GROWING UP MEXICAN AMERICAN IN LA
PHOTOGRAPHY BRITTANY BRAVO
“If the term Chicano was boiled down to its simplest meaning, this would be a person born in the US of Mexican descent. In reality, the word’s history makes it much more complex. Mexican Americans reclaimed the once derogatory word in the 60s when the Chicano Movement took place. It encouraged Mexican Americans to unite in protest for their rights and fomented a sentiment of pride for their heritage. Throughout the years Chicanos have been widely portrayed in movies and the media, where stereotypes are the norm. The term is now over 50 years old. Is it something that all Mexican Americans identify with? Has the term’s meaning changed over time? Do younger generations of Mexican Americans consider themselves Chicanos? What is it like being a young Mexican American in LA in 2021?”
VOZ Magazine interviewed Six Angelenos of Mexican descent to help us understand.
What inspired this project?
“The feature 'Growing up Mexican American in LA' was made for the magazine I founded and edited, VOZ. VOZ is a bi-annual print and online publication that highlights and celebrates Latinx talent and stories, without ignoring the ongoing issues faced by the Latinx communities. For this specific project, I was interested in talking to people of Mexican descent who had grown up in the United States about what their experience was like as Mexican Americans are widely portrayed in mainstream media, which often results in incorrect assumptions or the stereotyping of a very diverse group of people. As someone who is Latinx but not of Mexican descent, I felt like the best way to get an insight into what it is actually like growing up Mexican American in LA in 2021 was to talk to people who had experienced it and this way showcase authentically how diverse and unique each story is and that someone's identity cannot be summed up by a single word or based on stereotypes” - Valeria Ghersi
GENAI NAKAMA
“To my generation, I feel like Chicano is moving out and Latinx is moving in. Everyone has their own reasons as to why one thing works, and one thing doesn't.”
As a fourth-generation Mexican American, do you identify with the term Chicana?
It's hard for me to identify with just one thing. My mom's side of the family is Japanese and Mexican, my dad's [side is] fully Mexican. Being fourth generation, a lot of the time [the] first generation won't recognize you as being truly Mexican or Latino. Because I don't speak Spanish and I don't necessarily have the same traditions… Then again, I'm not fully Japanese. So, I've always felt not fully recognized by either. That's always been hard for me. But now, it's been nice to share the struggle with identity that I had growing up because I know that other people are dealing with the same thing. I don't necessarily identify myself as one label because then I'm not truly representing all the parts of myself.
What is a misconception people have of Latinxs?
With any ethnicity, there's an expectation of who we are supposed to be. What we see [on] TV, it's a lot of lighter people of the community. Then, the main thing from what I've seen, and who's represented in media is that we're fiery, we are exotic, or we have to have big hips and a big butt. All these things that I don't have. There's this expectation of what it means to be a beautiful Latina [and] [it’s] very damaging. I have [a] straight little square body and a big nose, and these things aren't highlighted as much. So, there's a lot of expectation around what the ideal beauty standard is for us. People with darker skin aren't as appreciated and it goes back to the idolization of Eurocentric features. I think predominantly with women there's a very miscued idea of who we are and what we're supposed to be.
ELÍSEO EQUIHUA
“The Chicano community [has] changed to where it includes people like me that are gay. Fifteen years ago, East LA was not as polite and forward-thinking as it is now. I love how fast we've grown and how fast we move forward as a community. I can really identify with [the term] now..”
Is there a strong Latinx community in the area where you grew up?
I was lucky enough to grow up in the middle of it. My mom [used to] live on top of a Cantina on 1st Street in Boyle Heights. That whole strip is where Chicano culture started [in] the 60s. What you see everyone emulating now started when my mom was there. [LA] is a big melting pot of Latin culture. I grew up going to school, [with] not just Mexican or Chicano kids, [but] also Central Americans and South Americans. You can walk down the street in Cesar Chavez and every store you pass by is owned by somebody's mom, dad, [or] uncle. You feel a sense of: 'It's okay, you're fine...’ because you feel [at] home… That's why I think you cannot be Latinx without having a deep connection to the generations before you. As much as Latinx is a term for people who are forward-thinking in the Latin community, I still think that part of being Latinx is having a deep connection with your family, whoever that family is.
What was it like growing up as a person of Mexican descent in the US?
Growing up here and being the first generation was hard, because… I think about my [parents], they're immigrants, so they're coming here and building a foundation for the next generations to come [from scratch]. Being Mexican American first-generation… now that I'm older, and I've seen them go through that, we always had a sense of giving back and helping our parents. [Because] it was obvious they were trying to build something more for us than what they had. That's the one thing that [Mexican Americans] all have in common, that we all have either immigrant parents or our parents were the first-generation so we're part of the foundation. Now that I have nephews, I see everything that I went through and the things that my mom, dad, [and siblings] went through, it's all for us to learn so that they don't have to work through it. They have a better chance.
JENN TORRES
“That's always something that's been stereotyped with the Latinx community. There's meaning to [cholo and chola style]. That's important to know. You have to respect that. [So,] if you're going to wear something, be aware of where it comes from, and make sure that it's not just an aesthetic [or a] costume.”
How do you stay in touch with your Mexican Heritage?
I feel like I'm ‘culturally Catholic.’ I'm not religious, but my parents are. So, growing up we were at church all the time and for me, that was a way to connect with my Mexican roots. For my parents, it connected them a lot to memories of home, going to posadas, confirmation, first communions, bautismos [baptisms]… Religion was the bridge [to find] home in America for them. I always appreciate a Sunday. [It’s] our rest day where we go to church [and] come together as a family. We’ll either have a garden carne asada [roast] or go to the park. That's something that I want to [continue doing] and I've tried to do with my friends, my chosen family and with my family too.
Does your culture or heritage influence the way you dress?
Growing up we had to make do with what we had. So, [we would go] to the thrift store or Downtown [to] the callejones [alleys] and try to find stuff for the low and make an outfit out of that. Now [that] I'm able to get sneakers, I will splurge on [them] if I have to [laughs]. But I also find pieces that remind me of home. Growing up [my] older cousins and siblings would rock a fresh white t’s with some nice Dickies, their Cortezes [sneakers] and chains. Now I have my own Dickies, my sneakers, my hoops that I got from the beauty supply store [and] I could finally buy my own chain. It's interesting to see that style be in the mainstream. Because back then it was like 'Oh, that's hood' or 'Oh, that's ghetto.' But now it's like, ‘Oh, that's tight… that's fresh.’ I've [also] been to Zacatecas [where my parent’s family] live. [It’s] a Rancho so it's very like botas [boots] and Wrangler jeans. Leather boots are such a staple. The smell of leather reminds me of Mexico. Every time we go to Tijuana or visit Mexico, we [go to] their downtowns and buy leather boots.
ALINA DEL LOS MONTEROS AND MARA CASTREJON
“That's always something that's been stereotyped with the Latinx community. There's meaning to [cholo and chola style]. That's important to know. You have to respect that. [So,] if you're going to wear something, be aware of where it comes from, and make sure that it's not just an aesthetic [or a] costume.”
What was it like growing up in LA as a first-generation Mexican American?
Alina: I grew up in Huntington Beach, [the community here is] very white. Growing up I was tanner, and I didn't shave my arms... I remember in sixth-grade boys would make fun of me and be like, ‘Ew, you have a moustache’ or ‘your arms are hairy.’ So I had a hard time. I got called beaner and wetback a lot. I hated growing up in Huntington. I felt like I couldn't embrace who I was up until I finally strayed away [from] the social norm of where I grew up.
Mara: I grew up in a super traditional Mexican house. […] My mom is in love with God… [so] she dragged me to church and used to have [me and my siblings] pray at night. My mom looked out for us and she got us through some of the worst years all by herself. She'd have food on the table, she did everything without a husband. She was super strict but has the kindest soul. We were in and out of shelters a lot because we had to get away from my dad. He's the main reason why I wanted to get into drug and alcohol counselling.
Do you think the term Chicano has evolved? If so, how?
Mara: I think it's definitely changed. We are the new generation, [and] it's being kept alive, but people are adding their own twist to it. Like Alina, she's a goth Chicana. I don't think it matters how you represent it, as long as you're not representing it in a negative way. The OGs say they enjoy seeing how the younger people are keeping the style and the whole culture alive. But you have the Chicanos that represent it proudly, and then there are the ones that make us look bad. But overall, Chicano culture has changed. Back then to be a Chicano you had to be gang-related… the culture was a lot stricter. My man [is] 26 right now, he grew up in South Central LA, he was telling me how you [couldn’t] wear certain shoes in certain places. In his barrio [neighbourhood] they [could] only wear Converse, if they saw anybody with Cortezes [they’re] going to get popped. Nowadays, it's a lot more laid back. [Also] they’re a lot more open to LGBTQ+ now. Back then if you [were] gay you couldn’t wear Dickies, you couldn’t look Chicano. Over the years people are becoming more accepting of LGBTQ+. Now you see openly gay cholos, you can see two gangsters making out [and] nobody's going to say anything. It's a new era.
Alina: I definitely agree. Since I didn't really have a huge upbringing in the culture, and I've just recently gotten into it in the last five years, I don't feel like I have too much room to talk about if I think [the term] is changing, but I agree with Mara [on] how the OGs appreciate that we're keeping this part of the culture alive.
VECO HERNANDEZ
“A lot of my styling and pieces that I wear or things that I choose to decorate my house with, have references to my past… seeing my cousins dress up with their baggy jeans. I secretly idolized them.”
Do you personally identify with the term Chicano?
I don't really associate myself with the Chicano term. I had Chicano studies classes in college to learn more about it, but I didn't feel like it pertained to me specifically, although I knew it was an umbrella term. I never felt like I would say, ‘Oh, I'm Chicano,’ not that I would judge someone that did. I don't have a specific reason, [but] I've never used that term for myself or heard my family members use it. I just never felt connected to the term if I can be completely honest. I use Latino, Latinx or even just Mexican sometimes. As far as the community where I come from, Southeast LA, I don't think we use ‘Chicano’ often, and I might be completely wrong, [but] growing up I didn't use Chicano.
What was it like growing up in LA as a first-generation Mexican American?
Growing up it did feel like I'm not from there and I'm not from here. There's a saying that [goes], ‘ni de aqui, ni de alla,’ [neither from here nor there] you're in the middle. But I think it's beautiful to feel that way because you see the differences and you learn to appreciate the sacrifices that your family has made for you. My mom was very strict on us not speaking English, or [she would say], ‘Be humble, no te creas la muy muy [don’t think you are better] just because you're from the US.’ I went to Huntington Park High, so the majority [of students were] Latinos. There was always Spanish [being spoken], [and] definitely Spanglish. It was comforting knowing that I didn't need to only speak in English. As an adult, in the workplace, when [it’s] more white people, to this day I still feel awkward sometimes. I'm just [thinking], ‘Oh god. Do I fit in? Am I saying this word correctly?’ But I think it's amazing that our families migrated, [went] against the odds and still thrive. That's always the takeaway, even if you mispronounce something in English.