Absolutely Chicana

Absolutely Chicana captures in vivid colors a young woman smoking a cigarette with closed eyes and a relaxed posture. The woman is the artist herself, Judith F. Baca, dressed up as a pachuca—the iconic figure of a rebellious Mexican woman from the 1940s – ‘50s. The image derives from a photograph of Baca taken during a performance she did at the feminist art incubator the Women’s Building in Los Angeles in 1976. During the performance, Baca transformed herself into a pachuca in front of a mirror at a vanity table. Of pachucas, she notes: “… they were so prevalent in my adolescent life in Pacoima [Los Angeles] ruling the schoolyard and neighborhood. They were uncompromising, unafraid, and ‘Absolutely Chicana.’”

Baca’s performance and this later print explore issues of identity for women of Mexican descent living in the US. Originally a derogatory label, “Chicano/a” was reclaimed by some during the civil rights movements of the 1960s as a prideful term. Baca’s embodiment of a historical, self-confident Chicana type and her choice of the screenprint medium give power and visibility to an overlooked female figure in American history.