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The Real Story of Superheroes
Dulce Pinzón
MexicoGALLERYCONVERSATION
EDITOR'S NOTE
To see more of Dulce's images from this series, please visit her web site.
The Real Story of Superheroes is a series of portraits of Mexican immigrants who live and work in the United States, while financially supporting their families and communities back home. They are the silent but powerful economic backbone of both countries.

This series seeks to pay homage to the ordinary person who without any supernatural powers, works hard for his community's survival and progress.

The project was born out of my close relationship with immigrant workers during their union struggles in America as well as out of personal nostalgia for my generation's Mexican pop iconography. The project comprises of color photographs of Mexican immigrants dressed in superhero attire.

Each photograph shows a superhero in his or her workplace and includes the person's name, the community they belong to in Mexico, how long they have worked in New York City as well as the amount of money they send back weekly to Mexico.

I hope to question the values associated with heroes and transfer them onto ordinary people in ordinary settings. After September 11th the word hero has become closely associated with people who sacrificed themselves in a national tragedy. I think it is also important to acknowledge those heroes who sacrifice a little bit of themselves every day to make a better life for themselves and for others.

I wanted to give Mexican immigrant workers a chance to participate in the creation of art as well as instill a sense of pride for the extraordinary work they do every day.

I also wanted to sensitize Americans to the presence of this incredible work force that is not only boosting the economy of both countries, but also redefining the identity and geography of the United States.

***

Cat Woman: MINERVA VALENCIA from Puebla works as a nanny in New York. She sends 400 dollars a week

Wonder Woman: MARIA LUISA ROMERO from the State of Puebla works in a Laundromat in Brooklyn New York. She sends 150 dollars a week.

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Fashion Undercover
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shaquora broadnax
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Fashion plays a major role for woman, and I think that it always will. When you go to an interview, you don't wear something you would wear to a night club, you make sure you look presentable and sophisticated enough to accomplish the job...
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