Doña … the namesake of my handle, my moniker, my pen name. But why Doña? What is she? Who is she?
The History of Doña
Doña, the derivative or feminine version of Don. From concept, reserved for nobles and the educated. When Doña was bestowed upon women, it was in reference to honor mature women.
A Doña and Her Image
With an effortless put together look and an IDGAF attitude, Doñas have been iconic pillars of Latina strength. Often times with a bold eyebrow, red lip, and cigarette in hand. As times have evolved though, so too have the images of a Doña.
The Influential Doñas of Our Time
Arguable? Maybe. But not by much.
Maria Felix – Mexican (1914 – 2002)
La gran Doña of all Doñas.
Actress and Singer
She was presented the name Doña in the movie, Doña Barbara.
She was in love with her brother.
Maria had an “entanglement” with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
Frida Kahlo – Mexican
(1907 – 1954)
La Doña of Surrealism and Magic Realism Painting
She suffered from growth stunts when she was diagnosed with Polio as a child.
Frida was accepted into the National Preparatory School in Mexico City.
She was in a tragic bus accident with injuries that affected her spine and mental health for the rest of her life.
Frida married muralist Diego Rivera. They shared great love with extensive and simultaneous infidelity throughout their marriage with quite salacious partners.
Frida 👏🏼never👏🏼stopped👏🏼painting and sharing her life with dark, tragic beauty ✊🏼.
Dolores Huerta – Mexican American (1930 – )
La Doña of equal rights for Migrant Farmworkers✊🏼
Educator
Activist for women, children, minorities and the poor.
“Experienced Lobbyist”
Recognized for her work by Robert F. Kennedy.
As a peaceful protestor, she was assaulted by a police officer.
6 schools named after her in the United States.
She received The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2012, among several other awards.
Maria Elena Velasco Fragoso
(1940 – 2015)
La India Maria
La Doña of acting, comedy, slapstick humor, songwriting, singing, dancing, directing, and producing.
Veronica Castro – Mexican
(1952 – )
1980s Novela star of Rosa Salvaje
La Doña of telenovelas, singing, acting, modeling, directing, tv show hosting, presenting, and producing.
A Doña is …
Short answer … a Doña is whatever you want her to be. Whatever you need for her to be. There are so many Latina women in the world, of different cultures and subcultures. Doña is as inclusive as the word Latina.
As multiple cultures have been grouped together for the collective “Latina” so too can we add the title, Doña, to represent cultured and experienced women in any path she chooses that brings her joy.
Paving the Way for Future Doñas
The influential Doñas of our past are female leaders, full of confidence in the limelight with a backbone to shut down any nay sayer to succeed in their own right.
With them, they set an open path for Doñas of the future including Literary Doñas, Gotica Doñas, Political Doñas, Drag Doñas, Doñas of Sports, and Influencer Doñas, just to name a few.
May the backbone of our culture never be forgotten. ✊🏼
Bonuses
The Seven Husbands of Evlyn Hugo
I was lucky enough to receive the notice from Libby that after “several months” of waiting, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s hit novel was ready for me, just in time as I began writing this article. It was delectably perfect for my topic of the week. So perfect, I kept getting confused between the life of Evelyn Hugo and the lives of the Doñas I was reading about. Especially since the historical timelines corresponded.
Unbeknownst to me, the fictional character Evelyn Hugo, was also Latina with her language and culture sprinkled throughout the novel.
Born Evelyn Herrera, she was a compilation of many real-life prominent Hollywood actresses of the time, most of whom were Caucasian, and yet in the world of Doña Evelyn Hugo, Hollywood’s leading lady is, Cuban.
How to Use the Accento/Tilde Over the Letter N
When I chose my handle, girrrrrl, op 🙊 I mean, Doooñaaaaa, I didn’t think how often I was going to be typing alt+0241 for my lowercase enye and atl+0209 for my uppercase enye. So, here’s a little video with another way to type your enye’s❣️
@melrosaaas Let’s do the Ññ! #laptop #pc #ñ #keyboard #shortcutkeys #word ♬ Life Goes On – Oliver Tree
Where are my Doñas at?! This one’s for you! Know your culture. Never forget where you came from. And share your Doña experience down below!💓