Chilean Washing Machines

So awhile back I FINALLY got my landlord to put a washing machine in my apartment unit.  I was ecstatic, especially after having to send my laundry out to the Pronto Matic for 5.000 CLP a load...I had to be selective about what I wanted to wash (and wear!).  The washing machine is a nice used front loading kind, which I have heard are really good.  My landlord showed us how to use it, instructing me to use certain cycles as they use less water.  It seemed pretty simple...I mean how hard could it be to wash clothes?

Well apparently, it can be pretty hard.  First off, the washing machine doesn't have a very good spin cycle, so my clothes came out sopping wet.  Since then, my clothes have still come out really wet and covered in detergent (the powder kind) and I have had to run them through the wash again, which is of course not very eco-friendly.

So am I missing the boat on how to wash my clothes chilean style?

The Chilean Hugh Hefener

So today as I was flipping through channels, I came across something VERY disturbing.  On one of the music channels, a TV host was interviewing a not so attractive older "gentleman" surrounded buy scantily-clad, overly tan, dyed blond slender women wearing bunny ears.  Who could this be since it wasn't "The Hef" himself?  Well it was Ramón "Chocolito" Ortiz (I may not have the name right, that wasn't the part of the screen I was drawn to), a man who considers himself to be the Chilean Hugh Hefner.  Oh barf.

In the few minutes that I watched, all his "girlfriends" agreed that he was a gentleman and treated them very well.   Hmmmm...I guess polygamy and imposing unreal standards of beauty (ALL the women pretty much looked the same) are an excellent way to treat women, and to set example for other men and women to follow.  And even after all the work the "girlfriends" had done, they weren't even remotely attractive.  My favorite part was when one of the women was able to make her fake boobs "dance."  That is a skill that will lead her far in life.

So the five minutes (that's all I could take) of this show got me to thinking about beauty standards here in Chile.  I have noticed a lot of women  dye their hair a lighter color maybe in the hope of trying to look more anglo.  Another thing I have noticed here is that women lack curves (or should I say a butt), but that is something not within their control.  People have said to me that gringa women are unkept, or "hippie" looking, meaning they don't take time to make themselves look good and some even go to say they're fat.  Hmmm that's a far cry from the standards of beauty mentioned above, especially when it seems they've been imported from the U.S.  While at other times chilenas are what some may describe as attractive and seem not to put a lot of time into their appearance.  

So no matter how hard I try to be comfortable in my own skin, I can't help but fell self-conscious, and sometimes even more so here in Chile.  I'm taller than most chilenas (I'm 5'6" size 8) which does consequently translate to being "larger."  By all means I'm not overweight (and I don't consider myself to be) but a while ago I was out to happy hour with a mixed group of people and a chilena told me I wasn't very thin.  I was pretty bothered by her comment, especially since she was technically heavier than me.  I have dark hair (almost black), pale skin, small breasts and apparently by chilean standards am not very slender.

So where does this all leave us, living in a world where it seems women aren't good enough unless they have prescribed to these limited standards of beauty?