Linda morenita

Skin color, beauty and the politics of miscegenation in Mexico

Abstract

Beauty is a difficult subject. In this article my interest is to pay attention to this aspect of everyday life that seems banal but in its diverse expressions, rituals, practices and processes reveals an intricate web of unexpected connections. As part of a research project on racism, mestizaje and national identity, several of the women I interviewed touched on the theme of beauty (why am I so brown?) as a central concern of their daily experience. The connections that were emerging from the participants' experience relate primarily to the experience of femininity and masculinity, national identity, racism, and the relationship to and perception of the body. In this article I specifically discuss these ideas and their relationship to beauty and skin color in Mexico.