I'm Latina but I'm Not Spicy

An overview of the "Spicy Latina" trope and what it means when you don't fit the bill

“Wow, you’re spicy!”

This comment made to me is one of many that forces me into a label created by others outside of my culture to categorize me in a way that makes their learned stereotypes of me easier to swallow.

Both unfitting and unflattering, the Spicy Latina Trope is exhausting, unrealistic, and overplayed.

To fit the bill, a Latina must be loud, bombastic, seductive, hot-blooded, quick-tempered, passionate about love and war, and walk around in heels with plumped red lips 24 hours a day as they cater to the needs of the man in their life.

The main appeal?

Her sexuality.

Spicy Latinas exudes sexuality with her lustful accent, curvy body, physical assets, and her ability to make a hell of a meal in the kitchen.

Held as an object of desire, the Spicy Latina is the woman everyone chases after - shout out to Phil for his over-the-top obsession with Gloria - and in the same breath, she is also the woman everyone finds to be too much of a personality and actively seeking out the men of other women - shout out to Claire who glared at Gloria with eyes of unnecessary jealousy. It is a portrayal of Latinas that highlights how impossible it is to simply be yourself without the added societal conversation of who they perceive you to be.

The stereotype generalizes the multi-faceted culture of the Latin identity and doesn’t allow Latinas to navigate the world as themselves - making it harder for Latinas to see themselves as anything other than what others expect.

For me, the trope creates a daily reminder of the thin line I tread between living my life authentically and feeding into the imagery that has been fed to me since I was old enough to watch the meteorologists on Univision and Telemundo.

With every application of my red lipstick, I question if I should purchase a different color. With every pair of heels I wear, I question whether I should buy another pair of Converses. The very existence of this trope makes me question some of my choices because of how they will be portrayed by those who interact with me out in the world.

Will I be seen as being sexual because I am wearing a dress today?

Will I be told I am being hot-tempered because I am speaking about things I am passionate about?

Will I be looked at as an object to conquer as opposed to a woman with intelligence as I walk into a room full of men?

The trope is problematic because it creates an imagery of race and oversexualizes a group of women often hurt for failing to live up to these unrealistic expectations. In America, the beauty standard for women is one that can only be created by a surgeon, and if that has shown a crippling negative impact on the mental health of American women and young girls, imagine the damage made by enforcement of the Latina Trope?