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Pachucas (from pachuca, the female counterpart to the pachuco) were Mexican American women who wore zoot suits during World War II, also known as "cholitas", "slick chicks", and "lady zoot suiters". The suit was a symbol of rebellion due to the rationing of cloth for the war effort.
Pachuco style. Pachuco style was a dominating trend among Mexican-American youth in the 1930s-40s. Pachucos became known for their distinguished look, dialogue, and actions. Pachucos dressed in recognizable Zoot suits, and often styled their hair into ducktails. Things like decorative chains and tattoos were also sometimes part of the pachuco look.
Three young Pachuca women held in the Los Angeles County Jail during the 1943 Sleepy Lagoon trial. The urban, Mexican-American youth often called themselves " pachucos ". [ 29 ] The female parallels were called " pachucas " and wore tight sweaters and relatively full, flared skirts, often paired with high hair-dos, large earrings, and heavy makeup.
A woman accompanying a man wearing a zoot suit would commonly wear a flared skirt and a long coat. [ 43 ] The amount of material and tailoring required made them luxury items, so much so that the U.S. War Production Board said that they wasted materials that should be devoted to the World War II war effort. [ 44 ]
During WWII, Mexican-American women known as Pachucas began to challenge societal norms in relation to gender, labor, communication and representation. Guerrero's music simultaneously evolved into the Zoot Suit (Pachuca/o) music of the 1940s and 1950s.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the Chicano look known as pachuco appeared and was associated with the zoot suit and hep cat subcultures. [13] The press at the time accused the pachucos in the U.S. of gang membership, petty criminality, and a lack of patriotism during World War II leading to the Zoot Suit Riots. [14]
Edward James Olmos' portrayal of El Pachuco earned him a Tony Award nomination for best featured actor in a play, as well as a Theatre World award. [7] Zoot Suit was the second Latino written and directed play produced on Broadway, coming second only to Miguel Piñero's Short Eyes in 1974.
These women are now combatting this pejorative use by associating it with, for example, extreme sports such as wrestling, the fighting cholitas, and mountaineering, the cholita climbers. Cholitas, with their indigenous costumes of bowler hats, shawls, and pollera are now seen as fashion icons. [ 2 ]