Chicana Sexuality and Gender by Debra J. Black

In this book, Debra J. Black analyzed the portrayal of iconic Mexican women such as La Virgencita, La Llorona, and La Malinche. These figures are so significant to our Mexican culture that one hardly questions their implications. However, Black reconstructs these female characters through a stronger and more feminist lens. She does so by interviewing working class women and professional women.
What she found was that these iconic figures actually have some kind of bad rep. For example, La Llorona is looked down upon because she murdered her own children and then would not stop weeping over it. This creates a case narrative of women as being crazy or overly sensitive. The reconfiguration of this figure can be as someone who is calling out for her lost children, regardless of whether or not she murdered them. So, from a positive lens, she can be seen as someone calling out to her children as guidance if they are lost. La Virgencita is a prominent religious symbol so she is seen as very pure and holy. Any altercation to her appearance is considered a defamation to the Catholic Church. This is why it is so controversial for artists to recreate her image in different styles. But, the purpose for doing so is to free her from the restrictions and limitations enforced onto her by men. Most modern depictions of La Virgencita reveal her body from under the shall and gown in order to liberate her gender and sexuality.  The one I found most interesting was La Malinche. She is considered a traitor to the Aztec Empire because she was Hernan Cortes' translator. However, what is commonly not taken into account of that narrative is that she was forced to be his translator and he raped her. So, even though the real victim was La Malinche, she still gets blamed for the mishaps. What Black did was analyze the machista narratives of women, as such, and reconfigure their story to empower them and other women, specifically Mexicanas/Chicanas.