The Loveliest Village

Nicole Hutchins is originally from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, but attended high school in Australia. A freshman at Auburn in 2006, this is her first time to living in the United States.
While living abroad, Nicole had a very negative perception of Americans, especially American girls. She identified Paris Hilton as an icon representative of U.S. culture and values. Apparently, the whole “girls gone wild� image strongly prevails in both Latin America and Australia. I suppose this image is almost impossible to avoid considering how much media coverage goes to the follies of women like Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan, and Brittney Spears. Nicole herself admitted that most of her perceptions on Americans came from the media, particularly from movies.

Having visited Latin America several times, I was surprised to learn that American girls have such a bad reputation with the Latin Americans. Predominantly Roman Catholic, Nicole explained how her people have much stricter rules about women’s behavior in public. Young girls enjoy going out to dance clubs, but rarely drink alcohol. Thus, they are better able to control their behavior. In Latin America, how a woman acts in public is an indication of how she wishes to be treated. It seemed to Nicole that by acting inappropriately in public, American girls give men license to treat them inappropriately.

Nicole admitted that attending school in the South has proved some of her perceptions to be inaccurate. “The girls down here [in Auburn] are not as wild as the ones in the movies,� she said. Still, Nicole does not respect the fact that American media encourages young adults to drink underage. Nicole pointed out that fewer people drink in Latin America because anyone can. Part of the reason I think America has such a problem with underage drinking is because of the age restriction. Teenagers look for ways to get attention by doing something “against the rules.� 

To improve American perceptions among Latin Americans, Nicole encourages tourists, especially, to watch their behavior in public. While she realizes that most Americans come to her country for vacation, she emphasizes the importance of “having fun the Latin American way.� At the core of any country is the desire to be respected for their way of life. If Americans want to change their negative perceptions abroad, they need to act in a way deserving of that change.

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