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" \n When I was in the first grade I got into an argument with another girl because she told me she was Mexican. It wasn&amp;#039;t possible, I thought to myself, this girl is a redhead and pale with freckles. I told her she was a liar\u2014she didn&amp;#039;t look Mexican. I didn&amp;#039;t understand at the time that the Latino community was made up of so many colors and races. I didn&amp;#039;t truly begin to question this singularize perception of what being Latino looked like until I was in college. I now wonder how many examples of diversity in our community did I miss because of it?  Sometimes I worry if I look brown enough to be obviously Hispanic. My mother is a shade or two darker than me, and I have always been told that I look like my father, who is Italian and light-skinned. When I became older, I was delighted when people could finally start to see my mother&amp;#039;s features in me. I really did not like the few times I&amp;#039;ve been told I look white at first glance. Admittedly, I once had to endure a very painful sunburn because I had used a low SPF tanning oil, so I could have a darker complexion. The ironic thing is there are Latinas who have lovely alabaster skin that I undoubtedly recognize as Latina because they speak Spanish, and fit-within the culture seamlessly. But for me, without the ability to speak the language, the way I look, it&amp;#039;s the only thing that outwardly brands me as Latina to the world. When I see my olive skin, dark eyes and hair, it&amp;#039;s my personal self-affirmation into the Latino community. I know it&amp;#039;s horrible to think this way about yourself, equating your physical attributes with ethnic value. I do not consider anyone else less or more Latino based on how they look and no one else should judge another that way. But on a personal level, the truth is I like that I predominately look Latina. Sometimes, I feel it&amp;#039;s the only card I have to play. Click here for Angelica&amp;#039;s previous post. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a4172/latina-like-me-one-card-to-play/?click=rel>