Black in Latin America

After watching the segment of Black in Latin America last week in class, I was surprised of how much African culture is a part of countries such a Brazil and Mexico. I had never really heard of the ethnic blending through the centuries creating a more mixed group of Latin American's. What really surprised me was that popular culture in Brazil, has striking similarities to that in the United States in regards to being black.For example, women in Brazil often try and straighten their hair rather than keep it how it is naturally. I'm not an expert on African Americans but I feel as if it is the same in the U.S. I know that it is a major issue that African Americans bleach their skin to make it whiter. It is sad that it has become so popular and that many celebrities do it as well (Beyonce). I found it a bit odd that even though in Latin American where the demography of people is so much more diverse, that similar social issues are popping up. Although not nearly as much "mixing" of races has been done in the United States compared to countries in Latin America, I wish that more diverse ethnic backgrounds were extremely common doing away with social issues of style of hair, or skin color.