So, today at work we got an e-mail from an anonymous e-mail account saying that TPCT didn’t show enough diversity on the home page slideshow. First of all, the people who are in the slide show are there because they are in the videos which were created for the site. Second of all, that person is making an assumption that I am white. I am not white, and I do not identify as white. By saying that I am white, you’re saying that because my skin is not dark enough, I do not fit into your stereotyped description of what a Latina looks like. You are essentially saying that I am not Latina ENOUGH for you. You are erasing my identity.
As a white passing Latina, I am constantly up against generalizations like these. Not only are there Latinas with red hair, fair skin, and freckles – such as my cousin Ellie – there are also Afro-Latinas. I am always walking that line between being too white or too Latina in any community I am in, and it can be very frustrating for me. In Latino communities, I am too white because I don’t speak Spanish and have pretty fair skin. But in white communities, I am too Latina because I am also dark & short & curvy.
Has anyone else dealt with stuff like this?
