Editor's note: Maria Gracia Inglessis is consumer insights specialist at New American Dimensions, a Los Angeles research firm. This article appeared in the March 14, 2011, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.
In recent years I've found myself able to recognize Hispanic women, regardless of their race, simply by the way they dress. Intrigued by the pattern in their appearance, I explored the culture behind the Latina look by digging into the closets and minds of women from different Latin American countries living in the U.S. The stories around their clothes and how they manage their appearance uncovered some of the strongest cultural values and beliefs characteristic of Hispanic culture.
As qualitative researchers we need to acknowledge the importance of appearance when interacting with Latinas. By observing how they dress we can interpret the role they want to play in a particular situation; the importance they give to the people they interact with; and the social status they are trying to communicate.
Traditional gender roles
Why are many Hispanic women into colorful clothes with ruffles, gems and glitter? Why do they feel the need to be put together even if they are just going to the supermarket on the corner? Why do they need to wear something different every time they meet the same group of people?
In many cases, it's all about a traditional view on gender roles and the need to have a clear differentiation between male and female. This need is by no means exclusive to the Hispanic culture - many other traditional cultures are even more rigorous in this differentiation. But traditional Hispanic women in the U.S. feel the contrast between how they dress and how American women dress. What they are sensing is that less-traditional cultures, like the American culture, have an orientation toward equality wherein the clothing code is translated into less rigid expectations about appearance and higher acceptance for androgynous looks.
More traditional Hispanic women tend to view the concern about appearance as a feminine trait and feel uncomfortable when the line between male and female is blurred. Often, they perceive American women as too masculine because, in their minds, they are not "put together" enough. They are also thrown off by men who care more about how they look than some women do.
Collectivism
In collectivist cultures, people pay special attention to taking on roles that allow them to comply with social expectations. Take for example Elena. Her closet is compartmentalized according to the different roles she plays in life: an area for the clothes to go out with her friends, another for the clothes for work and yet another section for the clothes she wears when she takes her kids out. She sees life as a big theater. She carefully analyzes her audience and rehearses her characters by trying on different dresses.
What operates behind this dramaturgical behavior is the need to maintain harmony and conform to the social group, characteristic of the Hispanic culture. Collectivistic cultures are other-oriented. In these cultures, people buy new clothes particularly for social occasions, looking for social approval. Whereas in individualistic cultures, such as the American culture, it is more important to dress according to the latest fashion as a concern for self-image and self-expression.
Social hierarchy
Take for example Norma, who went to the U.S. to get a Ph.D. The day she met her American mentor he was wearing flip-flops and Bermudas. She was shocked. How could she read her professor's social status if he is not wearing a suit and a tie? In contrast to Latin America, a casual style is accepted in many social contexts in the U.S. In Latin America, professors are higher in the hierarchy and typically convey their status by dressing more formally. A lot of Hispanic women in the U.S., particularly when they are recent immigrants, feel confused by the lack of visual clues to understand social status.
The Hispanic culture is what sociologist Geert Hofstede called a high-power distance culture. This means that subordinates accept and expect the power of others based on their hierarchical position. The American culture, on the contrary, is a low-power distance culture, meaning that people relate to one another more as equals no matter what formal position they have.
New cultural design
I also talked to Latinas who don't fit into this traditional cultural scheme and view gender roles and social status in a less rigid manner. For them, clothes serve more as a means of self-expression than a way to social adequacy. They feel pride in their Latin American heritage, yet they feel they belong to a global culture, which they influence by setting their own trends. These are the women to follow next because they are the ones redefining culture.
More pervasive
While women from other cultures may also express traditional gender roles, social conformity and social hierarchy through the way they dress, this behavior is much more pervasive among traditional Latinas. It is not surprising to arrive at a Hispanic woman's house for an ethnographic session and find her very well-dressed. In her mind, being put together helps her play the role of an interviewee and also demonstrates respect to the interviewer.
If you are conducting research with traditional Hispanic women, don't dress too formally - it might create social distance - but don't dress too casually either because they might interpret it as lack of respect. It may seem complicated but a little effort to make the Latina respondent comfortable could go a long way. Keep in mind the cultural lenses Hispanic women wear when they read the way you are dressed.