Archive: Skin tones of the Latino Community

Archive: Skin tones from the Latino Community

My ethnicity and my experience as a first generation Mexican-American are heavily influenced by the assumptions I receive about my skin tone. Assumptions can be generally made in either direction, whether it be stereotypical or as misconceptions. The assumptions on my light skin tone draw attention away from the pride I carry for my Mexican heritage. In response to the misconceptions about my skin tone I chose to go around this project in a very particular way. These compiled photographs are testament to the vast diversity of skin tones within the Latino community. To eliminate any opportunities for assumptions and misconceptions while carrying on with this project I decided to ask members of the Latino community to approach me by holding up a sign about my project. This method was beneficial and in line with my project to bring awareness to the variety of skin tones in the Latino community in an unassuming form. I chose to compile 8 different prints in all different sizes. The sizes were determined by the amount of 1x1 blocks of skin tones in each print. In order to connect this project to myself and my experiences with this topic I singled out the 1x1 block of my skin as the start of the project.