Pachuca With a Razor Blade

Carmen Lomas Garza's painting Pachuca With a Razor Blade portrays a scene of Mexicanas in their adolescence. It depicts three teen girls getting ready to go out. It is unclear what it is they are getting ready for. It is not really necessary to know since knowing that this scene most likely takes place in the 1940s. Pachucas faced a lot of racism and police brutality, so doing their hair and make up could be a way to prepare themselves spiritually for the dangerous world outside. Teen girls partake in rituals as a method of survival. But unlike white girls, pachucas, must prepare for an added layer of oppression when they leave their homes everyday. They must contend with racism and hypersexualization as Chicanas since they are stereotyped as disease carriers and delinquents by the media and the American public. In this painting, the girls are safe within the confines of the pink bedroom complete with a coke bottle and a cat. It is a scene of comfort and a hideaway from the terror of living in a xenophobic country. They do each others hair and makeup and place razor blades in their hair. It's all part of a ritual for survival.