About Mexican stereotypes.

Throughout my life, diversity has always been highly present. From being born and raised in Mexico to the numerous visits to friends and family in the United States, from my decision to move to Canada and my experience as an exchange student in Europe. All these experiences have put me in a position of open-mindedness and acceptance towards other cultures. However, not everyone around the globe thinks the same way. I still remember when I first left my home country and realized the wide amount of cultural and ethnic stereotypes about Mexico. Strangers who were in awe by my response when asked where I was from because I don’t look “Mexican enough.” At first, I was impressed by the amount of people who told me the amount of constructed stereotypes they had about my country. But I kept on asking myself, why can people who had not visit my country already constructed a definition of what a “true” Mexican is supposed to look like? Well, the answer is called stereotypes.

There, that’s the keyword. I used to laugh at people’s constructed image of Mexico. I vividly remember the amount of times I’ve gotten responses like “well Mexicans… tanned skin, short, they all wear sombreros, live in the desert and eat tacos everyday.” My response to that would always be a grin on my face followed by a very an astonishing “wait, what?” I get it, the media, especially TV and the film industry, have helped construct an image of the “average looking Mexican,” if there can even be such thing. I believe it is okay when people, who have not visited my country, have all these stereotypes. They’re misinformed and guide themselves by depictions created by the media and their surroundings. But misinformation can potentially lead to ignorance. You would ask, why do stereotypes affect me so much? Pretty much because it has affected the way people outside Mexico treat me.

Growing up in Mexico City, I remember wearing the vivid colours on my clothes, eating the very famous Mexican dishes people love and talk about. But that to me was just normal, there was no room for stereotypification. Yes, I agree that some stereotypes can apply in certain occasions, but they certainly do not define the entire Mexican population. “Hey Mariana, guess what? my favourite Mexican dish is burrito!” First of all, burritos don’t exist in Mexico, I mean, they do but it is more Tex-Mex than it is Mexican. “Hey Mariana, do you live in the desert and walk to school everyday?” No, I don’t. Mexico City is a very urbanized area. If you want to see the Mexican desert, you might want to visit the Northern part of the country. We have beaches, big cities, mountains, rainforest, and more! Also, our country is highly influenced by the American culture and their stores can be located around our country. No, I don’t walk to school everyday, we have cars too. “Hey Mariana, you don’t really look that Mexican.” Why would you ask that?, Mexicans have light skin too. Mexicans have tanned skin too. They are tall, short, some have coloured eyes some don’t. “Mariana, your English is too good for a Mexican.” Well, I don’t know if I should feel flattered or offended. Mexicans can speak English too. Some are fluent, some are don’t, some only say “Hello. One, two, three.” but that is okay, I’m grateful to have received an education that allowed me to study English at a very young age.

Yes, I’ve gotten all those questions numerous times in different countries. At first, it seemed like something funny or gracious but when people deny to accept that their constructed image of a nation is wrong, that’s where my problem relies because that image is merely constructed upon socially established stereotypes. The problem with this is that the proliferation of stereotypical depictions of a nation, in this case Mexico, is caused by a wave of certain sentiments. These sentiments are not always positive, some people, like myself, talk about how my country is more than what is portrayed on TV, some people tell me they like Mexicans because they love the cuisine, some people treat me differently when they see my Mexican passport at the airport, some people don’t believe in the diversity of my country, some people laugh at my accent when I speak a different language, some people consider Mexicans to be too “exotic.”

Although most Mexicans are at least partly descended from indigenous peoples, most Mexicans nowadays have ancestry from many territories around the globe, making Mexico a very diverse country. The stereotypical depictions of Mexicans, especially those thought to be in the United States can sometimes be harsh and demeaning, Donald Trump is a great example here. “Mexicans in America are rapists, thieves and pretty much parasites,” I’m sorry to break it up to you Mr. President, but Mexicans in America are also hardworking, goal-oriented, achieve scholarships at prestigious institutions, contribute to the American economy and are a big part of what the United States has now become.

As I continue to face the stereotypes about my country, I will continue to tell my side of the story. To make people more aware that it is not okay to generalize a stereotypical depiction to everyone. As a Mexican who doesn’t live in Mexico anymore, it is my responsibility to keep people informed about what is happening in my country, it is my duty to make people be more informed, to share my knowledge with them and to try to help them construct a new image of my home country. However, I will eventually come to terms with the fact that these stereotypes will always exist. Hopefully.