Growing up Latina in the US
Growing up Latina in the United States is not easy. We struggle with the dualities of both of our worlds. We have to adapt to a different culture and society while still being aware of and embracing our family's culture. It can be difficult to manage, especially when trying to figure out our own identities all while facing racism and discrimination because of what we look like or what language we speak.
The struggle of having to be aware of two different cultures and societal norms is difficult.
As the Selena movie said, “We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time. It’s exhausting.” This can apply to not just Mexicans, of course.
Most of us grew up speaking Spanish at home and learned English elsewhere, like in school or through watching television.
Just like America Ferrera said, “I realized how Latina I was, and then also, at the same time, how not Latina enough I was, because I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I speak Spanish, but I don't speak perfect Spanish, not like a native speaker.” This, again, is how a lot of Latinos feel in the U.S.
Yes, we know the language and we speak it but if we go to our home countries, those who were born and raised there can quickly tell us apart by our “American accents.” It’s small things like that that sometimes make us question our identities. Are we enough?
It can be difficult to spend your time “live switching” as some people may call it. Sometimes it can feel like we’re two different people.
Growing up in the U.S. is extremely difficult, especially when at home we may be growing up in a culture where machismo is very prominent, and then growing up in a different country where women are taught to be empowered.
Machismo is when men are favored for their dominant roles. It's a power issue in which hyper-masculinity is perpetrated predominantly by men as a result of culture, fear and patriarchy.
Even though they have to face all of this, Latinas are some of the strongest and most hard-working women. They face adversity every single day and still manage to thrive despite facing adversity from our multicultural identities, all while struggling to come to terms with who we are.