Chonga

Chonga is a Spanish-derived term used especially in South Florida, often to indicate a working-class, sexualized, aggressive, and emotionally expressive young woman.

Chongas are also a distinct subculture, believed to have developed in Miami in the late 20th century. Members are typically young, working-class Latina women. In South Florida the term is usually considered a pejorative, though some young women are proud to identify themselves as such. While feminist scholarship on chongas is limited, early work by gender studies scholar Jillian Hernandez has suggested that the chonga identity is an "emerging icon", and that it can be empowering for working-class women.

The intended meaning of the term "chonga" varies depending on the context in which it is used. The most specific meaning of the term denotes a member of the chonga subculture—young, usually working class and Latina women—who dress and often act in a sexualized, brash, sometimes aggressive manner. The term also has three looser meanings: as a synonym for prostitute; to refer to a woman who acts "gangsta" or in a thug like manner; and among female friends, as a jovial way to greet each other, as an alternative to "girlfriend!"

Usage of the term to refer to young women is believed to have arisen in Miami, and only became prominent in the early 21st century. The same word has long been used in Latin American countries such as Peru and Ecuador to refer to a brothel; the modern US usage of the word may be related to this, or might have arisen independently among Floridian Cuban-Americans.

"Chonga" has lexical similarities with several other Spanish terms, some of which have been in use for centuries. These include:

According to the journalist Tamara Lush, Chonga subculture may have first appeared in Miami during the 1980s. Early chongas were usually Cuban teenagers whose parents had recently immigrated to the US. In the 1990s, chongas often wore white shorts with a colored thong underneath, basketball jerseys, and fake gold jewelry. Over the years the style evolved, with for instance tight jeans becoming more popular than shorts.

21st-century chongas will often exhibit at least some of the following characteristics:

Not all chongas live up to these stereotypes; for example, sometimes women whose conduct is the most overtly sexualized will in fact be among the least interested in actual heterosexual encounters—in some cases chonga behavior is perhaps best understood as a kind of bonding between female friends.

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