Understanding Colombia & Its Myths

A Glimpse Into Colombia & Its Myths from Vanessa Rodriguez on Vimeo

Colombians are portrayed in the media as hyper-sexualized, ideal image of a latina. Latinas to aspire to become that representation and that desire to be something that only serves a man’s interest results in a warped way of life where they put their own interests to the side with or without them realizing. 

     Latina celebrities common in the media like Sofia Vergara and Shakira set up a level of sexiness and attitude that is so appealing, it makes Colombians in general feel like we have to aspire to be like them to truly fulfill the notorious Colombian ideal, which is a slender but curvaceous women with big boobs and butt, long black or brown hair, and olive-toned skin. 

     It makes the majority of Colombian women obsesses with getting breast or butt augmentations. There have been Novelas, such as Sin Senos Noy Hay Paraiso, adapted from books, based on real stories about a girl's struggle in Colombia with affording implants, and the lengths they would go through to get them.

 We are shown that sexual appeal as an empowerment for women it, but that sexual interpretation of power is merely a smoke screen for how debilitating it is to our potential as humans. We all have the same potential, but we are, as Latinas, assigned a meaningless role in the media to give pleasure visually, audibly, and directly.

     Another stereotype that goes hand in hand with the way we are hyper- sexualized is aggression. That aggression or feistiness is what is called the Latin fire, which is also the reason our culture is associated with the color red most of the time. Red is synonymous with passion, whether it be sexual or emotional, it’s the way we are colored. Colombia has a long history of violence that it has become famous for with its drug trafficking and drug lords, such as Pablo Escobar.

     Those stereotypes are so damaging to our value because girls my age end up not giving the slightest thought to their education, career, or living up to their full potential. They care about curling their hair, how many likes they get on Instagram, and how to get their crush to fall in love with them, things that really don’t get them anywhere. And for the Colombians who don’t live up to the physical expectations? Shame on us! Or at least, that’s what the media makes us feel inevitably because if we don’t fit that ideal, then we aren’t beautiful. What about the Afro-Latinas? They become invisible. And we have the natural emotion of anger, but it has to be the right one, which is sexually aggressive and turns men on. 

Works Cited

Aristizábal, Adriana. "Colombians Are Tired of an Age-Old Stereotype." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 June 2014. Web.

Buckley, Narayan. "Sofia Vergara Criticized for Negative Latino Stereotypes - Colombia News | Colombia Reports." Colombia News. 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 

Alvarez, Alex. "Colombians Use Social Media to Address an Annoying Issue." ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 Feb. 2013. Web.

"Countries and Their Cultures." Colombian Americans. Web. 

"Colombian Social Media Campaign Wants You to Stop Misspelling Their Country’s Name." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2013.

Giraldo, Javier. "The Making of a Stereotype." Colombia: The Genocidal Democracy. Monroe, Me: Common Courage, 1996. Print.

"Breaking the Stereotype: A Colombia Travel Story... - Women's Travel | Trekity.com."Women's Travel. 15 Dec. 2013. Web.