Second Midterm Essay

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Arts Humanities

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Oct 30, 2023

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Hilary Gonzalez April 1, 2021 Professor Espinoza Second Midterm Essay Women are constantly judged for the way that they dress, speak, and act. If they dress in little clothing, they are called names like "hoe" or "slut." If a woman is covered from head to toe, they are called "modest" and "respectable." People already assume that a woman is willing to sleep with anyone based on their clothing. These harmful stereotypes of women are rooted in racism and colonization, especially for people of color. There is a brutal history of Spanish colonization in Latin America that contributed to the erasure of indigenous people's original language and religion. In "Guadalupe the Sex Goddess," Sandra Cisneros discusses her experience exploring her sexuality as a Latina woman. The majority of Latinos are Catholic and believe in Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Bible teaches people that sex before marriage is a sin while spreading the idea that young women should dress and act modestly. Young Latinas feel shame and guilt when they want to explore their sexuality by touching their own body. Sex is not discussed openly in many Latin families, and women pass on to their daughters the idea that being a "good" woman means covering up and not engaging in sex. Patriarchy plays a crucial role in the policing of women's bodies. In machismo culture, the household man usually has control over the women in his family, which is common among Latin families. Fathers have to give their daughter permission to go out anywhere and regulates what she wears. Cisneros also discusses that privacy belongs to the wealthy because everyone had a room of their own. In low-income families, children cannot have their privacy because they were crowded into a small space and share a bathroom with several other people. She claimed her

sexuality when she went to a gynecologist for the first time after having unprotected sex when she was 21 years old. Sandra Cisneros states, "When I see la Virgen de Guadalupe, I want to lift her dress as I did my dolls, and look to see if comes with chones and does her panocha look like mine, and does she have dark nipples too?" (167). White privilege is prevalent among many societies, especially the United States. The standard of beauty is white, skinny, and tall. Sandra Cisneros was insecure about her vagina not looking like other women in porn and accepted that her body is more pigmented. Cisneros claims, "She is not neuter like Barbie. She gave birth. She has a womb. Blessed art thou and blessed is the fruit of thy womb…" (167). Sandra Cisneros looked up to Our Lady of Guadalupe as a role model because it has significance in the Latino culture and religion. In this case, her body is powerful because she can give birth to a baby, and it does not matter how her breasts and vagina looks. Sandra Cisneros claimed her sexuality as a Latina woman, despite all the religious ideas of female sexuality. Black women have also faced scrutiny when exploring their sexual identity. In "Queering Black Female Sexuality," Kimberly Springer analyzes the racist stereotypes about black women stemming from slavery. The media has a negative portrayal of black women, and they are typically not positive role models. White privilege has a significant role in the current day stereotypes of black women in the media. A white male would not be found guilty of rape against a black woman during the times of slavery. Black women were seen as hypersexual, and the white man was the victim in the situation. These harmful stereotypes affect the way that young black girls explore their sexuality. "Jezebel" is a term used to describe sexually promiscuous women who are usually portrayed in music videos. The stereotype of "mammy" is seen in many films where a black woman takes on being a nurturing caregiver, but she never openly expresses

her sexuality. Another stereotype is "Sapphire," who is an unforgiving, loud black woman that does not shy away from expressing her raunchy personality. There are similarities between black and Latina women regarding sex because they usually do not learn about it at home. Most parents remain silent on advice on how to practice safe sex. Young girls are curious when exploring their sexuality, and they only go based on what they have seen in the media. Springer argues, "A queer black female heterosexuality isn't about being a freak in the bedroom; it's about being a sexual person whose wants and needs are self-defined" (339). Black women claim their sexuality despite all the racist stereotypes portrayed in the media by acknowledging that they are a human with sexual needs and desires. Kimberly Springer also explains that there needs to be a revolution that takes back the harmful stereotypes. Kimberly Springer was inspired by the LGBTQ pride movement in the United States that was radical in fighting for equality and same-sex marriage. Springer mentions, "There is no guarantee that straight black women adopting queerness will change how the dominant culture perceives black female sexuality" (340). She acknowledges that she cannot change how people view black women, but they can try to take the same approach as the LGBT community and break the silence. By claiming her sexuality, she feels comfortable enjoying sex as a human being and does not have to worry about what society thinks.

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