How does someone look like an ethnicity? Can someone answer this question because it is very confusing.

Recently my friend was told that she did not look like she was Hispanic. Look at that statement closely - she DID NOT LOOK like she was HISPANIC.

Let that sink in. I have been told that before that I did not look Mexican, but that I do look like another ethnicity. Personally, I would feel offended and would have someone ask me what my background is before they say something like, "you do not look Hispanic."

How are people of any background supposed to look like? Are Hispanics supposed to be seen as the stereotypical Hispanics? Do people only see the stereotypical things from different backgrounds?

On a personal level, I feel as a Mexican American woman - expectations for me to look and act a certain way are always going to be placed on me by what society thinks and believes a Mexican acts through stereotypical views.

Expectations are always placed on minorities due to stereotypical views.

As a society, stereotypical expectations need to go. It does not go to say that minorities do not place stereotypical expectations, but those expectations are placed more onto minorities than the majority.

As an individual who is Mexican, a woman, someone who lives in South Central Los Angeles, and a college student, I want to be seen as someone who is becoming a person in life. I want to be seen as a person who is striving to make a change. Many people want to be seen like this, yet society has thrown stereotypical expectations onto them. When can this change or can it ever change?

What do you think? Can society change their views on stereotyping others? Can the only expectations to be seen a certain way not be ok? Can the only way we can be seen is by how we want others to see us?