Week 2: La Virgen Guadalupe

La Virgen Guadalupe signifies safety to me. My mother hung an image of her near my bed so every night before falling asleep I would look her and feel protected. I prayed to her and brought her roses. When I was 15, a statue of her was given to me to celebrate my quince. She has always been a part of my life. My mother believed and loved her. For my family, she is the mother of life. I never questioned the story of her appearance. 

However, the feminist interpretations of Chicana artists resonate more with me than her "original" image. After Alma Lopez pointed out that La Virgen has an excessive amount of cloth and the story of her appearance cannot be proven, I realized why I do not continue to practice Catholicism. I never felt comfortable with the restrictions placed on women. Bare shoulders in church and divorce were frowned upon. When my parents separated, the father of the church did not acknowledge it. I was disappointed and angry yet my mother never stopped believing in La Virgen Guadalupe. Instead, she would ask me to pray with her while looking at her image. For all these reasons, the feminist interpretations of La Virgen make me smile because I can finally see her as a liberated woman. She has been liberated from the oppression of the church and patriarchy. My favorite image was seeing her almost completely bare expect for her genitals and breasts that were covered with roses. She was finally allowed to wear whatever she wanted and could move freely if she liked to. Questioning her iconic image is important for the liberation of all women because her “ideal” nature that is forced upon all women must be abolished. I look forward to sharing the feminist interpretations of her image with my family especially my mother.