Mexican American Stereotypes

One thing I can never deny is my heritage. I am a Mexican American. I was born in America, but nurtured in an all-Mexican Household. I speak Spanish at home and English elsewhere. I eat authentic Mexican food that my mother makes, and American fast food when I go out with friends. Although, you may think that I get the best of two worlds; in reality, this isn’t always the case. Being a Mexican American while staying true to yourself is completely different than keeping your heritage and giving in to how society expects you to behave. The truth is, I do not fit into the stereotypes that most Americans have about Mexican Americans, and surprisingly enough, I don’t assimilate well with other Mexicans either. Ever since I was young, I have always

I was like an outsider to them. Eventually, we moved to California, where up to this day I haven’t gotten over my identity crisis. I have been living in California for 8 years, which should be long enough to assimilate into the culture, but I still haven’t, and probably never will because I have come to understand that I don’t have to be what others expect of me. Although California has a large Mexican American population, I still can’t escape prejudice from my fellow Californians. Many Californians dismiss my reservedness as an indicator that I’m a foreigner, especially when they judge me by my physical appearance. When I’m around other Mexican Americans, I get told that I act too “white” because of the way I speak, or even by the kind of music I listen to. Overall, I have stopped letting these small things get to me because I know I am staying true to myself. I want to be either Mexican or American if I only had one wish. All the people and their whispers why won’t they let me be? Why is it that I have to be the one that is "different"? Just because I 'm Mexican