LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When you think of a Latina woman, what often first comes to mind is fierce and fiery. But one quality that all Latinas possess is strength.
For centuries, and even today, Latina women have been stereotyped as submissive and as homemakers, told that they are supposed to be serving the family.
In a Hispanic household, the man was the only one who worked and the woman stayed at home.
"I believed that my mission in life was to cook, clean and to take care of my children," said Viridiana Vidal. "It's just because it was something imposed in my head because of my culture."
But Latinas today see the world differently and want to differentiate themselves from past generations.
"Modern Latinas are those women that are breaking the stereotypes and really not looking back," said Cecia Alvarado, the Nevada state director of Mi Familia Vota.
Millennial Latinas are striving for higher success.
Women like Vidal, Alvarado and Jessica Tabares with SW Marketing and Consulting are just some examples of this. Each of them moved to the United States at a young age searching for better opportunities, and today they are leaders in Las Vegas, showing that Latinas can indeed do it all.
"I think this is the new model in our society. Latina women are go-getters and they just want to be contributing to our society," said Tabares.
But the success comes with added pressure. A balancing act of still caring for family while also wanting to succeed for themselves.
"For the longest time, I almost felt guilty to try and be successful," said Vidal.
"We still care for our family," she said. "It is our motivation, it is behind everything we do, but it doesn't mean that you don't get to follow your dreams or do the things that you love."
Latinas today are embracing their culture in a whole new light. Valuing their family heritage and beliefs while proving that even with the odds stacked against them, nothing is impossible.
Redefining the Latina woman for generations to come.
