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Borderline Struggle In 'Real Women Have Curves'

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As Chicana women, we’re left to process our true Identities. Chicana women are stuck between the cultures of both Mexico and the U.S. which make the process more difficult than others. In Real Women Have Curves, we are presented with a borderline struggle where it seems that Carmen’s daughter, Ana wants more for herself and wants the chance to pursue her education and make a career in writing, however, Carmen her mother, alongside the rest of her family throw obstacles in Ana’s direction by pressuring her and using her culture against her to stay and continue sewing in Estela’s factory. Carmen blames her actions towards her daughter by mentioning that the reason for her making Ana’s life miserable is due to the love and adoration she has for her daughter. With Carmen’s actions, we are able to decipher that Carmen’s love is ‘tough love’ a philosophical term by which Chicano parents are able to manage their children, which we are able to see that in every Hispanic household, how they show love and how Carmen is doing the same with daughters. …show more content…

In Act 1, scene 1, Carmen and Estela get into it over certain work situations due to Carmen trying to justify how her way of doing things is better which leads Estela to tell her mother, “Why do you think your way is better? All my life your way has been better. Maybe that’s why my life is so screwed up.” As Hispanics, parents guide their kid’s life in the ways that they were taught through generations, thinking that the “machismo” way is the correct way. Being “machismo” is being tough and showing no sign of affection and if it is, it has to be through lessons of life and doing it the parent’s way. Unfortunately, if we begin to whine about it and not do it their way and say that we are not shown love, it’s considered disgraceful towards our parents, and we are considered ungrateful

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