As a teenager with Hispanic roots, Victoria Banuelas has experienced first-hand the physical demands of a Hispanic female. Banuelas is a high school junior who feels that while in El Paso her “culture” focuses on the importance of being “religious and educated”, but soon found “that experience opened [her] eyes to reality” and that she was the minority in a society that is all about “appearance, brands, and other luxuries”.

In a recent report released by the Young Women’s Christian Association, also known as the YWCA, “Beauty At Any Cost” outlines the “narrow beauty standards” representative of beauty products, cosmetic surgery, and diet programs. These social beauty norms are adopted in one way or another by most young girls in our society.

The YWCA report stresses that “every woman in the United States participates in a daily beauty pageant, whether she likes it or not”. From the overwhelming advertisements (in magazines and on television) about the best mascaras or the most beautiful nail polish to reality shows such as “Dr. 90210”, which focuses on cosmetic changes like breast augmentation surgery, girls don’t stand a chance.

“Girls are taught that only one type of beauty is acceptable,” Dr. Ann Branan Horak, a Women in Literature and Religious Studies Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), declares. Dr. Horak expresses that this superficial standard “creates incredible pressure to become the acceptable version of beautiful”, which also becomes “incredibly damaging” to how females feel and see themselves.

Dr. Horak stated that the image of beauty for most of society is “tall, white, and thin” and the outside of a girl is all that is seen and focused on. This shows how the idea of beauty is really shallow and wrong, especially for Hispanics and other minority girls whose physical features may not always fit the “normal” beauty standards.

Still, most beauty products, such as make-up, nail polish, and fragrant lotions, are no secret to females of any age. In fact, if we were to walk down the toy aisle of our local grocery store or shopping center there is sure to be several sets of play make-up and children’s vanity sets. How can this not send a powerful message to young and impressionable girls?

Banuelas believes that it is every female’s personal choice whether or not to buy or wear make-up. However, Banuelas states that while “society promotes it as important to be beautiful…beauty products are not necessary.”

The popular beauty industry represents an unrealistic view on life and the expectations put on girls. Solange Guillaume, a junior at UTEP, shares her satisfaction in wearing make-up almost daily and carrying a travel size bottle of her favorite fragrant lotion, Black Raspberry Vanilla.

Guillaume admits, “These things (beauty products) are not a necessity, but I like the way it makes me feel; pretty and girlie…The problem is really when girls overdue it,” says Guillaume about breast augmentations and other cosmetic surgeries.

It may be said that young girls and women feel the need to wear a certain “beauty mask” in an effort to gain (or keep) approval. But where is the line drawn? Will the popular phrase “no pain, no gain” continue to hold value in a world where beauty equals success, self-worth, or love?

By Rosemarie Montez

By Leslie Rangel

When María Eugenia Bermudez went shopping for makeup, she always felt like something was missing – colors for her complexion. Wanting to address the absence of makeup products specifically catering to the unique needs and rich skin tones of Latinas, María Eugenia Bermudez decided to change that. It was in May of 2008, that Bermudez set out to create a new makeup line: Mia Mariú with the simple motto: “By a Latina, for Latinas.” Now, she has changed her passion for makeup into a way to help other Latinas and created a strong business as well.

Meeting the specific needs of Latinas means Mia Mariú Cosmetics pinpoints the undertones specific to the wearer’s skin. “What makes this make-up special for us, is the pigmentation,” Christina Ozaeta, a Mia Mariú sales representative explained. “If your skin is light, you have to purchase makeup that was created for light skins [which] tend to have pink undertones. We [Latinas], on the other hand, have olive-yellow undertones. And If you tend to be on the dark side, ‘morena’, then you’ll be buying something form the African-American line, which is more ashy. And those Latinas tend to have more copper, more bronze undertones.”

Primarily mineral-based, the line ranges from sun-kissing bronzers, eye shadows, and lipsticks to dermal-abrasion creams for the skin as well as a vitamin line. Produced in Dallas, Texas, Mia Mariú product are made with all natural ingredients, humectants and SPFs to promote healing of damaged skin.

This make-up line is growing very fast, because it was a portion of the market that was left unattended. Ozaeta has moved up to the role of a district manager, and she says, “I plan on being Mia Mariú’s first millionaire.” To Ozaeta, dream doesn’t seem impossible. Working with Mia Mariú has helped Ozaeta develop important skills in management. “Unfortunately, we Latinas know how to work very hard. Here, you’re your own boss, you decide how much you want to make – the sky is the limit.” She and other sellers receive constant training not only in make up techniques, but also in leadership.

Ozaeta said she sees her job as a sales representative as a way to help other Latinas “raise their self-esteem, see the big picture and dream big.” She enjoys her role because it gives her the opportunity to use the line of products to change their appearance while still being age-appropriate. Ozaeta suggests using light colors for eyes, like Durazno, with a bit of Mora in the eye crease to give a “full look.” In addition, Ozaeta said one should apply makeup starting at the cheekbones: “Start at the checks,” she said, “Not the front; you want the maximum coverage there.”By changing people’s appearances, Ozaeta has found a way to give back to community by raising their self-esteem.

As women, we are all beautiful. But our self-esteem is usually tied to the way we look. “Latinas buy 27% more make up than other woman in US.” To Ozaeta, the importance of this line of make-up is that it brings out the best of your beauty. She has noticed that, if a mother wears make-up, chances are the daughter will follow the mother’s footsteps: a mother models for the daughter. For teenagers, she focuses “on teaching young woman how to put make up on, so she looks age appropriate. The worst is going to a quinceañera, and seeing she looks 25.”

Currently the makeup line is only available through private sales representatives—think Avon-style home-based businesses, but because it is in demand for previously-ignored Latina consumers, the line is growing. And with its growth it is giving the opportunity to other Latinas like Ozaeta to start their own businesses selling products made for them, sold by them, to women like them.

“When you think of a Latina, and where they come from, its very tropical, humid, and the vegetation is very brilliant: we ourselves can handle a lot of colors.” As Ozaeta said, “this is an opportunity for everybody. Not only can you make money but you can help your community. We raise a women self-esteem, then we turn around and help our daughters, and we change the world.”

By Silvana Ayala

Elida Rivera* watched her middle school daughter lose 50 pounds in less than five months. She was shocked to discover that her daughter had an eating disorder. This is often not a subject talked about in Latino families, but it is affecting a growing number of Latinitas. Some Latinitas are taking drastic measures to loose weight by starving themselves and hurting their health as a result.

“Marisela* was a bit overweight and had high cholesterol,” remembers Rivera who was concerned about her daughter’s health. “We took her to a nutritionist. We even got her a personal trainer, but she didn’t want to do any exercise. All of a sudden, though, she started losing weight. We traveled to Puerto Rico and Panama for Christmas and she was greeted with compliments on how she looked. She noted how Puerto Rican women felt comfortable dressing sexy and asked why my husband was so strict with her when the women in his country dress the way they do,” says Rivera.

At first, the Rivera family was excited to see Marisela becoming thinner, but her weight lose soon because a serious problem. Shortly after Christmas, the Riveras thought Marisela was sick with the flu since she was throwing up after every meal.

“She became dehydrated and had to be taken to the hospital. She continued to get sick,” explains Rivera. After seeking therapy for her daughter, she began to piece a series of factors together. “No one knew to ask her ‘are you making yourself throw up?”

“I’ve realized I have screwed up notions about food. I always felt I was too heavy. I was the ‘gordita’ in my family, part of Weight Watchers since college,” she adds. “I was either on a diet or off a diet in my life.”

She talks about how this condition affected other family members including a niece in Panama who suffers from an eating disorder and a first cousin. “My niece lived so far. I didn’t see it. But, my sister is a dentist and noticed the wear on my cousin’s teeth. (from throwing up)”

Rivera did some soul-searching to help her daughter, “I thought I was doing the right thing by watching her weight. I would encourage her to eat wheat bread and no whole milk. Ice cream was a special thing, even though I grew up with dessert at every meal.”

Rivera urges girls to be comfortable with their bodies and to focus on staying healthy.
She warns parents not to say they are fat in front of their kids or things like “I hate my thighs.” She buys with less anxiety about weight-gain. “We still drink Diet Coke, but I used to buy everything fat-free. Not anymore.”

Marisela is now doing much better. She feels comfortable eating food again and she is keeping a healthy weight. She is proud of her natural curves. The Rivera family is working together to support Marisela and make sure she stays healthy.

Rivera claims a combination of factors for her daughter’s ordeal. “Latino families show love with a big meal. If someone is sad, you say ‘here sit with me and have some cake. It was the fault of everything, Weight Watchers, having the genetic gun loaded and our culture. It exploded”

If you have a friend who is going through a similar experience, Rivera encourages you to talk to an adult and try to help her tell her parents and her doctor.

*Names were changed to protect girl’s privacy

By Laura Donnelly

Need a new shirt? Try swapping instead of shopping.

Clothing swaps are a fun way to get rid of the old clothes that you don’t wear anymore and to get new clothes for free. There is a saying that goes: “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”. Well, the clothes that you don’t like anymore or that don’t fit you may look perfect on one of your friends. Plus, you get to add to your wardrobe for free, and you may even find yourself trying on things that you would never think of trying on at a store. It is also good to know that your clothes went to a good new home. You may see your old clothes again and again on your friends.

Follow these steps if you want to have a successful clothing swap:

1. First, make sure that it is okay with your parents to get rid of some of the clothes that you don’t wear anymore and to have some friends over for a few hours.

2. Next, go through your closet and take out all of the clothes that you don’t wear anymore. Ask 5-10 friends to do the same and invite them to come to your house with their stuff. You can also agree to swap shoes, jewelry, belts, and purses.
3. If you don’t have at least one full-length mirror, ask your friends to bring theirs.
4. Tell your friends to come over wearing clothes that are easy to take on and off since they will be trying on things. Make sure that there are a couple of rooms that your friends can use to try on clothes.
5. When your friends come over, have them dump all their stuff out on the bed or in the middle of the floor.
6. The clothes are first come, first serve. Whoever tries it on first gets it. If there is a fight over who gets the clothes, toss a coin to see who gets to keep it.
7. Set a time for when the clothing swap should be over. It should last about two hours.
8. If you want, have some drinks or snacks that your friends can enjoy when the swapping is over. Your friends can sit and talk for a little while about their new items or tell people stories about the items that they are giving away.
9. If there are clothes left over, offer to give them back to the original owners or donate them to a charity like Goodwill.

If the clothing swap goes well, you and your friends should have had a lot of fun and you should all have a cleaner closet and a bunch of new clothes to wear. Happy swapping!

By Vicky Garza

Growing up was somewhat difficult for Stephanie Gatica. As an individual facing vitiligo, a skin condition which makes certain areas of the skin color different from the rest, she encountered teasing, stares and rude comments. As she grew older, however, she soon learned how to tackle these challenges and to accept herself as well.

The National Vitiligo Foundation describes vitiligo as “a spontaneous irregular depigmentation of the skin which can occur at any stage in life.” The cause is very poorly understood, it explains, yet it is not contagious and is also not a serious health problem.

Although the condition affects people of all races, it is most noticeable in Hispanics or African-Americans. For Latina’s, dealing with this can be difficult, especially when you are younger. Stephanie said growing up with vitiligo was challenging and learning to accept who she was took some time. “I was picked on a lot,” she says. “I even attended a private school because I didn’t think the teasing would be so bad. When I would go in public, I noticed the stares, points and whispers around me. Sometimes I wondered why God made me the way I was, and after years I finally accepted it.

As a 27-year-old adult, Stephanie has found her own way of dealing and accepting life with vitiligo. She says she eventually reached a point where she realized regardless of her appearance, she is the same person, something that can’t or shouldn’t be changed. Although there are still times when a stranger’s stare or whisper can hurt her, Stephanie has learned to embrace this aspect of her identity.

The National Vitiligo Foundation provides some suggestions for young people dealing with vitiligo. First, they suggest speaking to a dermatologist to learn about possible treatments. Dermatologists can also help recommend special cosmetics that can be used as a cover-up.

Stephanie has used make-up as a cover up since the age of eight and says it has been a great resource for her. “I have always worn a make-up by the name of Dermablend, the coverage is perfect for my skin,” she says. She has even appeared as a model for the company’s infomercial, shocking everyone with before and after images of herself.

While cosmetics can help improve one’s self image, the National Vitiligo Foundation states that it is also important to choose friends or family members with whom you can communicate your concerns and who can help you focus on your best characteristics. They also advise individuals to try achieving new skills, something you’ve always been interested in. Research has shown those learning new skills are less worried about their condition than others.

Stephanie also offers advice of her own to those dealing with vitiligo. “Be strong,” she says. “You have to be happy with yourself, before you can be happy with your appearance. If you let it beat you, then it will. Your worth is not determined by the color and or lack of color in your face. It is very hard when you see what the norm is supposed to be and what you see in the mirror may not fit in that but who cares? Everybody has something, ours is just bigger than most.”

By Cynthia Rodriguez