In this story stereotypes shape in difference between girls’ from the Dominican Republic and classic American girls appearance. Dominican girls are impressed by American beauty show, which demands special type of exterior including blonde hair, blue eyes, leggy figures and the peaches and cream skin. But Dominican not only need to change them from the outside in order to be closer to their dream, they also need to solve their main problem that can delay their success, self-perception indeed. In place where they grew up they were just supposed to be good wives whereas American girls have freedom.
In “I want to be Miss America”, stereotypes and social
expectations became Julia and her sister’s guide to accepting their real
existence in a country that hasn’t fully accepted them yet. They wanted to
become like the classic American girls they see in the annual Miss America
contest. They longed to look and become those girls they see on their
television, to have the freedom they’re experiencing. To them, becoming and
looking like one is a dream come true. Being a Dominican Republic girl, they’re
expected to be different than the American girls they look up to.
