In the Hispanic culture what you wear and how you wear it says a lot about you. A low-income family may not be able to buy expensive clothes, but their shirts get ironed and their shoes shined. Middle to upper class Hispanics in Latin American countries will save money to come to the United States to shop and buy American brands that, ironically, if they were not made in China, were probably made in a Latin American country like Guatemala (my home country). ).
Regardless of their economic level, accessories and jewelry are essential for girls from a very young age. Little girls get their ears pierced almost at birth and may grow their hair out into a sleek, polished ponytail. Their socks will have frills and their outfits will match.
Appearances are very important in the Hispanic culture. First impressions have great value and are sometimes very difficult to erase if the result is negative. You don’t want to start off on the wrong foot. “The one they will say”
In America, clothing has become a way of expressing yourself. T-shirts with “Go Green” or “Vote for Obama” speak for themselves. Among Hispanics, clothing is not to express, but to impress. The reason for this could be that they are worried about being judged and not accepted. And since social circles tend to be very small in Latin countries, it’s important to make the right impression even if “appearances are deceiving.”
I remember my mother-in-law’s (Harvard Business School graduate) comment when she visited Guatemala for the first time. She said, “Everyone dresses like they’re always ready to go to an event.”
© 2009 Sofia E. Keck
