10 Signs You Are Latino
There are some obvious traits that will give a Latinx off in 0.2 seconds, for example someone telling you that their name is María Altagracia del Carmén Nuñez. Others are a bit less in your face but still clear signs of a Latino. Let’s have a little fun as we go through these popular 10 signs that you are Latinx and get down to the truth in them as they relate to me. Heck, it may be that at the end of this post you realize YOU are more Latinx than you believed!
VAPORUB
You know I had to start off with our beloved Vaporub because everyone believes that Latinos, especially Latina moms, think vaporub is the cure to everything! I don’t think vaporub heals all, I mean, that is why we also have coconut oil! I will say this though, if you have vaporub and coconut oil at home, you are pretty much prepared for any situation. There is nothing that will make a scraped knee, a broken heart, or a stuffy nose feel better than rubbing a little vivaporù on it while singing “sana, sana, culito de rana”.
SUPERSTITIOUS BEINGS
That Latinos are all superstitious. I certainly don’t consider myself superstitious but I most definitely will not walk under a ladder because Papi always warned me that doing so would bring me bad luck. I don’t consider this being superstitious, I actually just think of myself as precautious.
I will also, always, always, always, offer any pregnant woman around me from the food that I am about to eat because I don’t want to get a stye! This is not a superstition. This is a fact! I once offered two pregnant women pineapple which they both shyly declined (although I still believed they did want some) and the next morning I woke up with a stye! Coincidence? I think not!
GREAT COOKS
The idea that all Latina women are great cooks is just insane. Latino families are still highly traditional especially when it comes to lots of home cooked meals which is clearly the reason people tend to think we are all naturals in the kitchen but sadly that is not true for us all. Don’t get me wrong, I can now cook up lots of dishes that will leave you licking your fingers but I didn’t learn to cook (food that you actually wanted to eat) until about 8 years ago!
If I’m being honest though, I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t consider their Latina mom’s food is the best ever. As I wrote that last sentence I just realized that it is us, the children, who are responsible for everybody believing that Latina moms truly are the best cooks in the world! I know there is nobody’s food that I prefer over Mami’s… or Papi’s.
DANCERS
A Latino house party isn’t a party until the music is blasting and you have a 3-year-old dancing around in one corner of the sala and an older uncle dancing by himself and ready to keep the party going until the sun comes up. I’ve been dancing since I can remember so for me this is a given. Play some music y a bailar se ha dicho! This doesn’t mean every Latina is ready to bust a move to merengue, salsa or bachata though so stop asking every Latino person you meet to teach you how to move your hips the latino way.
WEEKEND MORNINGS ARE FOR…CLEANING!
Waking up to your mom playing music on a Saturday morning means only one thing… cleaning spree! My mom would take the extra step of purposely making extra noise by my room door if she hadn’t already decided to wake me by telling me to get out of bed already y agarrar uno escoba!
CHANCLAS
Latino or not, I’m pretty sure you have heard of the dreaded chancla (flip-flops) in Latino households. Surprisingly, I was never spanked with a chancla but truth is if you didn’t clean your room when your mom asked you to or if you closed your bedroom door a little too loudly, you better duck because your mom and her chancla (which I don’t know how they always seem to have handy) are probably just an inch away from you!
OVERPROTECTIVE & OLD-SCHOOL
Bueeeeno, doesn’t matter if you are 15 or 25 years old, if you still live in your Latino parents home you will be following their rules. Curfew and all! I didn’t lose my virginity until I was 22 years old and if my parents would have found that out, they would have been utterly disappointed because they believed remaining a virgin until marriage was the only right way to go.
Now that we have all left the nest and are married adults, my parents laugh with us about how old-school and overprotective they were.
BIG FAMILIES
That all Latinas want big families. For me, personally, this is a fact! We have three children and although it’s not a big family compared to years back standards, I’d say we are in today’s world. Growing up in a family of five siblings, I love the big family feel with lots of aunts and uncles and even more primos than I can count. Just because it’s true for me though, doesn’t mean it’s true for all. More and more Latinas are happy with just one child and some are even deciding to not become mothers at all.
NEVERENDING FAMILY
Talking about big families, at every family event you always meet a new relative and all of your parents friends and their kids are your Tío’s and cousins. “Mira, este es tu primo. Saluda!”
DECEMBER 24
You know you are Latinx when you celebrate Christmas on December 24th. Well, Santa obviously favors us Latinos because we get to have a huge family party on the 24th, open up gifts at midnight (or later if the party is just too good) and then we get to spend Christmas Day the way it was always meant to be spent… enjoying your new gifts and eating leftover food! Feliz Navidad!
If I’m being completely honest with myself, 9 out of 10 of these are true for me. What’s your number? Any other Latina stereotypes you would add to this list?
You may also enjoy: 10 Things All Women Should Know and Raising Bilingual Children.
