From Prada to Nada and Old El Paso

source: http://www.daemonsmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/from-prada-to-nada-movie-photo-04-550x309.jpg

I recently saw the movie From Prada to Nada, a movie about a pair of Mexican American sisters who live the high life until their father dies. When the father dies they discover they are in debt and in turn are forced into moving to their aunt’s home, who lives in a low-income neighbourhood with a high Latino population. During the duration of the movie I really did not know if I should laugh or cry. This movie is a parody of Mexican culture. It is built of stereotype after stereotype.

You can watch the trailer here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvY6WPO5DMc&ob=av3e

First one of the daughters claims she is not Mexican. This reinforces the image that Mexicans are ashamed of being who they are and that they wish to be American.

There is, however, one well-educated Mexican depicted in the movie (which I appreciate) – he is a university professor. However, he is the Mexican with the lightest skin in the movie, reinforcing the belief that lighter means better education, more money, and overall wealth. I want to note that I appreciated a light skin Mexican was included in the movie, to show that we do not just come in one shade (an issue I mentiond in my other post here: http://the-needle-in-the-haystack.blogspot.com/2011/07/little-to-think-about-when-it-comes-to.html).

Even though I was drooling at the sight of our delicious traditional foods, I had to laugh at the fact that every woman in a house party was dressed in traditional Mexican clothes. Nobody really does that in any of our parties. Yes, there are always the extra enthusiastic people who dress up for Independence Day, and it is a lot of fun, but nevertheless it is not the norm to find a whole party dressed up.

What I found most offensive was that the aunt seemed to be running a type of sweatshop in her house with a bunch of ladies working making clothes and whatnot. To add to this, when a well-dressed individual knocked on their door they immediately hid all their work because they believed it was la migra (immigration), who was there to deport them.

At the end the “good” Mexican heartthrob, was depicted as handsome, rugged, poor and with a macho attitude. This “good” Mexican ends up with the sister who did not like to acknowledge her roots. The second sister, who is studying to be a lawyer, ends up with the handsome, rich and white lawyer. Because of course in a movie full on Mexicans, if there is a successful and good person he has to be white right? He cannot be Mexican as well.

What also annoys me is that the half-brother of the sisters, who in fact is the one who buys their home, is married to this mean white woman. Why couldn’t he be married to a mean Mexican, or a mean black, or Chinese woman? It reinforces the stereotype that Mexican have this messed up dream to find a white person to love even if they are horrible people. It is ridiculous that to end up with a white person is somehow a “success.”

I hated that movie and I hated the fact that Televisa (a major Mexican television company) was part of the production. But I will talk about that next week.

To end this post I would like to invite you to watch two short commercials which air daily here in Canada. It is advertising Old El Paso Tacos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3KXaF2_UzU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSTJ5Xe-E8c&feature=related

First of all, I do not know any fellow Mexican that eats that food. Real tacos are not that crunchy nonsense. There are all types of tacos and the only “crunchy” tacos we have are not even crunchy. They are called tacos dorados, and they basically consist of rolling your chicken (or whatever you prefer) in a soft tortilla and then frying them: all fresh and all delicious.

Not only do we not eat that food, they are trying to make it seem like it is all we eat. Then they depict everyone as being less than intelligent and having these huge dilemmas over soft or hard tacos, over how not to make them fall over. They also show us as all being rural and again in traditional clothes. In fact the real rural people of Mexico are the ones who eat the best and most delicious food one could find in Mexico.

Ask any Mexican you know, we do not eat that stuff and neither should anyone else because it’s really unhealthy and looks disgusting. I think it’s really unfair not only to our image, but to the public who thinks that they are eating Mexican food.

Moral: Make a real Mexican friend and go to their mom’s house to eat some delicious food, or better yet, come to my house; I’ll make you some great tacos dorados.

With love your Mexican blogger,

Belisa

Try the Real Paradise

Cenote Dos Ojos

I would like to share a tendency I have. I tend to view the world in a practical way; I like practical solutions to the problems we face. Of course the first step to changing our world is being as aware as possible about the problems in the world, but awareness needs to be followed by action. That action is in fact practical, doable in the society we live in, and fit to the lives we lead. We may not save the world, but can hopefully help at least some with our actions. So for this blog, I would like to share a little bit about a different type of tourism, an alternative tourism, in one of the most popular vacation destinations to us, Mexico.

I want to shed light on an alternative option to Mexico’s resorts because this supports Mexico’s indigenous people. Indigenous people all around the world are amongst the most alienated, poor, and abused populations that exist. To this day, they are still paying the consequences of colonization. The abuses they have suffered (and still suffer) throughout history have left them not only an embedded negative emotional impact, but also a social and economic impact. In their towns they lack access to education, appropriate health care, and sometimes their basic needs. According to Mexico’s Government Agency for the Development of Indigenous People, the average indigenous family lives on less than a US$1 a day. This is obviously problematic, as most of these people live below the poverty line. So let’s talk about what we can do to support them.

Everyone that I have ever met loves going to Mexico, or if they haven’t been able to travel there, would like to do so in the future. Reasons are clear: Mexico is globally known for its beautiful beaches, its beautiful and hospitable people, its amazing food, its rich culture etc…

Why not enjoy all of these aspects that make Mexico a world renowned touristic destination while supporting its local indigenous communities? Next time you are planning to visit Mexico make a reservation at one of the hotels that are provided all over the country (Riviera Maya, Michoacán, Campeche, Oaxaca, Chiapas, Hidalgo, etc…) by local indigenous people. But I’ll focus on the south of Mexico because I know that is a very popular choice. The hotels in the Yucatan have in their backyard the famous Mayan pyramids, and what better than to be bumping elbows with Mayans themselves? It is Mexican culture at its finest, at its purest, coming back into the pre-Hispanic roots that started it all. I am sure it is close to impossible to find better hospitality, because the native people will be glad to have you; will be pleased with your interest in their culture. These little hotels offer a variety of tours and activities, such as swimming in the gorgeous cenotes (underwater caves), of Yucatan, bike tours, bungee jumping, snorkelling, finishing, and much more... They also offer all-inclusive packages, which means absolutely mouth-watering authentic all-you-can-eat food (nothing North American- washed like the food you may get on main stream resorts.  After all, you’re in Mexico right? You want the real deal). All of this is just minutes away from the gorgeous beaches and the amazing archaeological sites, such as the pyramids. Because these hotels are owned and operated by the local indigenous people, you are guaranteed to be helping their community, and not just some rich person who owns a mainstream resort, and it’s all at a fraction of the usual price. Not only that, but as part of this program, the indigenous people are trying to promote eco-tourism by offering environmentally-friendly activities to the tourists, and their hotels are built with local grown materials that they have built themselves. Cool huh?

So I invite you to meet the wonderful Mayans, eat their food, share a laugh, share their art and history, and have a toast (with tequila of course) to a more united world. Once you have tasted what Mexico has to offer look into what the other native people around the world have to offer when you visit their homeland. I bet it’s awesome. 

 -Kevin Alcott

Resources:

Cenote of Yucatan picture:

http://nauticajonkepa.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/cenote-dos-ojos.jpg

Guide/ List of Alternative Mexican Tourism:

http://www.cdi.gob.mx/turismo/

Videos and Phone Numbers to resort in Yucatan:

http://www.cdi.gob.mx/turismo/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=133:cenote-ecoturistico-x-canche-sc-de-rl&catid=50:yucatan&Itemid=54

http://www.cdi.gob.mx/turismo/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134:centro-ecoturistico-cabanas-ecologicas-uh-najil-ek-balam-ac&catid=50:yucatan&Itemid=54

http://www.unajilekbalam.org/

A little to think about when it comes to racism…

My name is Belisa. This is my first contribution to The Needle in the Haystack which I am sure will turn out to be a wonderful project.  Without further delay:

This little piece is to question the internalized racism I have experienced all my life. People sometimes without even realizing it, have these internalized notions that white- lighter- Anglo- is somehow always better. The truth is that there is a big difference between patriotism and being racist. Yes, you can (and I believe you should), be proud of your roots and what your culture has to offer. However, racism falls into believing a race in superior to others, which is completely absurd. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this is a true cliché. I wish the problem would stop there, that Caucasian people think white is better, but internalized racism is such a big part of our society that even non-Caucasian people think white is best. Many people no matter their background including Latinos, Middle Eastern, African, European etc… have this belief that lighter is better, just because it’s just that, lighter. Lighter features are preferred all over the world for some reason they are thought as more beautiful. In my country, Mexico, the gueritos get so many more people interested in them, simply because they are lighter than the rest, they don’t even have to be actually good looking, but to many people just the fact that they are lighter makes them more desirable.

I beg to differ, lighter is not necessarily prettier. Beautiful eyes are beautiful no matter their colour; features are beautiful no matter their colour. However, I think a big part of the blame still has to be put on colonialism. By now most of the world is a colonized society, which helps to put an explanation about this belief of white supremacy. People who come from colonized parts of the world have this embedded code in their upbringing that white is superior, that is why white people always win, that is why white people can take whatever they want and nothing happens, they are boss wherever they go. This of course is no longer true, it was before when their countries were being colonized, but the pain and the feeling that they are not as good enough as the colonizers remains in their education. This may seem farfetched to you, but there are innumerable examples we can extract from. Why are there skin lightening creams? Why are people fascinated with bleaching their hair to look unnaturally blonde? Why do people insist on pretending they have blue or green eyes by wearing contacts? Why is it that the African American women who are considered desirable in the media are mostly the lighter skin ones such as Tyra Banks, Rihanna and Beyonce? This is something I believe we have to fight to get rid of, and truly analyze it and ask ourselves where this comes from, because if we really take a look at it, it really makes no sense. This only feeds oppression, insecurities, racism and pain. There is no point in keeping this notion alive.

Here is some food for thought: did you know that genetically the black race is considered the perfect race? That is part of why they were enslaved, they are the strongest, most agile, and most resistant. Did you also know that genetically light eyes are considered a deformation? That is why over 50% of the human population has brown eyes; they are the normal and healthy shade of eyes to have. The point is to appreciate who you are, and stop internally degrading some races and upholding others, it does not make sense and it only leads to hate. Here is a little piece I did out of frustration I have felt all my life from by culture being degraded…

You tell me I don’t look like the people from my land and you expect me to take it as a compliment.

Why are green eyes and light skin valued over my brother’s dark skin and my mother’s gorgeous brown eyes? He has the colour of the sun surrounding him, the beautiful colour of bronze infused in his skin.

If anything these traits that I have inherited are my least valued.

These green eyes and this pale skin are prevalent in the land of the people that raped and killed my people, that slaved them, degraded them, tortured them, humiliated them, and stole from them. Would you like to be told you are lucky to look like the man who raped your mother? No? Neither do I.

I do not pride myself in these and I do not take it as a compliment that you make my mild differences come to light. I embrace my looks, but when you try to make my "lighter" features appear to be more beautiful than those more common in my people then we have a problem.

If you are going to compliment me compliment me in my curves that the women from my land are well known for, compliment my natural rhythm that we are blessed with and the warmth in our manner that comes so naturally to us.

Do not tell me I do not look Mexican, you do not know Mexicans.

 -Belisa