The Myth Of Latin Woman 'And A Look Behind The Veil'

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HERAS Mayra Heras Professor: Rosemary Denatale Eng-101 24, September, 2015 Stereotypes and Misjudgments. Stereotypes are a very significant problem in society today causing people to judge, label and generalize individuals based on a single example or story. Generalizing is an erroneous assumption based on a person’s sex, race, religion, clothing preference, and other factors. An example of this is explained in the book “One World Many Cultures”, the essays “The Myth of Latin woman” by Judith Cofer and “A Look Behind The Veil “by Elizabeth w. And Robert A. Fernea, emphasizing how society perceives women. These texts along with the article “Veil of Ignorance” by Leila Ahmed share a common issue, which is misjudging women based on …show more content…

She speaks of this in her story, saying “The way our teachers and classmates looked at us that day in school was just a taste of the culture clash that awaited us in the real world, where prospective employers and men on the street would often misinterpret our tight skirts and jingling bracelets as a come-on. Mixed cultural signals have perpetuated certain stereotypes—for example, that of the Hispanic woman as the "Hot Tamale" or sexual firebrand" (Cofer 110).” To put in other words, looks could be deceiving, the common stereotypes of Latin women are being highly erotic and welcoming sexual advancements by the way they dress. There is no accurate way to judge others according to their clothing preferences. I highly believe that personality and character is reflected by a person’s actions, behavior, education, and the way she carries herself. Judith Ortiz Cofer also explains how the stereotype resulted in multiple women being sexually harassed in their work and daily lives." From conversations in my house I recall hearing about the harassment that Puerto Rican women endured in factories where the "boss men" talked to them as if sexual innuendo was all they understood and, worse, often gave them the choice of submitting to advances or being fired.” (Cofer 111)”. As a result of these misconceptions it creates a mindset for men to believe is acceptable to objectify and behave in an inappropriate manner towards

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