Chicana Sexuality and Gender

One of the most important things that stood out to me about the text, was the importance to transform history for women and make use of the available resources to do so. The text emphasizes on the importance to acknowledge that women’s stories are often left out from the dominant narrative, which tends to focus on heterosexual males. With the use of literature, art, and oral history, women are able to transform their narrative which often also focuses on portraying women as submissive and whose roles tend to surround men. However, artist and writers transform this narrative by offering other alternatives to the stories we know. They are able to create images, characters and offer testimonies of women that become symbols of liberation. Furthermore, even when religious beliefs, contribute to women’s confinement, repression of their sexuality and serve as a way to perpetuate patriarchal gender roles, the transformation of this narrative help break down the roles women have been placed in. Also, it enables women to reclaim their bodies and sexuality. The text makes reference to the way stories of historical and cultural figures like Malinche, La Llorona, and La Virgen de Guadalupe are transformed by providing a more accurate narrative about their place in history.