10 Things You Should Know Before Dating A Hispanic Woman
Hispanic ladies are some of the most beautiful and awesome women to be with, but they come with their own very specific set of Do’s and Don’ts men need to be aware of. So, if you’ve never dated a Latina before, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research beforehand.
This isn’t to say that a simple article will teach you everything you need to know to date a Hispanic girl – it won’t. Every woman has her own unique personality and specifics, after all. However, there are some very basic things that are true in most cases and that you’d really want to be aware of ahead of time. So, here are 10 things you should know before dating a Hispanic woman.
1. Yes, Hispanic women are passionate, but that doesn’t mean they like constantly being called “fiery” or “feisty”
Passion is at the heart of much of Latino culture – not just for women, but for men too, and not just when it comes to dating or relationships either. Just like some cultures tend to be more reserved and distanced, Latinos tend to be the exact opposite of that.
However, just as Latinos are passionate, they can also be passionately annoyed at constantly being called that. In many cases, Latinas especially hate being called culinary adjectives such as “spicy,” savory,” or “tasty.” In other words, if you keep calling her “spicy” all the time, she’ll eventually likely fire back at you “I’m not an enchilada, dude!”
So, does this mean that her being passionate is a taboo topic? Of course not – it’s too big of a part of life with a Latina not to talk about. However, it’s smart not to bring it up all the time. A good rule of thumb is that if she’s mentioning it in a particular moment, she wouldn’t mind you bringing it up too on that occasion.
2. She likes dressing to the nines, and she expects you to look good too
Latinas dress to impress, that’s no secret. Whether it’s for a party or just to pick you up from the station, she will be dressed as well as time has allowed her. However, what often gets left out when talking about Latinas, is that they like their partners to dress well too. That’s right – you’ll be her eye candy as much as she’ll be yours.
So, even if fashion isn’t your thing, it’s still a good idea to at least get a hang of the basics and make sure you’re not dressed too inadequately all the time. The good news is that men’s fashion is fairly straightforward, so it’s not all that complicated.
3. She isn’t either a good listener or a talker – she is both
Another myth about Hispanic women is that they talk a lot. And that’s not too incorrect – Latinos, in general, men and women alike, are more talkative than most other people. It’s just a part of their culture. However, the fact that Latinas are talkative doesn’t mean they are not good listeners too – in Latin America, as in the rest of the world, the average woman is a much better listener than the average man.
What this means for your future dating endeavors is that, just as she is a great listener and an avid talker, you’ll want to be both as well.
4. Yes, “Latin Standard Time” is a thing
Women in most cultures are often accused of “always being late.” In Latino countries, however, it’s not just the women who are often late – all Latinos just have a culture that simply doesn’t prioritize timeliness as much as others.
This LST or Latin Standard Time doesn’t mean that Latinos are tardy or unserious, however – a common cliché among many non-Latinos. Instead, it means that they prioritize doing things properly rather than doing them on time. It means that it’s better to finish the job and go late than leave the job unfinished and go on time. It means that it’s better to do your outfit and make-up properly and be late than to be on time but not dressed as well as you could have been.
So, if you’re dating a Latina, get used to her saying, “I’m almost ready,” when she clearly still needs at least 40 more minutes. Besides, after a while, you’ll start discovering the various upsides of this approach too. For example, just as they don’t mind being late themselves, they won’t mind it if you’re late too!
5. Don’t get alarmed if she introduces you to her family too soon
For Hispanic people, family is more than just a group of relatives that get together on a couple of holidays a year. This means multiple things for you, as a Latina’s date. For one, when things get serious, you can expect to have to spend a lot of time with her family. For another – you can expect her to introduce her to her family way sooner in your relationships than a non-Hispanic girl would.
This can be alarming for some men, but you usually don’t need to stress about it too much – it just means she feels good about you (and will feel even better once you get her parents’ stamp of approval).
6. Don’t be too hasty about introducing her to your own family – not unless you’re really serious about her
The reverse isn’t necessarily true, however – Latinas know that other cultures don’t rush such family introductions so much and won’t expect you to do that immediately. If or when you do, however, she will take that as a sign that you’re very serious about your relationship – this can be either a good or a bad thing, depending on whether it’s true. So, if you don’t feel ready for that step, don’t feel the need to rush it.
7. The fact that she dresses sexy doesn’t mean she enjoys being sexualized
Modern pop culture and media tend to sexualize all women. Yet, this often goes especially overboard with Latinas – not only do movies and the media frequently sexualize them, but they have also put it in many people’s heads that Latinas like to be sexualized.
This isn’t necessarily true, however. Yes, in some cases, a Hispanic woman will like feeling sexy and being told that she is. However, it’s a huge mistake that you can just sexualize her whenever you feel like it. The rule of thumb is similar to the one above – do it when she is doing it, and don’t when she isn’t.
8. Not all Latinas love to cook
If you’re expressly looking for Latin women for marriage or Latin mail order brides because Hollywood has told you that they are all excellent cooks, turn back now. Yes, many Hispanic women love to cook, but that’s far from true for all of them. So, if your Latina girl says she wants to order takeout – just go with it and don’t be pushy about a home cooked meal.
9. Latinas are very caring, but they want to be cared for too
Latin culture doesn’t just emphasize the importance of family, but also the importance of people looking after each other. This means that most Latinas are very caring about the people they love. However, it also means they expect the same of their partners. Don’t make the mistake that a Hispanic woman is a good housewife who doesn’t expect her husband to do much other than go to work – she can be a great housewife, but she will still expect a lot more than just work from you too.
10. Learning Spanish for her is cool, but not if you’re only doing it for the brownie points or for the bed talk
Learning Spanish for your Latina girlfriend is a great idea – it’s always a good thing if you can talk at least somewhat freely with her older relatives. However, if you’re doing it because you think you’ll impress her by practicing your broken Spanish on her on a date or in bed – that won’t work as well as you might think.
So, if you’re going to go through the effort, make sure you are serious about it and you do it because you do have serious long-term plans for her. Otherwise, it will come off as a joke, and Latinas don’t like others making fun of their language, culture, and heritage.