Unlearning Mexican Beauty Standards

When I asked her about her experiences with body shaming, she said,
 “Okay, so although I haven’t experienced body shaming myself, I have seen it happen to other people. Most of the time, I try to intervene or call it out, but it’s not really normalized. So it’s important to give people a vision of what to do in those situations. I haven’t really experienced it personally, but I’ve definitely seen it around me.”

For example, I’ve seen it in my family because I’m Hispanic, and honestly, in Hispanic families, it’s sometimes very normalized to be open or straightforward about people’s weight, how they look, or how they should look. I’ve seen my mom or my grandma call someone out in the family, making comments about how they look and comparing them to Mexican beauty standards. That’s what I’ve seen.”

I could relate. So I gently asked, “Do you think you were actually able to intervene? Or were you too scared to speak up?”
 She smiled and admitted,
 “I’ve definitely tried to intervene, but most of the time I only do it when I’m comfortable with the person. If it’s a stranger, I get too nervous or worry about the consequences of saying something. But when I can, I try to call it out and tell them it’s not okay and it’s not normal.”

Coming to “Hispanic beauty standard” So Mexican beauty standards are mostly about looking very white, blonde hair, colored eyes, looking as white as possible. There’s a lot of colorism. Straight hair, being tall and skinny, that’s what’s seen as beautiful. It’s very different from how people in the U.S. think of Mexicans, where they imagine curvy bodies, brown hair, and darker skin. But in Mexico, the beauty standard is to look as white as possible.”

I shared how similar that was to Indian beauty standards—how fair skin and straight hair are still so valued. Then I asked her what it was like being Hispanic in another country and whether she noticed any differences.
 She said,
 “Yeah, for sure. I’ve noticed stereotypes about Mexicans in the U.S. Either people say, ‘Oh, Latinas are gorgeous,’ because there are a lot of stereotypes about Mexican women, especially in the U.S.—like how white men see them. But if you don’t fit that stereotype, they turn on you, and it becomes racist. If you don’t match their idea of beauty, you get treated differently. So yeah, a lot of it is based on looks.”

Before we wrapped up, I asked if she had any message for people who experience body shaming. She thought for a second and said softly,
 “I think it’s really important to listen to what makes you feel good and not what other people say you should do for your body. You know what’s best for you. Don’t listen to those comments about how you look or how you should look. Just be yourself—there’s nothing wrong with that. Being yourself will make you feel good, and that’s what will make you happy. So yeah, that’s my message.”