Social Norms In Latin American Culture

The hypersexualization of females is fairly prevalent across different cultures. The media seems to be bombarded by it; magazines are plastered with risque images of barely clothed woman and even young girls. In 2011, a French issue of Vogue featured females as young as ten years-old as models, “Stretched and slinked on an array of animal furs.” Their clothing was low cut and revealing. This prompted the French

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I am originally from Puerto Rico, which is a country in which communication is an integral part of society. The cultural norm of the Puerto Rican culture is to speak up when necessary and communicate clearly if we want things to be done. At the same time, I believe that in order to produce results, the manner in which communicating takes place, is an extremely important component. My culture also showed me how the emotions used when communicating, such as the use of the hands and body language, will dictate the tone and flow of the communication. The literature suggests that the majority (as much as 76%) of the message we gibe to another person during conversations is carried by non-verbal or para-verbal communication. Thus, we must be very careful and strategic in our use o non-verbal communication (Van Acker, 1997).

In Latin American countries, they have a very unique culture. With their holidays, music, celebrations, and art, the countries in Latin America never cease to bring joy in people’s lives. Latin American culture is vastly different than other cultures in many ways. In Latin America, the languages of Spanish and Portuguese are dominant and most people speak them. However there are people who speak other languages as well. Latin America includes nineteen countries and several territories. There are a variety of different ethnicities in Latin America including Mexicans, Europeans, and Asians. Education inside the Latin American culture still struggles. Only a little more than half of kids ages 13-17 advance into secondary school. Because of this, the crime and violence rates in Latin America are at an all time high. These countries have been rated as one of the most dangerous regions in the world because of how high the rates of crime and violence are.

A social norm is defined as the rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in society. Throughout American history, the rules regarding what is considered acceptable behavior has changed tremendously. These behaviors haven’t changed just once or twice, but many times over the span of many years. Social norms can change quite often. There is a tremendous amount of behaviors we do in modern America that would have never been considered acceptable years ago. American society has changed significantly in consideration to social norms. Social norms that have changed excessively throughout American history are being affiliated with the LGBT community, dating, relationships, and premarital sex. So, how have social norms changed in American society?

Even after all the trouble women go through to look according to society’s norms, people still catch every small thing that is not perfect to society. According to Lois Tyson, “she is objectified…defined only by her difference from male norms and values, defined by what she (allegedly) lacks…” (92). Women are unmistakably different from men biologically; so why is it such a shock when she has a small part of her skin showing, just because it is her breast or any other ‘forbidden’ areas? If a woman shows her butt cheeks it is disgraceful, but if a man shows his butt cheeks, it is hot. It is the same body part just of difference sexes, yet society has labeled it differently for each sex. Women objectification should not be seen as her fault, because like every woman around her, she is doing what she has to to stay comfortable.

The relationship between the gender roles reflected in telenovelas and the the role of women in Latin American countries is a matter of parallelism. This is because as Judith Butler, the author of the book Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity, emphasized that it is “impossible to separate out ‘gender’ from the political and cultural intersections in which it is invariably produced and maintained”. Gender is undeniably socially constructed, and is a product of the values deemed important by that society being constantly reenacted and reinforced. In that sense, telenovelas are also another medium through which beliefs in gender can be relayed to the audience, forming what is called the “imaginable domain of gender” as they either perpetuate or go against ideal hegemony (Beard 2003).

Throughout history, women have been victims of oppression no matter what religion or background they come from. They have learned from a young age, that their appearance is important to fundamentally be happy in their life. The topic of oppression in woman leads to controversial discussion not only to scholars but women of all parts of the world. How a woman presents herself through appearance and clothing targets her in a society obsessed with each other’s business. In today’s society, whether we can help it or not, men are treated differently than women. There seems to be different “rules” associated with the acceptable ways they should dress as opposed to the strict rules that apply to women. Women who are westernized

For South Americans, when they arrived ar the states, due to their higher educational levels, they were able to earn higher wages in the U.S. workforce, which often times were compatible to the wages of upper classes in society. Due to this, South Americans tended to fit into a social category that was ideal in relation to social norms, and because most societies, and individuals, are influenced by income levels, the prestige that followed the economic class allowed many South Americans to be perceived more highly within society as a whole. Moreover, as a result of most South Americans immigrating legally into the states, it provided them access to the community and allowed them to not only have citizenship, but also to be accepted as citizens.

In this paper I will evaluate two artworks that share the same theme of “motherhood and breastfeeding.” In the last few years, the sexualization of breastfeeding has become a big issue. This is due to people see breast as sexual objects and think that women are being exhibitionist, and are doing it just to flaunt their breasts in public. Breastfeeding mothers are faced with the public criticism as they struggle to breastfeed their child, although it is the most natural and healthy method of feeding. The first artwork is by Mary Cassatt and is titled Mother Rose Nursing her Child. This painting was created in the 1900s and it depicts a woman breastfeeding her child. The second piece is a contemporary portrait created by Catherine Opie titled Self-Portrait Nursing. The portrait depicts a modern mother also nursing her child. When comparing both of these pieces of art I plan to focus on the beauty of motherhood and the bond between mother and child. In this paper I will discuss the social issue of mother’s being criticized for breastfeeding in public. Now more than ever women’s breasts are being overly sexualized when they are not a sexual organ, but in fact a part of their body used to feed another human being.

As a future Anthropologist and a woman who has an interest in culture and the effect it has on society, I felt deeply connected to Unit 7: Culture and the Female body. Clifford Geertz (1973) asserts that culture through socialisation is a control mechanism for governing behaviour (p. 45). Similarly, Valerie Taylor,

Coming from a diverse background, of Mexican and Central American culture, I can contribute my traditional Latin culture, and perspective of gender equality to the NC State community. I can contribute experiences varying from the tedious preparation of traditional cuisines, such as pupusas and enchiladas, to the different dialects of Spanish I've been exposed to throughout my life. The traditional gender roles within the Hispanic culture, is another aspect that I can inform the community about. The men in the family are seen as superior beings and the provider of money for the family. The women are depicted, as caretakers of the home and family, are more sheltered, and submissive to "male superiority."

The idea that a woman’s job is to be a wife and mother is old-fashioned, but not completely out of style. Though these roles require a great deal of talent, resilience, patience, love, and strength, to name a few, they are often underestimated or depicted as simple. Especially in modern times, many women in the United States who stay home to raise a family are viewed as anti-feminists, whereas women in Latin America are not criticized for similar actions. In recent decades, more Latin American women have started to break the mold, daring to be both sexy, and successful in the workforce, while remaining pillars of domestic life.

The topic that I choose for my research paper is the tradition that many Latin American cultures celebrate when their daughter turns fifteen years of age, a Quinceañera. This big celebration has impacted the lives of many Latina girls representing a special moment in their lives. But what exactly was the history behind this majestic celebration? Originally it was a ceremony in which the indigenous people would commemorate young girls in becoming women. This included the responsibility for a young girl to get married and create a family at the tender age of fifteen. They were forced into learning how to clean and cook. If no one were to ask her to marry her, she was forced to take care of her parents until their deaths. As colonizers adapted

The Latin culture has its own unique way of doing things, which is why it separates itself from other culture immensely. Understanding the culture will give you a more clear aspect on how our communication works day by day, such as the verbal norms for this culture. When in a conversation in Latin America and certain topics arise, it is always best to avoid ethnic and class differences, the class and status in the society can determine the type of job and how much they make. Also attempt to avoid the topic about the country's rival, especially in soccer, this conversation may get very heated. Besides talking about the rival, try talking about that countries improvement in that sport, it will definitely light up the room and bring back memories.