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Mariana Garcia
Professor Ditch
English 113B
12 February 2015
Constructing My Identity Through Cultural Perspectives
Expressing my culture means understanding my identity. My everyday life is a part of
who I am and its important that I distinguish my identity because it is ultimately a steppingstone into the person I am yet to become. Therefore, it can be challenging to know what is better
suited for me because of the pressure thats given by cultural norms. Identity norms are altered
by social media, which makes it challenging to construct my identity permanently because it
constantly has to be adjusted to fit the social norms. The cultures that define the person I am
today are: the college I attend, being Latina, and performing a masculine gender. My familys
traditional Latino standards pressure me to perform feminine because thats the cultural norm
that most Latinos have in their household. Even though Im a nonconformist by presenting
myself as a masculine woman, theres always an expectation from my familys Latino culture to
perform femininity because of my biological sex.
In my Latino culture, there are many things most Latinos celebrate and believe in. A
cultural norm that most Latinos practice is that the male is the source of income and the female is
the housekeeper that stays home to cook and clean. The lifestyles of most Latina women are seen
as feminine traits because cooking and cleaning are viewed as womens responsibilities. I dont
conform to these standards because I dont perform in a feminine way and I take more pride in
working instead of depending on others. I can relate to the article, My Hips, My Caderas by
Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez as she describes her constant battle trying to figure out an identity that

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will please her and her American and Hispanic culture. Rodriguez states, As I shift halves of my
soul daily to match whichever cultural backdrop I happen to face, I also carefully prepare myself
for how differently my womanly/fat hips will be treated in my two realities (74). Alisa ValdesRodriguez explains how she is part of the American and Hispanic cultures, which have different
views on how a womans body should appear. She drastically has to constantly change the way
she behaves when shes around her mothers side of the family and her fathers side of the
family. This article relates to my situation because it is difficult for both of us to construct our
identity when we frequently have to change our way of being ourselves around our families.
The space or environment can change the way a person behaves. My college culture is
where I perform as a responsible masculine student and where I can speak with my classmates
about relevant subjects. At home it would be completely different because the way I speak to my
parents differs from the way I communicate with my colleagues. I dont speak to my parents
about my homework or about the lectures that were given by professors because my college
culture is different from the way I perform at home. Being able to have college be a part of my
culture is seen as a masculine characteristic because women shouldnt be worrying about their
education according to my familys Latino culture. The womens role is to stay at home and
accomplish their chores and if not they would be seen as a nonconformist by not following this
cultural norm. According to the article, Self-Identity and Culture Ronald L. Jackson II, Cerise
L. Glenn, and Kesha Morant Williams state, Regardless of their properties, spaces have a
tremendous influence on how people think about their identity psychologically and socially
(120). The authors clarify how the spaces and places impact ones identity. The spaces were I
spend most of my time become part of my culture because it defines who I am and it becomes
part of my everyday life. I choose to attend college to become successful in the future even

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though Im rebelling against my cultural norms. Being encouraged to work rather than pursue
my education has made me proud of my sub-culture as a college student.
People might define sex and gender with the same definition, but clearly they are
completely different terms. According to the article, Doing Gender Candace and Zimmerman
state, Sex, we told students, was what was ascribed by biology: anatomy, hormones, and
physiology. Gender, we said, was an achieved status: that which is constructed through
psychological, cultural, and social means (125). The authors state that individuals are born
sexed but not gendered, which means that one has to construct their gender yet sex is already
established when an individual is born. My journey on constructing my gender is what labels me
as a nonconformist because I choose to perform differently from other women from my Latino
culture. I label myself as a nonconformist because I dont meet the standards that I am required
to perform as a Latina woman. My clothing and work habits are seen as masculinity
characteristics that I tend to perform, which label me as different from other women. I would
rather wear a t-shirt with tennis shoes and shorts over a skirt with high heels and tight shirt,
which is the social norm of how women dress. Attending college is one of my work habits and it
is seen as a masculine trait according to Latino culture. I simply constructed my lifestyle based
on what comforts me despite what anybody speaks about me. I dont regret any of my decisions,
even though I can expect some judgments in my future; it doesnt stop from performing at my
very best.
Due to the responsibilitys Latina women are obligated to undertake, studies have shown
that Latina women one of the highest dropout rate. According to the article, Study: Latina Girls
Have Highest Drop Out Rate Suzanne Gamboa states, Schools must do more to recognize
cultural values that saddle Hispanic girls with family responsibilities, such as caring for younger

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siblings after school, that take away from educational endeavors, researchers said in a report
released Wednesday (n. pag). Gamboa explains how Latino culture can be difficult to balance
with school related work and the results are that most girls are dropping out of school to conform
their culture norm. Fortunately, I rebelled against the roles that I had to fulfill even though I am
now seen as a masculine woman because of my work ethic. I often portray my masculine
characteristics when I attend school because I try to avoid any conflicts at home because I am a
nonconformist according to their beliefs that a woman should not have any work habits. Even
though being part of the Latino culture doesnt encourage me to become an independent woman,
it motivates me to do well in school to prove to my family that I dont need anybody to depend
on but myself.
In conclusion, even though my familys Latino culture demands me to present myself as a
feminine woman, I perform the way that makes me the most comfortable which is performing
masculinity. If I were to perform characteristics that I dont enjoy doing then it would be very
difficult to establish my identity. Sometimes individuals have to seek change to really get an idea
of what gender is better suited for them. Drastically adjusting my behavior according to the space
I am in can be challenging but I will overcome these obstacles once I receive my diploma, which
leads to financial success. Performing as a nonconformist by rebelling against my familys
Latino cultural norms can lead to a path of success as I increase my knowledge by attending
college and by taking harsh criticism from society because of my gender performance. Being
criticized because of the way I dress can lead to a positive outcome because it shapes me into a
stronger person by not acknowledging what people say about me. Rather than feeling depressed
or angry, I smile at my enemies to let them know their attitudes towards me dont affect but the
outcome just transform me into a greater person.

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Works Cited
Gamboa, Suzanne. Study: Latina Girls Have Highest Drop Out Rate. N/A. 25 January.
Web. 19 February 2015.
Glen, L. Cerise, and Jackson, II. Ronald, and Williams, Morant Kesha. Self-Identity and
Culture. N/A. 117-139 Print.
Rodriguez-Valdez, Alisa. My Hips, My Caderas. N/A.73-75 Print.
West, Candace, and Don Zimmerman. 1987. Doing Gender. Gender and Society 1.12551. Print.