Sombrero Hats as a Representation of Identity - Essay Example

Sombrero Hats, Mexican artifact as a representation of identity Sombrero hats are wide brimmed hats with characteristic pointed crown. They are wideenough to shade the wearer’s head, neck and shoulders. The word ‘sombrero’ is derived from a Spanish root ‘sombra’ which means shade or shadow. It is defined in Fairchild’s dictionary of fashion as “ Mexican hat with tall, slightly tapered crown and large upturned brim.” (Calasibetta 280). This essay discusses about sombrero’s importance as a cultural identity and the negative image media has portrayed of this hat. Although these hats have remained a cultural symbol of Mexico, they have now gained importance greater than being merely headwear. They are also a strong symbol of the wearer’s economic and social status and his culture. The history of sombrero hats goes back to Mongolia where they were worn by horse riders back in the 13th century. There are different hypotheses about how sombrero hats originated in Mexico and who made them. Mestizo workers are thought the be the inventors of these hats and they were from native American and European decent who used to work in Mexico and United States. Others prefer that sombrero hats were invented by horse riders who made it part of their uniform. They came from Jalisco capital of Guadalajara. And some think that early cowboys in Texas adopted the Spanish sombrero as a practical solution for the problem of strong sun and heat. Most of the people believe they were made common by the Mexican peasants who used to wear them while working in fields to protect themselves from the extreme heat of south (History of Hats n.p.). Mexican sombrero hats are worn by people belonging to different walks of life now. Traditionally the mariachi folk musicians who wear embroidered outfits, with beading and gold threads wear wide sombreros that are decorated in a manner similar to them. The traditional horsemen called Charros also wear them. The famous dance known as sombrero dance also utilizes a sombrero hat which is known as Jarabe Tapatio (Schmitt n.p.). It moves on a folk song which tells about a love story between a poor Charro peasant and his beloved. In an attempt to win her heart, he tosses his sombrero hat on the ground, which is his most valuable possession, as a gift and as a sign of his seriousness of his love. Thus, she accepts his love and starts a dance on the brim of the sombrero hat. A part from these cultural and traditional uses, sombrero hats are still worn by Mexican peasants in fields. Lately, after becoming the symbol of Mexican heritage, they have become an important cultural symbol, proudly carried by Mexicans belonging to all walks of life. It is for this reason that sombreros have cultural, social and national importance. Mexico and USA have a long border and a longer history together. They have always been in a complex relationship. Similarly the Mexican Americans or immigrants also became victims of this complex nature of relationship between the white Americans and the Hispanic Mexicans. At one hand America and Mexico are trade partners and part of many organizations and treaties together, on the other hand they face issues like immigrant problems, illegal immigrant in America, drug smuggling and fire arms smuggling. Mexican American history is as old as the Texas revolution and as new as the recent illegal immigrants crossing the border. Mexican Americans settled in America when southern parts were annexed and then after that they kept crossing border throughout the history and are still crossing even up to this day. Mexico has always faced troubles like bad governance, poverty and corruption so the Mexicans, having the American dream in their eyes have always been crossing border in search of better future. Researchers have mentioned the challenges that were faced by the immigrates in Teresa Villanueva’s story “crossing the international boundary, evading the U.S Border Patrol, and finding work are three imposing challenges confronted constantly by undocumented people.” (Oscar 160). But they have always been silently marginalized in American society. In past, although they possessed the legal status of ‘whites’ but they were not always treated as whites in practical terms. Although the segregation of Mexicans was not as bad as that of the Black Americans, but still it wasn’t unnoticeable either. Sombrero hats, being the symbol of Mexican heritage have always held great significance from both angles. They have always been a part of ridicule and stereotype on one side and on the other they have been a symbol of cultural pride and ethnic individuality. They have been used by white Americans to stereotype and mimic so called ‘poor Hispanics’ and also by Chicano movement’s proponents as a symbol of pride and identity. So these hats have acquired a status higher than a mere artifact and are important agents of representation. The only types of borders we were taught at school in geography lessons were geographical borders and boundaries when we were young. Growing up and seeing the society closely shows that being in one geographical boundary, but we can still be divided by other physically invisible borders. Borders may not only be in physical forms; they may take the shape of economic, cultural, legislative or social borders. Socially speaking, the Hispanics have been marginalized because of the so called difference. They have been marginalized for being ‘poor Hispanics’ according to their economic status. These borders have always existed. The poor illegal immigrants who have penetrated in America in search of better future have been forced to work under low wages because of their illegal status. So a laborer working in a Southern farm wearing a sombrero is a typical example of a constructed stereotype that comes to our minds when we think of ‘poor Hispanics’. Chicano movement or the Chicano Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s is an important milestone in history against racism. This movement was originated as a part of the student movements and walkouts and went on to become an important movement which raised the Mexicans consciousness against racism and made them more politically and socially aware. This movement was actually a reaction against stereotyping of Mexicans and racist behaviors towards them. Chicano movement was not only a political awareness movement but was also accompanied with an equally aware arts and literature movement. The results of Chicano movement were very fruitful. The conflict that arose between LAPD and Chicanos was helpful in providing the Mexican Americans with a totally new identity in the region (Escobar 1511). This was done through the production of literary and visual art works that validated and propagated the Mexican American ethnicity and their culture practices. Sombrero hats were a part of this great cultural and ethnic awareness. Instead of getting offended by this stereotypical usage the supporters of the movement employed these hats as a symbol of their cultural solidarity. These hats were included in the literary works and in productions of arts as a symbol of being Mexican. Thus the sombrero hats were used by the people who were the activists of the Chicano movement as emblems of identity and pride. If we see the media like television shows, documentaries and films; sombrero hats have always been used as a tool of stereotyping Mexican Americans. Not all Mexican kids wear sombrero hats to school or drink tequila all the time or wear ponchos. They wear regular everyday clothes like all Americans. But whenever the question of representation arises, we see that they are constantly stereotyped in media in a negative way. They are either depicted as being drunk or being extremely poor with hats on their heads as a characteristic symbol. They are not just used to depict a rich culture, but rather employed as a tool to isolate this group socially. If we see recent incidents, after all this campaign to promote racism, example portraying inequality like the two may be seen which occurred on national television recently, as some morning personalities parodied Cinco de Mayo. Recently an MSNBC show episode was criticized which portrayed Louis Burgdorf dancing and swinging from a tequila bottle. The act was done wearing a Mexican hat. The Hispanic Jounalists resisted the move strongly and labelled it as being discriminatory towards a selected and targeted group of people (Inforwar n.p.). In another show called Good Morning America, Laura Spencer called a date “Cinco de Drinko” while at the same time portrayed drinking a margarita (Gurule n.p.). . Although these networks apologized later on but this shows how racism still penetrates in our minds and how people of different ethnicities are still subject to racism and stereotyping. This stereotypical representation has also made these hats sensitive for use as a common dress item. It is common to ban these hats to avoid being discriminated racially. Many events at universities and concerts ban these hats to avoid such issues.. The university of Birmingham students’ guild, for instance has banned many fancy costumes including sombrero hats to avoid stereotyping and discriminatory behavior. On many instances university students were reported as being banned from attending fancy dress parties in case they choose to wear a sombrero. In many cases they were labelled as being racists merely on the grounds of wearing this hat. Birmingham Guild of Students acted in a similar way and took the action of banning sombreros in the name of preventing racial discrimination (Carter n.p.). Similarly it has been banned in Halloween party at University of Colorado too. Some students are not happy with this. They think that it is not always about discrimination. Students have been reported to inquire about the reason for not allowing to wear sombreros on St. Partrick’s day, when it was allowed to wear other dress items. It can be just imitation or mocking and humiliation which is offensive. Borrowing different aspects from other cultures is not a negative thing. For one reason or the other, we are in a habit of doing it. Listening to the music of other cultures, eating foods that are in fact made and promoted by the cultures of others, wearing clothes that we like but belong to other countries or cultures are few examples of our copying other’s cultures. It should however be kept in mind that the purpose of wearing a hat or other clothing should be clear. For example, a person may wear a metallic hat or the like of it for a game. This type of usage has a solid reason i.e. to prevent the person from trauma. However, there are occasions when the clothing of other cultures is used to mock that culture. It is in these circumstances that the ridicule becomes a problem. The use of items from others cultures should not be utilized to make fun of their appearances or culture. (Masi n.p,). Moreover, students argue that most of the Mexican students do not find it offensive to wear sombreros at fancy dress parties as it is understood that the Mexican nationals consider wearing sombreros as a representation of their cultures. This act of theirs is in fact contributory towards enrichment of the culture. The act of wearing sombreros does not mean that the person wearing a sombrero is allowing others to ridicule him/her without any cause. Instead it is a reflection of the culture; a culture that is fascinating if taken in totality (McMaken n.p.). In either way, whether wearing sombreros is offensive or racist or not, we see that sombrero hats hold a lot of agency when it comes to issue of representation. In a nutshell, sombrero hats that were used as a protection from sweltering heat by old time Mexicans have now become their identity. These hats have acquired the status of ethnic, cultural, social and sometimes status symbols. They have been used both for and against the benefits of Mexicans. On one hand they were and are still being used by racists to stereotype, ridicule and mimic Mexicans, on the other hand they have been used by Mexicans as a proud emblem of their identity and have been employed as symbols of individuality in Chicano movement and in Mexican art. Whatever their usage might be or might have been in past, these sombrero hats are not just artifacts but also strong cultural symbols. Reference Carter, Claire , "University bans sombreros as racist costume - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk. N.p., 05 Nov 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Escobar, Edward J. "The dialectics of repression: The Los Angeles police department and the Chicano movement, 1968-1971." The Journal of American History (1993): 1483-1514. Calasibetta, Charlotte Mankey. Fairchilds Dictionary of Fashion. New York: Fairchild Publications, 1988. Print. Gurule, Ernest. "Racism is alive and well." La Voz 40.20 (2014): 8. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. History of Hats. "History of Sombrero - Who Invented the Sombrero Hats?" History of Hats and Headgear. History of Hats, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. Inforwar. “MSNBC Apologizes for ‘Racist’ Cinco de Mayo Sombrero Stunt Alex Jones Infowars: Theres a war on for your mind!" Infowars. N.p.May 6 2014. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Masi, Mauricio M. "THE PROTEST — Cultural Appropriation, or: Why cant I wear a sombrero?" THE PROTEST. N.p., 7 May 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. McMaken, Rayan."Mexican-Americans Don’t Care About Your “Racist” Sombrero – LewRockwell.com." LewRockwell.com. N.p., 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. Oscar, J. Border people: Life and society in the US-Mexico borderlands. University of Arizona Press, 1994. Print. Schmitt, Mike. "PGG: Hats: Sombreros." PDV-Systeme GmbH | IT-Lösungen für Ihre EDV-Infrastruktur - performant und hochverfügbar. N.p., 22 Oct. 1996. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. Read More