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As a Colombian who has been living in the United States for more than half
of my life, I have acquired two cultures. I enjoy sipping on cafe con leche and
eating bunuelos with my family on Sunday mornings, and later watching a football
game with my brothers while we munch on pretzels and root beer. I look forward
to Saturday nights of dancing to Salsa and Merengue with my friends and later
tuning in to an R&B station on the way home. Overall, I truly enjoy celebrating
both of my cultures. However, I found my options to be lacking when it came to
Latinos in the media. From movies to magazines, Latinos are always
misrepresented. That's why I was excited to discover the newest addition to my
reading list, Latina Magazine. After years of subscribing to Sassy Magazine and
Cosmopolitan, I finally found the one magazine that truly represents women like
me. Latina Magazine caters to Latinas in the US through language, style, and Latin issues. How many times did we buy a lipstick that looked great on the model in a magazine and took it home to discover that your brown shade of skin could never complement that color? That's when Latina Magazine comes to our rescue. The magazine doesn't feature the light-skinned, blonde, and extremely thin models that we are always bombarded with, but women that we often see when we look in the mirror. The fashion and models are also more representative of the curvy and full-figured Latino woman.
Not only does this magazine feature articles important to the Latino community, but it is also bilingual. From recipes to horoscopes, we can find an English and Spanish translation. (A great magazine to share with my abuelita who doesn't speak any English.) In addressing Latin issues, this publication includes article on how to raise your child bilingual to issues about immigration. This magazine also provides informations on books, music, and celebraties in the Latino community.
Furthermore, Latina Magazine does a wonderful job celebrating and distinguishing the Latino sub-groups. Many publications unjustly clump all Latin cultures and label us Hispanic. As Lalo Lopez states in his article "Generation Mex", "Everything is 'universal' when it comes from the Gringos, but when we do something it's 'ethnic specific' and nobody wants to understand it." In most publications we have the universal label of 'hispanic' and most people become ignorant of the variety of cultures that go under that label. In Latina Magazine we learn about the Puerto Ricans, Cubans, South Americans, Central Americans, Mexican Americans, and more. Although united by one language, these are all different cultures with different things to give.
The unique identity of Latina Magazine is representative of that of Generation X. Like our generation which is believed to be worse off than our parent's generation, the success of Latina Magazine is also bleak. One study shows that only three out of ten magazines survive four years or more. I have confidence that both our generation and this magazine will beat the odds. Both have aspirations and the determination to make what we want happen.
1. http://brinkley.prognet.com
2. http://www.Latino.com
3. http://www.bluepearl.com/latinlinks/