you are mistaken. white women are suppossed to have no ass at all. A friend of mine has a very large bottom and when she tells people this they say "but you're white."
everyone has a stereotype.

I have to agree with Suzy, there is a stereotype for white women: flat butt, narrow hips.

As a curvy Hispanic woman, I don't find these jeans offensive. When I was younger I complained precisely about the problem that these jeans target, that most jeans were made for the WASP norm which did not match my body. Of course, it is stereotypical to say white women look one way and hispanic another, but within each group there are trends, and yes, hispanic women, in my experience, do tend to be curvier. It's good to be culturally sensitive but it's also good to be honest.

Like I said, I definitely agree that jeans should be made for a much broader range of sizes.

But why call them "Latina"? Why not call them "curvy"?

As a curvy girl, I'd love to see more jeans where the waist measurement is actually narrower than the hip. I have a _very_ hard time pants shopping, because by the time the pants fit over my arse, they're way too big in the waist.

Can anyone recommend places to buy pants like this? At least, ones that don't resort to skeezy racial generalizations for their marketing? I've had good luck with Eddie Bauer in the past, but they seem to be phasing out their curvy jeans. The Gap "curvy" jeans are a nice acknowledgment that not all women are built like toothpicks but they still don't fit me!

I have the same problem as electronBlue. My pants are always too tight around my (white) thighs and butt but too big in the waist. Jeans like this would probably work for me, except my shopping falls a bit more into the, er . . . bargain category.

I'm not remotely hispanic myself and I have the hip-waist ratio problem with jeans, too.

The last time I was in Lane Byrant, they were promoting something called "Right Fit" jeans which color coded shapes: straight (yellow), moderately curvy (red), and curvy (blue). So it is possible to market this sort of thing without the weird race-based labeling.

HAHA I agree with Cara and electronBlue.

I have bigger thighs and butt compared to my waist and hips. Hell I can't even get the pants over my legs half the time to see if the pants will even fit my hips. It makes me want to learn how to sew so that I do not have to deal with the BS of trying on jeans and then feeling bad about myself because they don't fit my body, but then I come to the realization that every woman's body is different and everyone has trouble finding clothes that fit. With that said it would be nice to have "Curvy" jeans made and I think they should not be called "Latina" jeans. I hate it when companies put stereotype on a whole population of women :(

So, if you're more than one ethnicity, how do you decide which one(s)get to claim your ass?

I really never thought that would be a literal question.

Express used to have some cuts that fit a curvier backside and narrowed at the waist, but they seem to have done away with all of them since their last inventory overhaul. If I had known it was coming (and could afford it) I would have bought a few extra pairs to last me...

And I would agree with suzy, white women are expected to have rather flat butts, with no hips and/or thighs. Most jeans that I try on fall into either the 1) fits at the waist, but my ass is pancaked down in a most uncomfortable way, or 2) fits in the butt, but the waist and sometimes thighs are sticking out in weird ways. I'm currently rotating two pairs of jeans that I got at the salvation army, and trying to make them last...cuz god do I hate clothes shopping.

i think part of the reason i started wearing such low jeans is to avoid the inevitable waist-hips ratio problem in jeans. now at least i can get them to fit one place (hips) and not have to worry about a big empty space in the waist. at least that trend did something good for me to make up for all the ass crack i have to see.

I'm a very curvy white woman, who's been told more than once that I have a "black ass", whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. Everybody's got a unique body shape, whether they're black or Latina or white or Asian or anything else. Jeans that take my hip-to-waist ratio into account would be fantastic. But calling them "Latina" jeans is just ridiculous.

What I wish is that women didn't have to wear jeans that are so fitted -- I look at guys with nice loose-fitting jeans and I think, "Damn, why am I not allowed to dress like that?" It's so much more comfortable, plus baggier jeans reduce your risk of a yeast infection. But I know from back in my middle and early high school days, when I dressed like I was in TLC or something, that a girl or woman wearing baggy jeans will get ten times the harassment of a girl wearing tight jeans.

But I'm white and Latina... does that mean I wear one leg of the buttless White jeans and one leg of the curvy Latina jeans?

Ponies: I agree. why the hell can't I wear baggy ass pants too? While being in style?

I have express jeans that I wear right now, and I always wear low rise. I don't know why. They're comfy.

But usually I have one problem, and its pretty much my only clothing problem, my hips are big. So jeans can fit my legs perfectly, and be two inches too small for my hips. then I just feel awful about myself. So I don't shop anymore. I go to thrift stores. :D

I have always attributed my butt to my father's side of the family (i.e. the Cuban side), since my mom has a pretty flat tush. My mom happens to be white. Thinking it is simple genetics, I have tended to see my butt as Cuban, but who really knows.

About jeans, I used to hate shopping for pants since I happen to be tall (5'10") which makes wearing women's jeans disastrous (high waters are bad). I used to wear men's jeans for a really long time and those definitely have the too-big waist problem.

Now that a lot of stores have the tall options, I have finally started exploring the world of women's jeans. There are a lot of cuts out there and sometimes you just have to try a lot of them to see how it goes and even change sizes since every pair will fit differently.

But I have to say, I hate jeans that come in at the waist. I wouldn't buy the Latina Cut jeans, since I would rather wear low rise (or whatever they call them). Trusting marketing of any kind (particularly when it comes to clothing) just can't beat trying the shit on and knowing what works for you.

I have found that DKNY SOHO jeans are perfect (actually give more room in the butt than I need). They fit my hips, thighs and waist without binding or gapping or creating awful crotch wrinkles. They have just enough stretch to be really comfortable but not look like "stretch" jeans. And they come in petites that are actually petite enough I don't need to have them hemmed (try being under 5 feet tall and not a toothpick, they just don't make pants for short curvy women). Macy's sells them online

I love my Lane Bryant straight (yellow) jeans. Another issue is the idea that "curvy" women or women with big butts are more sensual or sexual. This has an ugly history of stereotyping black women or Latinas as being more sexual, earthy, etc.

Maddy, that's why you need to learn to sew! So you can buy one pair of white jeans, one pair of Latina jeans, cut them both right down the ass crack, and sew them together to make two new pairs of jeans to fit you!

Hahahaha.

AHEM.

Hispanics/Latinas are not a race. So there isn't really any correct body type. Hispanics can look like anything - from very European to African and Asian. Hispanic is just a made up term by the American Govt and it includes all Spanish speaking countries. So, Brazil, for instance, which does not speak Spanish, should not be considered a Hispanic country.

Honestly, this is just bullshit marketing. They aren't being culturally sensitive or aware of anything because if they were they wouldn't do this. They are just taking the opportunity to get the dollars of the new favorite minority. Hispanic/Latina women are not "curvier" than other women, and it's stupid to suggest otherwise.

There is no typical Hispanic woman, there is no typical Latina woman as these broad POLITICAL CATEGORIES include many, many ETHNICITIES which can and do have members of different RACES.

this article reminds me of the horror of jeans shopping as a young boy, "sorry son, you must go over to the husky section". damn can't we get any better names for sizes?

even though it would cost more, why doesnt anyone make custom jeans like they do suits or dresses? does someone do that?

I've got the same ass-thighs-hips trifeca jeans problem as so many other posters here (I've got about 12 1/2 more inches in my hips than waist, most jeans are geared toward a ten inch difference). When I find a pair of jeans that fits I tend to wear them to pieces. Right now my best jeans are actually from Target's merona brand. My gap curvy jeans fit okay, but they get too stretched out after wearing them just one time.

So, I'm Russian and German but my ass and waist are Latina?

Awesome. I'm exotic.

Although I'm glad someone's finally making more of an effort to tell me why my goddam jeans never fit right at the waist.

I usually lurk and haven't commented in a while, but every once in a while, a story hits so close to home and stirs something in me, lol...

I find this story funny and kinda sad. Duh, Latinas are not one "race" and they can be white and have pancake butts and they can be black and have bubble butts, and vice versa, ohmygoodness. (Doesn't Sears have that Latina clothing line that's full of gold sequins and magenta and teal? Ugh....)

electronblue and cara, let me tell you, i feel your pain and can't imagine trying to shop at stores like eddie bauer or gap or something for jeans. however, my bubble butt and thick thighs (and my self esteem) thank god that i live in a very "Urban" area of NJ, because in the malls near me, even the mannequins are very curvy. most of the jeans in the "Urbanwear" stores like Kohesion, Against All Odds, etc, have lots of stretch in them, darts over the butt and roomy thighs. And the most expensive of these no-name jeans will be about $40, but i usually get an amazing pair for about $23. And there's no barf-worthy marketing. Actually, I don't think these stores have stupid pictures of "models" in their clothes, it's just no-frills mannequins for displays. National brands just have no clue.......

I am a black woman and I don't have a "black woman's ass", though I don't have a "white" or "latina" ass either so I guess I'm an anomaly.

Like ponies and rainbows I wish women didn't always *have* to wear such tight fitting close in order for people to "see" our curves. Though I've been wearing pants built for men or a size lager for years because they are more comfortable:)

dananddanica: yup, lots of custom jeans places. pricey, though. I'm freakishly tall, and used to have a lot of trouble finding jeans in my length that weren't WAY too big in the waist (I've since, erm, filled out...). I used to take the too-big ones and have them take in the waist. Not cheap, but reasonable and much less than custom-made.

Kristi, ditto. Except worse. I am a white woman with a very curvy backside, and have been told that I have *ghetto booty*. So many things wrong with that phrase I don't know where to begin.

I have the problem of, when jeans fit in the ass and thighs, then at the waist they're tight in the front but saggy at the back. Once at work my (non-native-english speaking) boss exclaimed to me "Leah! I can see your anatomy!" due to this sagging problem.

I really think women's jeans, like men's, should have measurements instead of sizes. Because a single brand only has one shape, and that's silly. We need waist, hip and inseam measurements.

It saddens me that so many of you think that you "have to" wear tight jeans or "have to" be fashionable.

Today I am wearing baggy red polyester pants from the 70s. My fellow engineers at work complimented my wacky taste. It would not have mattered if they had not complimented me. My promotions depend on my design of various rocket components, not my fashion.

If your work is more conservative, then purchase a few pairs of neutral colored, fairly loose slacks and you are golden.

A couple of things to comment on...

This? "...average Hispanic woman owning more than 12 pairs of jeans." Bullshit. One. One pair. And let me tell you why since a couple of you have mentioned LB's "Right Fit" - they piss me the fuck off. They are the best jeans for my body type, but I was highly annoyed - case you can't tell - when this whole Right Fit bullshit was rolled out because they changed the sizes. So? Get remeasured or whatever. No - I am not a fucking size 4 for fuck's sake, why did they have to mess up such a good thing? On principle, I can't buy those pants, it just bothers me...I'm supposed to feel good that now I fit into a single digit jean size or something? I am not that fucking delusional.

SuzyQ, "Let's be honest" is exactly what comments like MirandaJay's are doing...dispelling stupid stereotypes.

In my family alone we have apples and pears, hell a whole fruit salad, so I beg to differ about a singular body type regardless of how 'extensive' their research was - it's a stupid ploy. There is no such thing as a Latina body type in reality, in fantasy land - in MSM, yes, but not in reality. Huge difference.

Also - love them baggy jeans! If you like 'em, wear 'em. Matter of fact, it's perfectly fashionable for men to wear skinny jeans and baggy jeans...so why are a couple of you limiting yourselves again...?

I remember back in elementary school where I would wear baggy jeans with holes in the knees. I think that was the style then? But it could have just been me wearing whatever I wanted. Including brightly colored mismatching socks.

"this article reminds me of the horror of jeans shopping as a young boy, "sorry son, you must go over to the husky section". damn can't we get any better names for sizes?"

Eh, I went shopping not so long ago, and there were jeans labeled "W". They were for larger women, I thought it stood for wide, like "P" is petite. I was kinda wondering why they would label it that...but then my mom told me that it stood for "Women's". And then I got all upset because that made even less sense. As if I'm not a woman because I shop in the "Petite" section? I also have a hard time shopping for jeans because I'm short. I end up with tattered hems because I step all over them. Then my friend has trouble shopping for jeans because she's tall.

When wearing Anglo cut jeans, there is always a fit problem around the waist area.

Oh, right. Because for the rest of us women, finding jeans that fit well is a fucking cakewalk. Bite me. Nobody can find a decent pair of jeans. It's an ongoing quest for every single woman I know. And it always has been. Jeans are just like that.

Personally, I prefer men in tight jeans. Tight black jeans. Preferably with an electric guitar.

Wildberry - I have NEVER gotten the whole Petites/Misses/Women sizing thing. It's especially frustrating for me because I'm really short, but I still don't fit most petite clothing, so I try on stuff from the "Misses" department, and if I'm lucky and it fits in the hips and thighs, it's always way too long and I have to have it tailored. No one makes clothes for the short curvy woman, I guess.

For those of you who have small waists and bigger hips, the only way to really avoid that is to get the pants taken in at the waist. It's a pretty simple and cheap alteration and it makes a world of different in how your pants fit.

That's not my problem, though. I'm black, but i don't have the stereotypically large backside. In fact, there's virtually no difference between my waist and my hips. Yet, people will make comments about my big ass and when I'm like "I don't have a big ass at all..." They'll look at my ass and be like "wow, you actually don't." WTF? Why are you going to make comments about my ass without even looking at it first?

This is kind of a weird complaint, but it really pisses me off when ppl just *assume* that I have a big ass when I don't...

Dude, I know it's been said, but white women totally have a steretype they're supposed to fit- no ass, no hips, or else. There are plenty of conventionally attractive black/latina/whateveryouare women out there who would be considered ugly and fat if they were white.

Oh my god!!!

I was just going to send you guys a link with something similar. The german clothing catalog "Otto" used the word "latina cut" to describe one of their jean-styles. There was even a little cartoon girl next to it, looking like the stereotype Latina: Big hoop earrings, dark hair, long eyelashes and of course the big butt.

Someone must have complained already though, when I checked into the website a couple of days ago they had replaced the word "latina" with "round butt", the little cartoon girl ist still there though.

The "Women" as code for "large sizes" thing always confused me, too. Near as I can tell, what thry're doing is calling "Ladies'" the default for female clothing and then using "Women's" for larger females.

I am also a white young women with the supposed "Ghetto Booty." Which I would have to agree with Leah, and say that there is SO many things wrong with that phrase.
I have found that Levi's Curvy Cut jeans fit me pretty well, and let me tell ya my butt is pretty big. So for you girls looking for a pair of well fitted jeans, go try those!

i just want my pants and jeans sized like men's. give me waist/hip and length measurements. size 10 does not cut it and is more than likely too long.

I'm all for expanding the sizes and shapes of clothing. Just DON'T attribute particular shapes to ethnicities. Yes, just call it "Curvy" or something like that.

I think it's a shame that they targeted this towards ethnicity instead of body type. All the same, its probably what the marketing department found to have the best effect on sales so who knows.

I'd love a flat white-ass jean personally because my rear always seems to gather extra fabric around the cheeks that make it look even flatter than it really is :( haha

As a white girl (like, translucent glow-in-the-dark white), with wide hips and an ass to match, this whole "latina" cut thing is bullshit. I agree - "curvy" would suffice!

A sidenote on ass-stereotyping: I realized recently that its my ass-less white friend who's dating the black kid, while prodigious-backsided me has an Irish white boy (who, by the way, adores my ass). Take that, stereotypers!

There's an officially acceptable white ass. It's flat. Maybe I'm only aware of this stereotype because I don't fit it, an occasion of shame in the past.

Personally, I prefer men in tight jeans. Tight black jeans. Preferably with an electric guitar.

I'll take men in tight jeans of any color!

My butt is pretty much in the middle, and I love the fit of WESC Jeans (Eve and Tight cuts are my favorite). They do amazing things for the ass...they also have baggy cuts for women if you prefer.

Oddly enough, I just did some jeans shopping this afternoon. After a 15-pound weight loss, my newly flattened, conformingly "Caucasian" hips seem to fit into ever more brands of jeans than before.

What is NOT being discussed here is that this is also a big socioeconomic issue. Women with cash to spare can afford to buy Fidelity, or other designers that claim to cater to the "curvy" or the "bubble butt," or whatever ass stereotype you choose. Without the cash, you're stuck with whatever you can afford, which more often than not, is a size 00-20 version of the flat-assed, narrow-hipped mannequin.

Also, today I bought a size 0 for the first time. I'm 5'4". This should not be happening. Vanity sizing is out of control- and one of my friends who truly has that flat-flat lanky boyish body the world supposedly adores has more trouble shopping than almost anyone I know.

I think it's total BS. I remember there where these apple jeans that were supposed to be for the black woman's butt. They were no different. I didn't buy them I was just told. The above is just a a very clever marketing ploy.

I'm really done with jeans now anyway. I am totally for the harem look pants, those rock.

The ethnicity of my butt is gin and tonic.

I'm also going to vote no for men in tight jeans and I'm going to add in speedos as another no.

Browne

My ass is Irish. Fits the flat stereotypical white ass thing. Except in the front I have a tummy.

So it's all well and good that jeans are being cut for women with booties, but there still isn't a lot for those of us with guts. I either have to go up a size so the waist fits and having saggy ass, or getting them so they fit everywhere but the waist so I have massive muffin tops. It's special.

I'm glad that there are women who love baggy jeans. Sometimes I like them too. But I like tight-ass jeans too. I loooove skinny jeans. My sister makes fun of me b/c my family says she stole all of the booty (in reality, I think I just have a small butt, not so much a flat one, but I'm still so jealous of her big round booty), and skinny jeans let me play up a shape that I wish I had more of. I like to play with shape. I like straight-leg jeans and boot-cut and flares, but I almost always have them tight through the butt and thighs. So, super for you that you opted out, but I like fashion and clothes, and it's not b/c I think I "have" to wear them. I went through a phase wear I wore pants that were really loose and slung them suuuper low around my hips with a giant studded belt and let the tops of my boy shorts show at the top with a baby tee. That was b/c I liked how it looked. Now I really like layering tunics over tight pants with really high heels. My tastes change.

I despise nothing more than shopping for jeans...

When they fit in the hips they have a tendency to be too tight in the front (pushing on my stomach) and gap horribly in the back... If I find something to fit my waist it is so tight in the hips, butt and thighs that at scratches and chafes... I normally just say f*ck it and go get a pair of mens jeans, they may be big in the waist but at least is evenly big all the way around letting a belt be comfortable.

And don't even get me started on shirts, I haven't had a button up shirt since I was 16 (am 25 now). Finally found a company that makes clothes for big boobed women (www.bravissimo.com) but the exchange rate right now just doesn't work in my favor. I have two shirts from them and I cried the first time I put them on they fit so well.

"And let me tell you why since a couple of you have mentioned LB's "Right Fit" - they piss me the fuck off. They are the best jeans for my body type, but I was highly annoyed - case you can't tell - when this whole Right Fit bullshit was rolled out because they changed the sizes. So? Get remeasured or whatever. No - I am not a fucking size 4 for fuck's sake, why did they have to mess up such a good thing? On principle, I can't buy those pants, it just bothers me...I'm supposed to feel good that now I fit into a single digit jean size or something? I am not that fucking delusional."

I used to work at a Lane Bryant, and I love the right fit in theory, but it's kind of a pain in practice. Mainly because you have to measure everyone since the sizes don't line up with traditional sizes (it isn't 1=14, 2=16, 3=18, etc). WHICH IS WHY THEY CHANGED THE SIZING. It isn't to fool you into thinking you wear a different size. The space between sizes is different than in traditional sizing. Since they don't line up perfectly, the only thing to be done was rework the sizing system. And the most logical way to do it is to just go 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Not once when I was working did I meet anyone who was genuinely so stupid she thought wearing a 4 instead of an 18 made her thinner. And I met a lot of stupid people, as you do when you work retail. So sure, it's annoying to be measured and have to fool around with the fits, but you're really overreacting by actually being offended at the new sizes. I mean Christ on a cracker, if they fit and look good, who fucking cares how they're sized?

I have trouble finding jeans because my hips are only two inches wider than my waist. I have like no hips or butt period.
I would also like it if baggy jeans were an option! That's all I wore (and carpenter jeans) in junior high in the early mid-nineties. I remember the first time a girl in my school wore flared jeans. We all called them "bell-bottoms," then suddenly it's five years later and EVERYONE is wearing them.
And, off my denim-related tangents, we don't need racial profiling in advertising. Thanks.

Where have I heard this before? Oh yeah - "She's a Jewess in her Jewess Jeans..."

"I think it's a shame that they targeted this towards ethnicity instead of body type. "

I agree. But, unfortunately, sometimes, you have to give things a label to point out the fact that the there are a lot of products and services that appear to be "for everybody" but are in fact designed with one particular group in mind or to the exclusion another group.

Hair is a good example of this. Now, I have kinky curls. So when I look in the phone book, I have to find a place that will do "ethnic hair"---see, there it is again, the special label. I don't even think supercuts (at least on the west coast) will take my @$$.

But what you have to ask is why was the label necessary in the first place?

So, yeah, it's stereotyping calling them Latina jeans, but I think it can also be an eye opener.

And if we can get past our discomfort with ethnicity and body types, this could be actually kinda cool...imagine all of us different women asking for the "Latina Jeans" by name...and proudly sportin' them. I mean that right there will break down the stereotypes.

"I agree. But, unfortunately, sometimes, you have to give things a label to point out the fact that the there are a lot of products and services that appear to be "for everybody" but are in fact designed with one particular group in mind or to the exclusion another group.

Hair is a good example of this." Spike the Cat

Yeah totally. I may not have a "black" girl butt, but my hair defintely all the way literally screaming at you "I'm a black girl!!!"

With jeans I totally agree it should be body type, but with African descent type hair (most not all.) I know it's WAY different than other people's hair.

I need to know if you can do nappy, kinky hair, not curly, not ethnic, but you know can you do African hair. I think in that one case, saying the ethnicity is completely ok, it's pratically mandatory. I don't want to play games and end up bald, because someone couldn't admit they couldn't do my hair. To me I'm completely ok with Supercuts telling me, "No, I won't take your money." Because at least I know that means I won't leave out looking insane.

I'm totally for the PC language, but not when it impacts my apperance ;)

I have a story about a person who swore he could do black hair, he couldn't. I could have just killed this guy. I looked like a bloody poodle, a dead poodle, a dead matted poodle.

I mean it's not like I would have thought he was racist if he has just said, "I don't even know where to start..." I understand.

Sorry for that long diatribe, you inspired a flashback of horror Spike.

...but the pants...I don't even believe the cut of the jeans is even real.

Has anyone tried them?

Browne

I remember an incredibly funny Saturday Night Live routine. It showed two white cheerleaders doing a cheer about white flat butts. I think the guy was Will Ferrell I don't remember who the girl was.

It is true that Hispanic is not a racial characteristic. Living in Mississippi I was used to seeing darker Mexicans with more African features.

I was shocked when I moved to California that the average Mexican seems to look much more Native American. At the hotel where I worked all of the Mexicans looked very Mayan.

While there may not be a difference in body types between the races there are differences in what is generally considered to be desirable.

I am white, but my wife is black. Her brother is dating a white person and everyone in the family talks approvingly of her "black" butt.

I remember my African American teacher saying he hated people who said they don't see color differences. He would say "That's odd because I have never seen you wear one black sock and one brown sock."

Denial of cultural differences is actually a large part of prejudice. When we deny that there are different cultures it often has the effect of labeling people from other cultures as deviant and deficient.

I know it is depreciated these days tow the multi-cultural line, but if we don't acknowledge and celebrate our differences we dehumanize each other.

Join the revolution at The Bloody Flag!

Wow, thanks for all the great discussion! Even better than I hoped.

Re: feeling "obliged" to wear tight-fitting jeans. After many years of wearing baggy clothes to hide my very obviously female body, I realized that I found fitted (not tight, but fitted) clothes far more comfortable and flattering. I'm certainly not suggesting that every woman who wears baggy clothing is trying to hide her body, but for me wearing clothing that fit was a very big step in accepting my body.

All the more reason women's pants should be sold by multiple measurements, like men's pants, as I have felt for a long time and as at least one other poster has commented.

They do seem to have a "caucasian cut," it being the mainstream cut, as they're referring to the mainstream cut as an "anglo cut."

Express, Express, Express! I have thin limbs going into wide hips and a round ass, and the curvy jeans there are terrific. If I go a size up I can fit the straight-leg jeans as well. My main problem with pants in general, however, is that my muffin tops appear no matter HOW big the jeans are. I guess it's how fabric is meant to sit on hips? I dunno.

you are mistaken. white women are suppossed to have no ass at all. A friend of mine has a very large bottom and when she tells people this they say "but you're white."
everyone has a stereotype. -- Suzy

Some knucklehead friends of mine, while ogling girls, used to say "She has a great ass...

...for a white girl."

Like I said, I definitely agree that jeans should be made for a much broader range of sizes.
But why call them "Latina"? Why not call them "curvy"? -- Ann

Like most stereotypes, this one has some basis in fact. Back in 1992, a study of female college students showed that whites tended to have more (and more serious) problems with body image and self esteem than black and hispanic girls. White girls are more likely to try to starve themselves skinny, too.

I love my Lane Bryant straight (yellow) jeans. Another issue is the idea that "curvy" women or women with big butts are more sensual or sexual. This has an ugly history of stereotyping black women or Latinas as being more sexual, earthy, etc. --Suzie

Well a woman who (a) has the 3:2 hips-to-waist ratio preferred by most men and (b) is either self-confident or carefree enough to show it off is going to be construed as sexier than someone who either lacks the hips and ass or makes it a point not to show them. The fact that women in much of Africa, Latin America and the Pacific tended to wear less clothing back in more prudish times has a lot to do with it as well.

I'm really done with jeans now anyway. I am totally for the harem look pants, those rock.

What exactly are "harem look pants"?

The ethnicity of my butt is gin and tonic.
I'm also going to vote no for men in tight jeans and I'm going to add in speedos as another no. -- Browne Molyneux

I agree. Between tight jeans, speedos and ballhugger underwear, no wonder the average sperm count in men today is half what it was 50 years ago. Balls need freedom!

Although, having some difficulty in the pants area myself, love the idea of finding pants that fit my butt without cutting off circulation, I wish they would rename the jeans. Obviously, the first problem is that Latina or Hispanic is not a race. I am Puerto Rican and even in my own family, our body types vary drastically. I always like to say that the best thing about being a Hispanic woman is that I get parts from all over the world. I have my father's African genes, My grandfather's Spaniard genes, and My grandmother's Taino genes. I love it.

However, my butt is nothing like the rest of my family's. My mother is seriously lacking in the curvy department and she has no problem whatsoever wearing "white" jeans. That doesn't make her any less Hispanic than me, with my bubbly butt & thick thighs. All of my aunts in my father's side, however, have plenty of curves. That doesn't make them better Hispanics than me or my mom. We all vary in shape and size. And though I only take home about 1/6 of the jeans I try on when shopping, I wear plenty of typical "Anglo" jeans (cheap ones, might I add) that fit me just fine and accentuate my curves as much as any expensive so-called "Latina" or "Black" jeans.

I also have plenty of white friends that have more curves than I, where they find jeans, I have no idea but I am sure they do not consider themselves to be abnormal or not traditionally white. They are just a different shape. To say that all white women have no curves or that all Hispanic and Black women are extremely curvaceous is obviously not correct. I learned this in grade school: we ALL come in different shapes and sizes, with varying opinions and beliefs, it's what makes us human. HUMAN! As in, every single human being is not the same, even if you share the same ethnic background. That's like saying every woman on this blog shares the same opinions on every issue and we are all, as a unit, completely different from men. Bullshit.

Ditto on the "white girl, big butt" thing. (my ancestors were German/Croatian, if that's relevant.)

I love my curves, and I hate women's jeans. I pretty much exclusively wear men's Levis 501, because they're for whatever reason the only jeans I've found that don't gap on my waist--maybe because they're kind of lower-cut? I also wear them fitted, but not tight--there is nothing more uncomfortable than tight jeans. Even the women's Dockers I wear to work gap about 2 inches, but I belt 'em and good enough.

I've started to sew vintage patterns for myself, because so many modern women's clothes either don't fit, or are extremely unflattering for a person with a big butt. Current styles are made for people with the figures of wire hangers--not that there's anything wrong with being thin, but what flatters thin people with flat butts is not what flatters curvy people with round butts.

The Latina woman, eh? I guess they come from a magical place called LATINALAND or something.

As for me: I'm black and have a boyish build, which I love. Sadly, I'm constantly told that I have "the perfect body...if you were white." News flash: being hipless and assless doesn't make me any less black than the next woman.

"As for me: I'm black and have a boyish build, which I love. Sadly, I'm constantly told that I have "the perfect body...if you were white." News flash: being hipless and assless doesn't make me any less black than the next woman."

To Jennifer:

Um...what is the race of your significant other? The people you date and have dated, what color are they mostly? What race of men typically hit on you? You think this has nothing to do with your body type and what people assume it says about you? You are less of a black woman than the next woman.