The Chola Aesthetic: What to Know About Its Roots & Culture

'Everyone wants to look like a chola, but they don't want to give credit or learn about the culture that it came from' — This historian breaks down the roots of the chola aesthetic & highlights the importance of respecting it as a culture

with @alexshewrote

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[dm]

this is so true. As a 32 year old man, I've always wanted to look like a chola

[akshayawagan]

Man I thought this news is about Chola Empire 😂

[alicemungia]

I was part of the chola culture during the late 70s. My chola friends (homies) gave me a refuge during a turbulent time in my life. I'm still friends with many of those women. Today, I am a special Ed teacher in a "Barrio" elementary school in Ontario, California. I hold a masters degree in special education and 2 teaching credentials. I had no idea the culture was being brought into the mainstream by the entertainment business. Too bad the origins of the culture are not depicted in a positive manner.

[Jacquelinehi]

Anyone remember “Homies” ? Tiny chola dolls i had ‘‘em all 💔

[Cityweaver]

Yeah, I'm going to just walk away if you're going to start the video with "If you're wearing dark lipstick right now, you aren't giving credit to a fashion trend from over 30 years ago."

[MarcG]

I saw where Japanese cholos/cholas even go so far as to learn Spanish

[MrMountain]

Chola literally means female gangster.

[ratri]

I think they are talking about Chola Empire of India. Now I understand my mistake 😉

[shadowlesswarrior]

I never understood the whole cholo/chola culture, but in my defense Mexicans born and raised in Mexico like myself have different culture than those born and raised in the US ..

[aycc-nbh]

It’s one thing to teach us about the history of a particular culture like how Life of Boris taught me about how gopniks came to be, but it’s another thing to say that history can and should be something that can’t exactly be taken liberties with in fictional works. If that were the case, we shouldn’t be allowed to make works of historical fiction and every aspect of human history would need to have some owner or owners who can enforce their claims to them.

[arios]

She lost me at LatinX. And I grew up around that life. The way to say Latino/a in English is Latin. Please stick with that

[eleanormedina]

Please I got slapped from my father for calling my gangster brother a cholo. My dad said you r calling him a lowlife Indian. It was normal in the 60's. Funny thing my mother is a full blood indian.

[celiacelisally]

I'm New Mexican and this is what I grew up around and with, there are so many variables to this style, and our culture I guess I was always more subdued in my looks but I was always hurt that all of us were looked down upon and even I thought to be better meant I had to look at us as less than for our style... even though I loved the styles... until I realized I can love our look and get out of poverty too... I have always seen our influence in mainstream culture but I rarely if ever have seen us being given credit... it's black and white and My little New Mexico is a land erased because we are other... even amongst Latinos, my Hispanic roots and something many people have never heard about... and yet I think what has brought me joy and yet has hurt me is more and more our style culture, and our food is becoming "mainstream" I remember when I was made fun of for being a burrito to school, for eating a mango, even avocados where seen as eww...even speaking Spanish was frowned upon. and now I can't make a left without seeing Mangonada's or avocado something, I see our style everywhere worn by everyone... yet, something still feels apart so many times I feel like I'm an outsider to my own culture by mainstream who took it from me, its a clean girl aesthetic now, its a California girl now...90's hip-hop looks... every label removes its roots and its energy and it hurts.

[Valicroix]

OK, so now I know what's Chola aesthetic. Thanks for the info. I like learning about stuff that I was ignorant about before.

[tarzana]

I was 5 or 6 yrs old when I began to really pay attention to my surroundings. I was living in Koreatown in California, and when I first saw cholas, I thought they were soooo beautiful! I thought "When I grow up I want to look like them." Of course my mother wouldn't allow it, but I admired the effort the cholas made to maintain their hair, make-up, and clothing. Not one wrinkle on their clothes.

[Cityweaver]

This video starts with this woman talking about brown lipstick and ends with her saying she wishes the media didn't portray cholas as illiterate. There is a more important conversation here, that would bear more good will, than breaking down the Venn Diagram of fashion differences between Selena, TLC, and Salt n Pepa. The larger wounds feel every grain of salt.

Conversations that have great amounts of middle ground: middle class treating poor white, Black, and Hispanic urbanwear like lower class culture they can't allow in their institutions -- but at the same time, our companies' desires to expand and change while still keeping an ear on tradition. Code-switching, street made into literature, fine art made into street. All that. And how we can use our companies to get our women more respect from a mainstream culture that has very little respect for women, at all.

[WaxPackMike]

All the wannabee cholas in the comment section going off.

[mercedesvasquez]

Sooo, , , somehow someway I hope someone reads this. She made a few good points but just know that if you are ever interested in learning of our culture, no true chola, no true veterena would ever deny you. We take Pride in teaching others and have humility in learning of others. That, my friends, is TRUE Chola culture. 3>

[MrEkzotic]

I wish parachute pants and AJ's would make a comeback.

[oceanbelow]

As a black woman who grew up in El Paso, I’m happy to see this respect to the culture being spoken about. I grew up in the 90’s, with Selena on the radio like Beyoncé is today! That was a beautiful time, and beautiful to see the chola community in their truth. I understand why this new wave is offensive. 🙏🏾💐🤍💯