Castañeda is an associate editorial editor at the San Diego Union-Tribune and lives in Chula Vista.
Is there any professional woman who doesn't want the title “bad s—“? It depends on who you ask. The phrase was brought to attention a few weeks ago when Bridget Browning, president of the San Diego Imperial County Labor Council and a white union leader, began her remarks at a workers' rally outside the county courthouse by saying, “I want to talk about our chairwoman, Chingona.” She was referring to Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Nora Vargas, who is Latina.
There was immediate backlash from professional Latinos in the community, who called the use of the term derogatory.
Chingona is an interesting word. Its roots are vulgar. However, according to Spanish speakers and users, when used as a noun or adjective, it is not vulgar. It means “bad —” in Spanish. In a room with friends, it is often used as a compliment. However, when used in public or at work, it has a different meaning.
In recent years, I've started seeing the word “chingona” on greeting cards, stickers, hoodies, T-shirts and other novelties. I've bought a few myself. Now, many artists are using the phrase on their merchandise as a symbol of female strength. One such entrepreneur is Eunice Munroe Colosio, a county employee and former board member of the Chicano Federation and Mexican House in Balboa Park.
In 2017, she launched and trademarked the company “Somos Chingonas,” because, as a first-generation woman of color, she said, she felt that people like her were often raised to be too humble and “not to flaunt our accomplishments.”
So when the term came up recently, I asked people around me how they felt about its use. The answers were surprising. “I don't mean bad, there's nothing bad about it, but I want to be known as the bad person,” said a 20-year-old hairdresser. A former student of mine and mother of three boys added, “We are responsible for what we say, but we're not responsible for how people interpret or take it. They'll interpret or translate it however they see fit.” Another former student and mother said, “You don't need to be known as the bad person. You can be the bad person!”
A mentor of mine in the academic world remarked, “I proudly wear titles that claim me to be strong, resilient, worthy, creative, authentic, fearless, powerful and a force to be reckoned with,” while another friend, now retired and a mother and grandmother, said, “Soy chingona. I am strong. I stand up for myself. You can call me 'la tigresa' if you want.”
But one former airline executive, who is also Latina, said she didn't grow up using the term and called it “insulting and has no place in the workplace.” Others echoed her, including a 17-year-old Latina who said it was rude.
A bilingual Latino male reporter pointed out that it's not just the words themselves that matter, but how they're used: “In Spanish, intonation means a lot. It's almost always an exclamatory tone.”
Perhaps that's why Commissioner Vargas has a plaque above the courthouse door that defines the word: a woman who is “intelligent, fearless and gets things done.”
According to La Prensa, the plaque was a gift from one of Vargas' friends who works for HOPE (Hispana Organisation for Political Equality), a non-profit, non-partisan organisation that aims to ensure political and economic equality for Latina women.
Munroe Colosio proudly saves a photo she posted to Instagram of President Vargas wearing her original Chingona T-shirt design. And she adds, “Some may try to find a negative connotation in the word, but it's their fears, insecurities, and inner struggle to justify themselves. I've been surrounded by strong women my whole life, and my brand is a way to celebrate their strength, capabilities, intelligence, and self-worth, and all of my fellow sisters. I wouldn't hesitate to call a man a Chingon. Now, it's time to change that narrative.”
Would I want to be known as a bad —? Maybe, but only from personal circles who know me really well. And no matter how bad — they are, I can't imagine calling my mother or grandmother a “chingona.”
