“Sexy Latina.” The term is as ubiquitous as a Starbucks on a New York City corner. Searching for the term on Google will yield more than 2 million search results. Compare that to the 26k you find when you type in “smart Latina.”
Latinas are sexualized in language and often, through terms that would more aptly describe food…they’re “exotic,” “spicy,” “juicy,” “hot tamales.” Latinas are sexualized in the media and perhaps nowhere more overtly than on Spanish-language channels themselves, on which “weather girls” wear low-cut clothing, super tight clothing, or hardly any clothing at all. The long-running Sábado Gigante is one of the most egregious examples of female objectification. It showcases an ongoing parade of Latinas in bikinis. And in skits, women are portrayed as insipid ditzes, over-the-top sexpots, or both simultaneously.
I’m also reminded of my own experience with the limited depictions of Latina femininity. In one of the first high school
productions I was cast in, I was chosen to play a Carmen Miranda type. I wore a fitted, slitted skirt, a cut-off orange top, and a big headdress of fruit while shimmying and singing “aye-yaye-yaye.” In retrospect, it was the only overly feminized role in the entire play. …the rest of the young women in the cast wore prim costumes, recited real dialogue, and never had to shake around on stage.
But while I want to begrudge the stereotype and the regularly sexualized portrayals of Latinas, at the same time, I want to celebrate the beauty (and yes, sexiness) of our Latina women. Women like Sofía Vergara …Eva Mendez….Salma Hayek…and Jessica “don’t call me Latina” Alba. Or everyday, non-celebrity Latinas who relish in their sexuality with a toss of their hair or a twitch of their hips in snug fitting skirts.
Can the term “sexy Latina” be an innocuous stereotype we appreciate with a wink and a smile? Can we employ or enjoy the term without hearing the words of feminists like Naomi Wolf, who argues how concepts of beauty and sexuality are myths that function to control women and keep them enslaved to their bodies.
It’s not just the sex factor…it’s a “culture” in which a woman’s looks are paramount to her value. To some extent, this is universal. But in Latino families, for example, everyone feels free to comment on your weight publicly and regularly, as if it’s their collective duty to keep women in an optimal aesthetic range. Latinas are expected to be arreglada bien at all 
times, whether you’re going to a party or going to the grocery store. If this much attention was paid to women’s education, maybe Latinas wouldn’t have the highest high school drop out rate of any ethnic group, and there’d be more women like Sonia Sotomayor to celebrate.
There’s nothing wrong with women taking pleasure in their looks and their sensuality. But if it comes at the cost of being viewed as intelligent or autonomous, then the term “sexy Latina” can be a limitation instead of a compliment. Meanwhile, let’s start circulating “smart Latina” around until it sticks.
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To learn more about Adriana Villavicencio,
visit Radical Ideas
at www.theradicalideas.com/.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.
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About Adriana Villavicencio
Wepa! Raise the banner for the Smart Latina. In honor of this blog, I’m going to rock my Wise Latina tee-shirt today.
Nothing makes me sexier than my brilliance! Great piece darling!! Loved it
Well said Adri – an interest thing about all this and the latino “machismo” is that it is a legacy from the european colonizers. People rarely talk about this…
I don’t begrudge anyone trying to make a living but when these over the top sexual displays are carried over into everyday life it is tragic. As a manager, I have had to counsel young ladies in the workplace explaining to them that they are not at the “Club” but in a place of business. Exposing your bosom and wearing 7 inch heels with a mini-skirt is a prescription for failure, you will never be taken seriously. The problem lies when our women internalize their own oppression to feel accepted by showcasing their “wares” to the rest of the world.
Adriana, this was pretty darn moving. Your aricles have a lot of voice. It’s saddening to know that this might be an eye-opener. The pragmatic side of me feels that this won’t change in our lifetimes considering how deep the issue is but the activist in me says to keep pushing. This was so well written and I couldn’t agree more with Arlene’s statement. Nothing is sexier than having smarts. Salma Hayek and Sofia Vergara are undoubtedly pleasing to the eyes but they have business savvy and staying power. That’s not easy for a 40-something woman in Hollywood but that’s another story. Keep ‘em coming.
I love this piece. I also think that so many Latinas have opted to be viewed as sexy, and allowed themselves to be viewed as sexy rather than smart, because perhaps they feel they can not compete in the smart category.
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I have always wondered why the scale seems to dip further on the “looks” side rather than on brains… It’s sad that in our culure there’s a prominence of women who rely on aesthetics as means to elevate their self-worth.
Who knows, maybe one day we’ll be balanced enough that being able to embody beauty AND brains won’t shock those who come accross our path…
Awesome post Adriana!!
Gracias-thank you! Adriana, very well said. I think you’ve said what a lot of us have been thinking. Your argument that if young Latinas invested as much time and effort in their education as they do their looks that they’d be very successful is poignant. I think I will share this on Twitter today. Good work!
Latinas are beautiful for WHO they are, and not what they look like.
I think that too much emphasis on looks clothing and hair and I see many latina women who will not go outside unless they’re all put together and I think it’s ridiculous. As far as the scantily clad women on shows like sabado gigante they’re idiots who allow themselves to be type casted as an empty headed silicon chested ditz it’s their fault not anyone else’s. I agree with the blogger if more emphasis was put on getting a good education, having self-respect, self esteem, using our brains instead of your rack or ass I think we’d be way better off. I think you can look sexy tastefully and going to the office with a mini skirt showing your rack or wearing your stretch chinos with a thong isn’t going to get you any respect but you’ll be the talk of the office for a different reason. It’s all about the image you put out there. I think many people are guilty of buying into that stupid sex pot hot tamale image and wonder why everyone thinks we’re all like that. Some may think I’m plain b/c I really don’t wear makeup or revealing clothing wear my hair curly b/c I have better things to do than be stuck hours under a dryer and having my scalp burned by some overzealous hair dresser and I get occassional mani and pedis. I put my energy into being an intelligent compassion person who is always look to improve myself and learn what I can to help myself and others. I have self respect and that to me is priceless and if someone wants to think i’m a cold fish b/c of that well than that’s on them. Looks can only get you so far I’d rather be average looking and smart and have self respect than be beautiful nice to look at with an empty head and soul.
Awesome piece! This quote said it all for me: “If this much attention was paid to women’s education, maybe Latinas wouldn’t have the highest high school drop out rate of any ethnic group, and there’d be more women like Sonia Sotomayor to celebrate.”
Bravo!
As someone who lives in Mexico, I try not to miss Sabado Gigante. Or the morning news on Hoy in Monterrey (Rico) The weather girl in her low cut blusa and hip hugging mini is muy inteligente. With a blank wall behind her, dancing around in her stiletto heels, she is still able to point in the general direction of where Monterrey and the State of Nuevo Leon are located, not that any of us crass old chauvinists are looking at the map.
Foro TV and Brozo and his side kicks, Ditto!
Very well said! I was especially moved by the education piece, particularly since I am doctorate student and recently learned that Latinas represent around 1% of PhD earners. Posted this article to my fan page “Proud To Be Latina” on Facebook. Great Work!
This is one of my favorite topics to discuss about our culture and I have written about it a few times on the Tiki Tiki Blog…It makes me insane and it was recently pointed out to me that if you google around for “black girls” or “asian girls” you get similar imagery and sexualization. True.
The artist Maya Escobar addresses this topic a lot and I posted it on the Tiki Tiki:
http://tikitikiblog.com/smart-latina-vs-sexy-latina/
Maya’s site is: http://www.mayaescobar.com/
Best!
As long as nabbing a partner is a means to a better standard of living, latinas
(females) will use their looks (and everything else in their arsenal) to exploit it. Survival of the curviest is a fact in this economic depression. Learning to think and being “well rounded” (forgive the pun) are what we strive for, but asking women to disregard sexiness probably isn’t wise.
“If this much attention was paid to women’s education, maybe Latinas wouldn’t have the highest high school drop out rate of any ethnic group, and there’d be more women like Sonia Sotomayor to celebrate.” Well said. Thank you very much for this excellent write.