Media

The way Ortiz Cofer is perceived both in Puerto Rico and the U.S. directly relates to the media. This is the venue in which the concept of beauty is defined. In each place, her skin makes her stand out because it contrasts with what the people in the area are used to in the media. In fact, her race is defined according to where she resides: white in Puerto Rico, Latina in the States. In the media, those thought to be "pretty" did not have chicken pox scars on their faces, so when he skin became marked, Ortiz Cofer no longer regarded herself as beautiful. The most glamorous people in each ares had more substance to them than skin and bone, and her desired body type was that of Wonder Woman, the paragon of a body filtered through the media. Later, when she is asked out by a white boy, his father says that he cannot date her. The father's view of Puerto Ricans being rats was a media image, though he claimed it was from his personal experience. The way people react to Ortiz Cofer and how she sees herself directly relate to what the media portrays as beautiful.