my theory. I love how your niece wrote to you and the “stupid and slutty” line made me bust out laughing — especially because she obviously is not.

Gracias, proud Tia!

(Maybe she needs to write for the Tiki Tiki? hmmmm?)

By: Liz

Liz — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:24:30 +0000

Carrie,

I emailed your post to my niece, whose studying at Penn State, this is what she had to say:

Well, I agree with her lol. A lot of people especially here in Pennsylvania, see me as exotic because I’m Hispanic. They expect me to speak Spanish all of the time and a lot of them expect me to be kinda stupid and slutty. But when people get to know me, they find out that I’m extremely smart. Smarter than most people they encounter. And it sucks because I’m always having to prove myself to people and to teachers. But in the end, I’m the one that’s dropping jaws for my intellect and not for my attractiveness =)

The end haha. Hope that helps.

I am one PROUD Tia!!! (:

By: Marta

Marta — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:58:21 +0000

I don’t fit into the Sexy or Brainy Latina mold at all. Probably because I look very Anglo – light skin, blue eyes. I blend pretty seamlessly into my So Cal suburban life.

Except for the Latina “chispa.” That’s always the big giveaway right there. =D

By: Carrie

Carrie — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:41:49 +0000

I love the feedback, ladies. All great points and fabulous reflection.

I am left wondering this, after reading Ana and Liz’s comments: Is stereotype/perception felt/seen at a greater level when we don’t live in predominately Latino communities?

This comes to mind because your comments made me realize I never thought too much of my Latina side and my American side until I lived in cities where there weren’t a bunch of Cubans running around me everywhere. My otherness was apparent and pointed out. It was almost like, wow, I am different?

Interesting!

By: Melissa Garcia Logan

Melissa Garcia Logan — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 05:57:11 +0000

I think it’s part of a male dominated culture. Many women have this problem of having to manage male expectations in their professional lives, whether it is living with objectification or men projecting their need for nurturing from any woman they meet. I’ve had jobs where men thought it was okay to flirt with me and expected me to fulfill some messed up hot secretary fantasy, and I’ve had jobs where men I worked with expected me to be maternal and when I was driven, I was labeled aggressive. I’m not a dog, I’m not a hooker, and I’m definitely not your mother, guys.

I think we have to teach men when they’re children that women can fill many roles and to expect them to be as capable and androgynous as any man performing the same duties. By the same token, I don’t know how I feel about using gender or sexuality as an asset to get ahead, my feeling is that anything you do that is manipulative in nature, is skirting unethical, if not flat out crossing the line.

Having a sense of humor about stereotypes though, I don’t know if I see a problem as long as you don’t go too far and reinforce them. If it’s clear it’s a joke and part of the joke is how ridiculous stereotypical behavior really is…

By: SUZ

SUZ — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:45:41 +0000

A smart and fun video commentary on the stereotypes of women in general…the educated intellectual, the hot babe, the innocent women. I like that Maya uses humor to deflect the extremes. Also that she creates a fine line between integrating the different role types. This is interesting because everyone is never just one thing…but we may choose to identify one way.