When some people think of a Latina woman, what comes to mind? I have heard Sofia Vergara, Gloria from Modern Family, and spicy. People find out that I am Latina and immediately think I am not. I am not spicy enough and I am not loud in my daily life, but my personal favorite is that I do not sound Latina because I do not sound like Sofia Vergara.

I would not consider myself a loud person because I go about my day quietly, and do not shout at the top of my lungs whenever I talk to people. The only time I get loud is when I am debating someone, and that is just a necessity of the job. My daily life does not require me to be loud, and I can accomplish plenty without being loud. I hate it when people attempt to diminish my Latina hertitage because I do not fit the limited stereotype that the media has made visible. I am not ‘less Latina’ because I am not loud. Proof of my heritage should not come from how I act—it should come from my family history. My mother’s side of my family is from Honduras, which is in Central America for those who claim to be experts on Hispanic culture. Attempting to authenticate my heritage through an outdated stereotype only serves to perpetuate ignorance about my heritage. It curtails meaningful conversations about my heritage because people think they know everything about my heritage, and refuse to learn more. The stereotype of the spicy Latina woman serves to fetishsize me, which not only destroys my agency as a woman but also makes men angry when I do not conform to their idea of a Latina woman. Defining a Latina woman by her spiciness takes away from the non-stereotypical qualities she posesses because they are viewed as less important.

I have been told that in order to be ‘spicier’ I should adopt Sofia Vergara’s accent. First of all, I was born in America, therefore I will never have that accent. Second of all, you are justifying the poor treatment of Latina women on the basis that we are foreigners and that we are here illegally. Third, it is not polite for me to imitate Sofia Vergara’s accent because I would be insulting the way she naturally speaks. Fourth, I should not have to be authenticated through an accent because as I mentioned before I am from the U.S. and will not have the same accent as someone who is from Colombia. Lastly, my lack of an accent does not mean that I do not have a connection to my Latina roots. I should not have to talk Latina to be Latina. There is diversity within every culture and to base your understanding around a few stereotypes is reductionist.

I am not the stereotypical Latina. I do not have an exotic accent and I am not loud 24/7. I refuse to be pushed around by your limited conception of a Latina. Stop getting angry when I do not want to conform to the stereotype, instead ask yourself why these stereotypes are wrong. I am a quiet Latina without an exotic accent and I am proud to be Latina.