By Andy Carrizales
Diana grew up in Laredo, right on the border between Mexico and the United States. Caught up in the midst of a culture war, Diana she had to subject herself to being judged by different standards.
Her white sandals, or chanclitas, were her most valuable possession as a little girl. Every September she would wear them to la Feria, the annual fair, in Mexico and then come back to Texas with them on her feet. The white chanclitas contrasting against her tan skin made her the laughingstock of her classmates.
“Tienes las piernas bien negras!” Diana remembers her classmates saying.
The hurtful comments made Diana self-conscious of her dark appearance. She did not wear any more white shoes until her wedding day.
“I bought an old-fashioned dress from Mexico, even though most of my friends were getting married in a more modern, American style. And the shoes came with the dress, as a package.”
After dancing the night away, Diana kept her used wedding shoes safe in a box. They stayed there until years later, when Diana passed them on to her daughter.
“I think it was important that if my daughter wanted to use my wedding shoes, she could actually use them. I wanted to pass my quinceañera shoes to her too, but unfortunately I can’t find them.
Passing down a piece of our lives to our children is very important. My daughter always had her own chanclitas too.”
By dressing her daughter on the white chanclitas, Diana wanted to transmit some of her culture and her memories, through footwear.
