That’s where that word comes in again: “ghetto.” These women are no stranger to this word as it follows them if they dare to display or portray any of these descriptors. Historically, if Black and Hispanic women displayed any of these descriptors the public would scrutinize them. (It is debated whether AAVE originates from how indentured servants and African Slaves communicated or from mixing West African languages with English better known as Creolization.) HCGs use words like “period,” “sis,” “slay,” and “chile” while also gesticulating with their hands while they speak for emphasis. Almost any non-Black/Hispanic person who is an HCG speaks with either forced AAVE (African American Vernacular English), a Mexican-American Accent, or both. The most damning evidence of HCG being a caricature of these women is the way these non-Black/Hispanic women speak. ![]() These are just some origins of HCG descriptors, but ALL of them originate from Black and Hispanic women who still embrace the style to this day. Black and Latin cultures cherish hoop earrings as a transition to womanhood and women like Selena Quintanilla and Sade popularized them. Black and Latina women like Florence Griffith-Joyner and Koko of SWV pioneered wearing acrylic nails. ![]() The Chola movement, brought up from Mexican-American street culture, made laid edges popular amongst Hispanic women. Black women began slicking their edges in the 20s to conform to Eurocentric beauty standards that preferred straight over kinky hair but turned it into a symbol of black pride. Throughout history, Black and Hispanic women have both shared similar cultural fashion statements. But Black and Hispanic women commonly have all the visual descriptors I referenced earlier. The stereotype also allows any woman to fit it no matter what race they are. However, the HCG stereotype perpetuates that they are all the same and that said “same” is negative. Black and Hispanic women are diverse in the way they dress and act. The only difference is that they are not “Hot Cheeto Girls,” they are them. Let me restate that the “Hot Cheeto Girl” stereotype is a repackaged and sneaky way to insult/act like Black and Hispanic women. Girls who seemed to present themselves as soft-spoken or well-mannered would show off their “retired Hot Cheeto Girl” phase and refer to it as “embarrassing.” What did almost all these videos have in common? The caption of these videos had “#ghetto” or “#ratchet” in it. If they didn’t have the edges to pull that off, they would often draw them on with Sharpie. I also noticed a different trend. They all had varying hairstyles, from Eco-Style-slicked buns to colorful synthetic wigs. Some were women of color profiting in views for acting in this exaggerated caricature, but a good amount of these videos were White people. Some videos were POVs of women and men dressing up like HCGs and speaking like them. I searched the term “Hot Cheeto Girl” on TikTok to see what type of videos came up. He dropped the act, looked me dead in the eye, and said “it’s not that deep.” ![]() He was fully committed to this role that made all of his friends laugh. One instance occurred in school when a White boy was doing an exaggerated impression of a “Hot Cheeto Girl” and calling himself ratchet. Every other time I expressed my discomfort with the term, I was told that I was over-exaggerating. This is blatantly obvious to me, but to others, it seems to be a stretch. It is a coded stereotype for Black and Latina women. I first heard people using the term in late 2018/early 2019 and my stance has always been clear on what the background of this stereotype is. Their personality traits usually include being loud, lazy, academically inferior, and, most notably, “ghetto.” The name of this stereotype derives from these girls eating some type of hot chips like Hot Cheetos or Takis. ![]() In case you are unaware, “Hot Cheeto Girls” are girls who typically wear Thrasher tees, have laid baby hairs, long false lashes, long acrylics, hoop earrings, and typically talk with an accent. The girls at my table discussed how they disliked “Hot Cheeto Girls” and how rude, disruptive, and annoying they are. I quietly observed their conversation and somewhere in the dialogue, “Hot Cheeto Girls” came up. A few months ago, I was in my school cafeteria, sitting at a table with some friends and acquaintances.
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