Indegenous representations

I know that this may not really be an issue that is explicitly in the film, but it is something that I realized while I was watching the film that bothered me a little bit. I admit that this story may serve for very romantic movie purposes, but the absence of anyone that represents the indigenous people of Mexico is something that is not really represented in this film. All of the main characters have a very romanticized European look. They are all evidently high class people withing the country, but there is not a real depiction of what the majority of the Mexican population is made up of. They all look extremely European and the entire atmosphere of the movie is one that is very idealistic of the times and a very Victorian atmosphere; that for the times when there is a revolution do not really depict the truth of the situation in Mexico. As an audience we do acquire a slight glimpse of what is going on in the country at the time with the guerrilleros and the men that are said to kidnap women at the time, but I feel that the atmosphere is not very representative of the time, and maybe its meant to be that way, but this leads into a bigger issue I think within the United States where, even Spanish networks only portray the more anglicized version of Latin American culture. When you flip to a Spanish station all you see are Spanish speaking blonds and like skinned brunettes that are not representative of the majority of the Mexican population. Which is bothersome because there is an unfair representation here.

Depiction of Mexico

I know that this may not really be an issue that is explicitly in the film, but it is something that I realized while I was watching the film that bothered me a little bit. I admit that this story may serve for very romantic movie purposes, but the absence of anyone that represents the indigenous people of Mexico is something that is not really represented in this film. All of the main characters have a very romanticized European look. They are all evidently high class people withing the country, but there is not a real depiction of what the majority of the Mexican population is made up of. They all look extremely European and the entire atmosphere of the movie is one that is very idealistic of the times and a very Victorian atmosphere; that for the times when there is a revolution do not really depict the truth of the situation in Mexico. As an audience we do acquire a slight glimpse of what is going on in the country at the time with the guerrilleros and the men that are said to kidnap women at the time, but I feel that the atmosphere is not very representative of the time, and maybe its meant to be that way, but this leads into a bigger issue I think within the United States where, even Spanish networks only portray the more anglicized version of Latin American culture. When you flip to a Spanish station all you see are Spanish speaking blonds and like skinned brunettes that are not representative of the majority of the Mexican population. Which is bothersome because there is an unfair representation here.

Breaking of Tradition and Attaining Independence

In the film "Como agua para chocolate," Tita is first forced to work in the kitchen, serve her family, and remain with her mother until death. The latter is what causes the most pain. It is a tradition that she does not agree with and hopes that it will end with her. This is telling of a tradition that woman need to live up to, one that, by either society or family is forced upon them and restricts their sense of identity and self. Even though there were no men in the household, Tita, still remains the servant for her family. Her mother is the one that takes on the role of what in society would be called the "man of the house." She is not at all appreciated by the people that she cooks for and serves. The fact that the only outlet she can find is in cooking defies many of the feminist view points that state that women can not find independence as long as they are tied to these household duties and especially those of the kitchen, which they are most closely associated with. But this does not have to be necessarily so. In the mind of Tita this becomes her own independent space where she expresses her deepest feeling through her food. So much her feelings manifest themselves on the people that she cooks them for. Although, food cannot really make people cry as it did in the wedding of her sister; its exaggeration in the movie shows how her food is her mode of expression and her way of making herself independent from the constraints of her mother. Food really becomes and identity for her, and one that she embraces.

Latino-A Really Broad Term

One of the points that Arlene Davila touches upon in her book Latino Spin is this idea of the hierarchy within the Latino community. A sense that not all Latinos are equal and that different nationalities amongst Latinos are considered to be of a higher socioeconomic status than other. This is I think a truth that is not very often talked about but very true. For example the idea that all Mexicans are poor and lower class people when in comparison to other nationalities such as Argentines or Venezuelans but that as a whole the entire Latino community is seen a lower class. Perhaps this is the reason for the tensions amongst the different Latino communities. They probably think that the other Latino communities are holding them down in some sense because of the perception that is given off by the Latino community as a whole. What I think that most of the people of the United States are not aware of is the mix of different nationalities within the Latino community and that a lot of the qualities that they may attribute to one specific group do not necessarily apply to another but because they are all considered Latino does this mean that the other group is seen as embodying the same qualities or stereotypes? Perhaps this is what causes tensions amongst the different Latino groups. A certain group may grow tired of being associated with other groups that see themselves as completely unrelated to. This could be the case with the many successful Cubans in Florida in comparison to the high level of poverty amongst Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Cubans probably do not like to be grouped with these other nationalities because of the poverty stricken image that they perhaps do not want to associate themselves with.

Jaslene is America's Next Top Model

Watching this season again, I realized why I did not really like Jaslene during the competition. It mostly has to do with her personality, and she herself seemed to embrace many of the stereotypes of the Latina woman, but it was not really this that made me dislike her as a contestant I think that it had more to do with the fact that she was exaggerating these qualities in order to stand out amongst the rest of the contestants, and I was not entirely convinced that what she presented in front of the camera was who she really was. But I understand why it was so important for her to distinguish herself from the other models and I think that her Latinidad is what made her stand out amongst the contestants. She used many Latino stereotypes, and on many occasions throughout the season and especially in the final episode, we see that she described herself as the Latin spice and the girl with the attitude and fierceness of a Latina. I think these are characteristics that most of the viewers of America's Next Top Model already associate with Latinas. I understand that in terms of marketing herself this was a good strategy because it sets her apart, but at the same I think that it contributes to the overall idea that people have of Latinas, and one which does not apply to many of them. Jaslene in embracing these associations manages to present the persona that makes her unique from the rest because of her culture and in the end most people remember because of her Latinidad. She even spoke Spanish on many occasions as a way to reaffirm this image.

Intersting Film

I just finished watching the movie "A Day Without Mexicans" and I have to say it was a pretty good movie although very cheesy and over dramatic at times which I think was the point at times. But it is a very enlightening movie because it tries to show how Mexicans are viewed from the outside by most people and how devastating it would be to have Mexicans completely gone. As much as some people want Mexicans to stop coming to the U.S. from the movie one can see that this would be devastating for the country. At the same time this movie outright shows or tries to show the rest of the United States' view point and what their opinion is concerning Mexican immigrants. For most of the movie the only Mexicans that are seen are the the ones doing hard field labor and other minimum wage jobs. Even though it is statistically true at the same time that would mean that most of the value that Mexicans hold is for the cheap labor that they provide. There seems to not be any true acceptance of the Mexicans because in the end they are only valued for the services they provide and not as people. Although it may seem that they are more appreciated at the end of the film it seems that this appreciation only comes from the interest that other people have in benefiting from Mexican services. "A Day Without Mexicans" is a nice movie with a happy ending, but it is not real life and at the end even though Mexicans get appreciated, in real life, matters have not changed and many Mexicans are still seen as lowly workers that are not properly recognized for their jobs.

Personal Experiences

People often speak of how Latinos are viewed by the rest of the population, and what we are expected to represent and be as Latinos, but how do we view each other within this country? This question arose when I noticed how many Spanish speaking Latinos living within the United States refuse to speak to Spanish speakers of the same ethnicity even. Why is it that some employers that are Latinos give other Latino customers strange looks if for example they see that the workers in a fast food place are speaking Spanish and they decide to order in Spanish because it is simply easier for them and they enjoy speaking the language? This question resulted from someone telling me their experience with an employee who could speak Spanish but refused to serve a bilingual customer until that customer spoke in English to them. It could be because the employee assumes that the customer has an impression of them as a Spanish speaking Latino and that is the reason that they are ordering in Spanish. It raises issues of assimilation and what this does to the Latino community. It also gives the impression that Latinos are offended by the idea of being labeled as Spanish speakers, so does that mean they should completely immerse themselves in American culture? Is there some kind of shame that goes along with them being labeled as Spanish speaking Latinos that explains this behavior and supports assimilation? How does this affect Latinos who want to go into the entertainment industry do they sell themselves as Americans and abandon their Latino roots and their language as well. Many Latino celebrities do not choose to embrace this aspect of themselves and opt for the choice of making themselves more like white-America. Artists like Jessica Alba for example admit that they have Latino roots but state that they do not consider themselves part of that community because they grew up as Americans. Does this help them sell their image to the public by saying that they are more white-American in character even though their roots are Latin American?