The Story of My Body

Throughout her life, Ortiz has measured herself and been measured by others physically on a scale pervaded by the media. When she is in Puerto Rico she is consistently praised for her good looks, to the point where the shop keeper goes out of his way to give her candy for being so pretty. When she moves to the United States however, she is judged by a different standard and is found to be lacking in terms of looks. This illustrates how different cultures define what is considered good-looking on different terms. Ortiz did not look any different when she moved to the United States than she had in Puerto Rico (at least not imediately, she obviously went through puberty and began to look different eventually) but she was judged to be far less attractive in the United States. This is epitomized by her statement at the very begining of the piece - in Puerto Rico she was considered "white", in the United States she is considered "brown".