Jaina, ruca, chola, all words used to describe the female cholo. Cholas are a group of women so fierce and firme, that they have held down the fort for many Mexican-American cholos, without any sort of honor or recognition. Cholas like their Pachuca ancestors reject societal notions of femininity. Their makeup is characterized by thin, harsh lines that show their take-no-shit attitude. From the pachuca to the modern chola, these veteranas have always been at the frontlines and behind-the-scenes fighting alongside and supporting the men of the Chicano community. In contemporary media and sometimes at the local Halloween party, you'll see a white preppy couple dressed as a cholo and his jaina. To them, it is a costume, but for the people in Los Angeles that live this truth, it is not a costume. Characterized by a life of poverty and the constant threat of assimilation and gentrification, the Los Angeles cholos are a symbol of generations of Chicano pride despite their history of gang affiliation.
La Jaina
The Chola Style
Cholas were the pioneers of menswear for women. Like their male counterparts, they donned the baggy Dickies work pants, the Pendletons, and the Nike Cortez shoes. But they emphasized their femininity in a bold and audacious way. Under the Pendletons, they wore crop tops and cinched their Dickies with belts that would accentuate their waists. Their makeup and accessories were sharp and adventurous. They wore big gold hoops, and their lip liner was the same dark color as their brows. The chola style was in summation, a resistance style. By dressing like the men, they proved that they could be the wives, mothers, sisters that contributed to the culture, but they also refused to be the girly-girl that assimilated with white and machista culture. Now, many Chicana women do their makeup with a callback to the chola makeup style. This is their way of honoring and forming pride in their Latinidad.