Univision, Home Of News Anchors In Bustiers, Reveals Latinas Care About Beauty
12 August 2009, 12:23 PM. By Alex Alvarez
Univision has revealed carefully compiled research indicating that Latinas are concerned with beauty - almost to the point that it colors all our social interactions and leaves us, crippled with shame and clutching a tube of lipstick, shaking in a corner.
Here are some of the statistics gathered by the phone survey:
- 61% of Latinas (vs. 42% of non-Latinas) agree that “How I look on the outside projects the way I am on the inside.”
- 69% of Latinas (vs. 46% of non-Latinas) agree that “It’s very important to wear makeup and look good.”
- 40% of Latinas (vs. 23% of non-Latinas) agree that “When leaving the house I need to look as good as or better than my friends.”
We hate to admit that while, intellectually, we know that these things are likely less important than we were brought up to believe, our own inclination fits that of the majority of Latinas polled.
And, of course, we know exactly who to blame:
Part of the reason for this is that beauty is a priority passed from Latina mothers to daughters, with 73% of Latinas (vs. 57% of non-Latinas) agreeing that “I influence my children to take care of their skin, hair, appearance” and 67% of Latinas (vs. 50% of non-Latinas) agree that “My mom influenced/influences me to take care of my skin, hair, appearance.”
There is, of course, a difference between taking care of your appearance in order to look clean and polished, and making one’s self up to the point of being masked, or of feeling makeup and stylish clothing are a requirement for leaving the house.
Based on our own anthropological evidence involving all of two people, we noted that our inability to leave the house without earrings or eyeliner was strange and incomprehensible to a certain Ex White Boy, who added that his mother and sister routinely left the house without makeup. WELL I GUESS WE’RE JUST DIFFERENT THEN. SORRY I DON’T MERELY APPLY BURT’S BEES CHAPSTICK WHILE LISTENING TO NPR.
So! Hey! Cultural differences!
We’d argue that, not only does the “My mama told me so” excuse take media outlets like, say, Univision, off the hook, it also takes attention away from the fact that the way beauty and hygiene products are marketed to Latinas is not only about looking presentable - it’s about looking sexy.
We were, of course, never explicitly told by our parents that, “Hey, mija. Sex sells.” It is always so much more subtle than that. It was being told to smile because it made us prettier (although Facebook pictures prove otherwise), and of wearing a certain pair of jeans to “make it look like you have a butt.” These things weren’t for our benefit, really. It was so that, since we were assumed, as Latinas, to be permanently on display anyway, it was better to be pleasant to look at. And, hey, it might even help us make friends. Maybe even with a nice Cuban boy who would eventually propose.
And the way this was presented to us was that we would feel better if we looked better. Which is true in that positive reinforcement (”Did you lose weight? You look so much better now that you are thinner. Because last year, at the sexy age of 11, you looked like a saco de papas. No offense.”) can train someone into forming certain ideas and habits, like, say, refusing to leave the house without makeup.
At the core of these statistics, as far as Univision is concerned, is how an obsession with beauty (and sexiness) translates into ad sales and buying habits among Latinas. So it behooves us to analyze not only where our ideas on beauty come from, but also how we articulate that with our wallets.
Univision details the importance of beauty to Latina consumers [RBR]
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yes! the weight thing kills me too. every time “ya se ve mas flakita esta a dieta?” was said before anything else whenever relatives saw me made me realize they didn’t care about what i heard on NPR that morning (NPR is awesome..my mom is fond of diane rehm b/c of her old lady voice)
My mom and I look so utterly different–she is tall-ish, dark skinned and nappy haired, I am super short, light skinned to the point of translucence, and have soft wavy hair–that our inability to relate to each other’s bodies (ew?) pretty much meant that there was nothing she passed down to me, and I never really looked to her for beauty advice. She never wears makeup or heels but is always immaculately coiffed–I eschew weekly trips to the salon in favor of wild natural waves, am always in heels, and have a growing trove of cosmetics that rivals the inventory of your nearest Sephora. I always have to giggle when strangers would comment inappropriately on my heels as being a “Latina” thing, and not, say, a “I’m 4′11″ and several inches shorter than both my family and most women” thing. I get what you say about Latinas being permanently on display–I always keep getting inappropriate comments on the Subway. If I’m dressed up, it’s “Spanish girls always have to live the house in heels”. When I’ve worn jeans and flip-flops while reading a book on the A train, I have actually gotten complements that go something like this: “Ay mama, you’re reading! That’s good! So many Spanish girls care only about getting all dressed up and getting boyfriends. Good that you care about your education. It don’t matter if your hair isn’t done”. Sigh.
so caught. i have literally applied burt’s bees lip balm while listening to NPR.
No, no no. You don’t understand. It’s about looking “arreglada” not so much sexy or pretty. With so much nastiness out there you have to look your best. Give some joy to the world.
Ay, Mom! That explains the agua de violetas and manicures en casa de Sonia, but not the tight jeans “with the pockets on the butt.” ;)
(Completely unrelated to the actual topic.) Agua de Violetas???? Holy crap, AA, u just took me there!!!!! Just when I thought I was doing so great at not doing the same stuff my Mami does, I gave my best friend the Agua de Violetas & an “azabache” for my 6 month old Goddaughter. She’s a Gringa & looked at my like I’m crazy.
Yeah, my childhood was completely violet and talcum powder-scented. And its flavor was vienna sausages in spaghetti with ketchup.
Is it weird that I find that girls are at their most attractive when they’re not done up? Hair loosely tied up and no makeup is the best look for most.
Though I have definitely noticed the overbearing moms. Mine wasn’t too hard on my sisters (we’re Salvadoran) but my one Latina ex’s mom and aunts (Ecuadoran) are brutal. The irony is that that girl could pull off the showing up to class unshowered and wearing sweatpants better than any white girl I’ve ever seen.
Imagine why I was given the nickname “the fashionable one” 3 weeks into my new job– yup, I work with mostly non-Latinos, may be the only one who wears any make up besides some administrative staff, and happen to own a big Juicy purse.
On my family side, they always said you should be “presentable” but although I’ve been skinny my whole entire life (and called “flaca”) the minute I put on 5lbs during grad.school, everyone started telling me “estas embarneciendo” and I promptly lost it all over Lent.