- 8 hours ago
Hailey explores identity politics in Bolivia as exemplified by the rise of the indigenous cholita class and the used clothes trade.
This episode of States of Undress first aired in 2017.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
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https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
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This episode of States of Undress first aired in 2017.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Streets Of The Congo Turned-Fashion Show
https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
Is Style An Act Of Bravery In Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
Fashion Defined By Borders In Palestine
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Follow Somos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29somos/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:09So we're on our way to the furniture store to buy a gift and there's just this parade going on.
00:21Oh my god.
00:24This is a beautiful thing. I'm going to give the bride and groom for their wedding.
00:29A love seat for two.
01:06It's Saturday night in El Alto and I'm crashing a somewhat traditional Bolivian wedding.
01:12The ceremony begins with a gift giving, followed by the chugging of beers, not forgetting to pay respects to Pachamama,
01:19the goddess of earth, time and fertility, followed by dancing and more beer.
01:25My guide on this journey is Glenda Llanes, a fashion designer and like the married couple we came to see,
01:31Glenda is Aymaren, Bolivia's majority indigenous population.
01:45I'm in Bolivia to attend the Iconoclast fashion show, where Glenda will be showing her first ever collection.
01:52Her designs are based on the indigenous dress known as pollera. Glenda also runs one of the country's first indigenous
02:01modeling schools that teaches Aymara women how to properly dress in the traditional style known as cholera.
02:08Durante esa época, el pueblo sufrió mucho, no? No dejaban, les han impuesto algunas vestimentas, pero ellos han hecho que
02:21esas vestimentas se adapten también a lo que éramos como pueblo.
02:25Y ahora nosotros estamos tratando de hacer ver esto al mundo.
02:31Commonly identified by the pollera skirt with a bowler hat and a shawl, this fashion phenomenon goes back to the
02:37Spanish colonizers,
02:39who imposed a pseudo-European style of dress on indigenous Bolivians in an attempt to civilize them.
02:46The iconic Cholita style evolved out of indigenous women adapting this look to fit their own more colorful aesthetic.
02:55Until recently, the word Cholita was a derogatory term used for poor indigenous women.
03:01Cholita women were even banned from certain restaurants and from using public transportation.
03:23And now that you guys have taken to wearing it, do you feel discrimination when you wear it?
03:28No, ya no se siente. Ya no.
03:30Yo creo que eso ha avanzado más ya, digamos, como país también, porque desde el mismo estado no todos somos
03:36iguales.
03:37Y incluso ya en la gobernación existen ministras de pollera.
03:47Las pantorrillas.
03:48Las pantorrillas.
03:49Las pantorrillas.
03:49Okay.
03:52Is this, like, really scandalous, what you're doing right now?
03:54Yes.
03:55Yes.
03:59So, from the shirt, they say,
04:02...
04:03...
04:04...
04:04...
04:05...
04:06...
04:06...
04:06...
04:07Yeah, but I told you if you're a tricky guy, you're just like...
04:15Additions like the bowler hat arrived from Europe in the 1920s, intended for railroad workers, but were apparently the wrong
04:22size and color.
04:23Somehow they ended up in the hands of the Cholita women, who have been wearing these precariously placed items ever
04:29since.
04:30Nowadays, the bowler hat is the crown jewel of the Cholita outfit, and can often be the most expensive part
04:37of the ensemble.
04:38Is it common for Cholitas to model?
05:04Glenda is preparing her designs for the Iconoclast Fashion Show, a government-sponsored event showcasing designers hailing from all across
05:12Bolivia.
05:15Glenda is one of only two designers representing indigenous fashion.
05:25Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:29Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:33Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:35Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:39Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:40Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:43Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:48Glenda is one of the most expensive ones.
05:54This indigenous fashion is only now being widely accepted, which is surprising considering
05:59over half of Bolivia's population identifies as indigenous.
06:04The largest percentage in all of Latin America.
06:08Despite this majority, they have for centuries been the downtrodden and the disenfranchised.
06:13Ruled over by the Incas, then the Spaniards, and eventually by their descendants, the Mestizo
06:19class, the indigenous people have never had the opportunity to rule themselves.
06:25That is until this man.
06:30Evo Morales is Bolivia's first indigenous president.
06:34Since taking office, he's used his cultural heritage to rally support from across the
06:39country as the underdog that would fight for the rights of the indigenous people.
06:44And compared to his predecessors, Evo has made a point to dress in stark contrast to what
06:49Bolivia is used to seeing in their president.
06:52I'm about to go in to meet Cierrico, who is Evo's tailor.
06:56And clothes have been extremely important to Evo in terms of pronouncing his indigeneity.
07:01And Cierrico has been instrumental in sort of cultivating that image.
07:05He's also making me a coat, which I'm very excited to try on.
07:10There were people, the state leaders, the president, the politicians, the politicians, the
07:17businessmen.
07:18Currently, the president, no?
07:20That's my creation.
07:25Let's see.
07:25Yeah.
07:38Do you feel that Evo uses the suits that you make for him as a way to reinforce his political
07:44message of promoting indigeneity?
08:01And how did Evo dress before you started dressing him?
08:23I heard you play the guitar.
08:24Do you have your guitar here?
08:25Yeah.
08:26A ver si podemos hacer algo.
08:28Oh, yeah.
08:29Nice move.
08:39The usherance of indigenous pride has become a new form of nationalism, what Evo calls a
08:46dignified Bolivia.
08:48The flag of the indigenous people, the Andes, the Wipala, now serves as the nation's dual
08:54flag.
08:55While Bolivia remains one of the poorest countries in South America, the economic policies that
09:01Evo has put into place have been focused on the indigenous class, who have seen rapid economic
09:07growth.
09:08And as more indigenous Bolivians are coming out of poverty, they're exhibiting their growing
09:14wealth.
09:15Nowhere is this more apparent than in the buildings of Aymaran architect Freddy Mamani.
09:21Mamani's buildings can be seen all over El Alto, Bolivia's second largest city.
09:26Located next to La Paz, and with three quarters of the population Aymaran, El Alto represents
09:32Evo's cultural and political base.
09:35Hola, Freddy.
09:36Hola.
09:36So nice to meet you.
09:38Bienvenida.
09:41Oh, my God.
09:43Buen día.
09:44This is insane.
09:47Mi fuerte es las iconografías andinas de Tiahuanaco.
09:50Y luego los colores de los textiles, de los aguayos, de los ponchos, de los chulos,
09:57de las chupas que llevamos, de las fajas, todo eso.
10:00How has Evo's presidency allowed you to pursue this kind of work?
10:04Mira, justamente yo he empezado el 2002.
10:08Y el 2003 ha habido la guerra del gas en el alto, con más de 67 muertos y más de
10:14400 heridos.
10:16Before Evo took power and nationalized Bolivia's vast natural gas resources, a series of protests
10:23over gas exploitation, known as the gas war, rocked the country.
10:28Indigenous miners and laborers took to the streets in violent clashes over privatization.
10:34Martial law was then declared in El Alto.
10:37Right.
10:38Cuando nosotros construimos ahí, ha habido matanza justo en la calle donde construíamos.
10:42Entonces, a mí me ha dado bronca, me ha dado rabia.
10:46¿Hasta cuándo vamos a estar humillados, no? De esa manera.
10:51Entonces, ha sido como una expresión, como una reivindicación social, económica, cultural,
10:58a través de la arquitectura, de la llegada de Evo Morales, porque la economía ha mejorado bastante.
11:05Right.
11:06Entonces, ha habido el boom de la construcción en El Alto, incluso en todo el país.
11:10Right.
11:10Entonces, ha sido una oportunidad también, digamos, quizás una coincidencia de que yo haya innovado
11:16esta nueva tendencia arquitectónica y el presidente justamente ha llegado en el mismo año.
11:20Y ha sido un...
11:22Ahí.
11:22Right place, right time.
11:24Y empezamos así.
11:34Credited with inventing new Andean architecture,
11:38his buildings stand out amongst their modest concrete surroundings
11:41as a symbol of Bolivia's emerging middle class.
11:55I mean, this is, like, one of the most striking places I've ever been in my life.
12:00Did you always want to be an architect?
12:02Yo he visto que hacía una falta, digamos, de este tipo de arquitectura,
12:09acá en la Ciudad del Alto.
12:11A toda esa masa, a toda esa población, le faltaba una identidad arquitectónica.
12:17Hacemos casi obras de arte, digamos, donde resaltan y es una identidad, una identidad boliviana.
12:25This cultural renaissance in Bolivia has influenced pop culture in some pretty dramatic ways.
12:41Indigenous Imaran culture is becoming more visible throughout Bolivia in fashion and architecture.
12:47What was once looked down upon is now accepted as mainstream.
12:51Despite being the majority of the population, for decades,
12:55indigenous Bolivians have been getting their news from mestizo anchors that look like this.
13:02But Bertha Acarapi is one of the first anchors in Bolivia to proudly wear her pollera on air.
13:08The Chief of the District of Tarin announced that there will be an investigation
13:12to determine the causes that caused the incendio in this market.
13:20We're going to go with a few, right?
13:21Yes, we're going to go with a few.
13:23We're going to go with a few.
13:24We're going to go with a few.
13:26We're going to go with a few.
13:32We're going to go with a few.
13:32We're going to go with a few.
13:33And you can see how bad and bad they have, right?
13:37We have news that you don't want to give them.
13:41There are news that you don't want to give them, right?
13:42In case, a woman's husband died in the hands of his family.
13:47Another case of feminicide…
13:48So, it's news that they're painless.
13:50How have you been received by the public?
13:52Muy bien, porque mucha gente, mujeres de pollera,
13:59las mujeres indígenas, inmediatamente se han identificado conmigo.
14:03Cuando me encuentro con la gente en la calle, me dicen,
14:06qué bien, te he visto, estabas reflejando,
14:08lo que realmente nos hace falta en la ciudad de El Alto.
14:12Entonces, me recibe muy bien.
14:20¿Cuándo empezaste a hacer este trabajo,
14:22¿crees que hay mucha presencia para cambiar la forma de vestir
14:25para acomodar lo que normalmente son los newscasters?
14:29Hace muchos años, sí.
14:31Ya el proceso de cambio que se ha venido de hace muchos años
14:33nos ha permitido y nos ha dado oportunidad a las mujeres de pollera
14:37que ocupemos espacios muy importantes.
14:39Y ahora, ¿no?
14:40Yo que estoy en un medio de comunicación, pues me siento muy orgullosa.
14:43No te digo, caramba.
14:46From the news to politics, Cholita women
14:49are now taking on prominent roles throughout society,
14:53in all arenas.
15:07Lucha libre culture is huge here in Bolivia.
15:10And although the sport is technically a Mexican import,
15:14the inclusion of the Cholita wrestler
15:16is entirely unique to this country.
15:21Donning a pollera and braids, Carmen Rosa
15:24is one of Bolivia's most famous lucha libre wrestlers.
15:48So I ran outside to see if I could catch Carmen to speak to her after her fight.
15:52She's just passed out in this cab.
15:55She looks like she's feeling pretty rough.
15:58I think the image of a man sort of holding a chain around Carmen Rosa's neck
16:02while she's in Pollera was really striking.
16:06And for all these young kids to be seeing this at a really young age,
16:11it seems, um, I'm not really sure what the effects of it are.
16:18How are you feeling?
16:21Can I ask how old you are?
16:25Damn!
16:27And how long have you been doing this for?
16:34That was a long time.
16:36What's your best move?
16:37Mine is grab, twist, pull.
16:39Wow.
16:40Okay.
16:44Oh, my God.
16:46Oh, my God.
16:48Ow.
16:53That's hard.
16:55Carmen!
16:56Oh, no, no, no.
16:57I'm scared.
16:58Oh, my God!
17:02And then you flip me over onto the concrete,
17:05and my head cracks open.
17:06I was surprised how young the crowd is here.
17:10Do you think it's bad for them to see this kind of violence
17:13at such a young age?
17:30Even as some Aymara women have gained social recognition,
17:33Bolivia has the worst domestic abuse rate in all of South America.
17:3890% of women in Bolivia say that they've experienced violence
17:43at some point in their life.
17:45And 53% experience violence at the hands of their partner.
17:50Although Evo's government has passed laws that protect the rights of women,
17:54experts attribute this domestic violence to a culture of machismo.
18:01I know that many mothers of children suffer from the men's abuse.
18:08So they must tell them that I want my mom to know how to fight
18:13so that when my dad is attacking them, they defend themselves.
18:20When women in your community look at you, what do you think that they see?
18:25A example.
18:26They always tell me she hugs me,
18:29and she say,
18:30Carmen, you're a example.
18:32Congratulations!
18:33Follow
18:33the support.
18:52Just as Carmen has fought her way to the top of the Lucha Libre scene,
18:56it's women who run one of Bolivia's most unusual black markets.
19:10We are in the highest capital city in the entire world, and I have to say the altitude
19:16is really gnarly here.
19:18It makes you feel like you have a constant hangover.
19:21Anyway, my man Freddy here, who's our lovely driver, he has one of the local cures that
19:27he's going to help me partake in, which is the coca leaf.
19:38And this isn't illegal?
19:46Yeah.
19:50Okay, I'll hold that, I'll hold it.
19:52Okay, yeah.
19:55It's sugar?
19:56Yeah.
19:56Or is it cocaine?
19:57I'm scared.
19:57I know.
20:02For decades, Bolivia was wrapped up in the US-led war on drugs.
20:07In an attempt to stem the flow of cocaine from South America, the initiative targeted one
20:12of Bolivia's biggest and most beloved crops, the coca leaf.
20:17Bolivians are in love with the coca.
20:20It's deeply rooted in the culture and has been cultivated for centuries as traditional
20:25medicine.
20:26But it can also be used to make cocaine.
20:30Violent clashes ripped through the countryside as government armed forces backed by the DEA
20:36destroyed the plant and the livelihoods of entire villages throughout the country.
20:40Evo Morales, who actually came from a family of coca farmers, rose to power as the leader
20:46of the coca union as a result of these actions.
20:54And later started the political party MAS, the movement towards socialism.
20:59The party ran on the platform of anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, and you guessed it, pro-coca.
21:07When Evo won the presidency in 2006, he expelled the DEA to protect coca farmers.
21:14As a result, the US government retaliated by cutting off trade deals, sparking another
21:19kind of illegal trade that's accounting for millions of dollars of black market contraband.
21:39That's right, the government banned used clothing.
21:44Evo argued that Bolivian dignity was at stake by wearing America's cast-offs, and government
21:50reports surfaced suggesting that the clothes being brought in were a threat to national health.
21:56And just as America had gone to war with drugs, Bolivia went to war with broken-in khakis.
22:03We will continue working on the policy, because there is a political will of our government to reduce the counterbalance.
22:08We have some strong commitments, which are the ropes used.
22:11Not only 2 million 486.000 fardos of the ropes used to be taxed.
22:17We have also taken over 1.000 miles of cars.
22:40I'm meeting one of the big fish smugglers on a road just outside of La Paz.
22:46It feels like sort of strange to be meeting with a smuggler in a country like Bolivia who
22:53smuggles clothing and not drugs.
22:56Because importing secondhand clothing is illegal, he has asked for his identity to be concealed.
23:11What is your understanding of Evo's reason for making this illegal?
23:39And so, in an effort to keep cheap, high-quality clothes from competing with the Bolivian
23:45textile industry, an industry that had gone bankrupt after Evo cut ties with the US.
23:50An unintentional black market was created.
23:54A market estimated to be a $40 million industry employing tens of thousands of people.
24:19Elisabeth Verestegui has built an empire on the secondhand clothing trade. She deals in used clothes, owns a boutique dress
24:27shop, and despite it being an illegal enterprise,
24:29represents a used clothes worker's union.
24:35This is where you first started?
24:41And why did you start selling clothes here?
24:44And why did you start selling clothes here?
24:58And why did you start selling clothes?
25:00And why did you start selling clothes here?
25:04Yeah.
25:08I worked with my children, small children.
25:12And thanks to this, I came to the end.
25:36Tomorrow, Elizabeth is taking me to the drop point for this contraband.
25:55With the fashion show days away, Glenda is taking me to the biggest polloa market to pick up some finishing
26:01touches for her collection.
26:03Okay, so where are we?
26:15This is where you buy all of your fabrics for your designs.
26:27That one looks huge, no?
26:34Should I take it for a spin?
26:36An actual spin.
26:39Good?
26:39Yeah, this is nice, I think.
26:42All right, part one.
26:43Enough.
26:43Enough.
26:47The polloa outfit with all of the layers and accessories is a pretty big commitment.
26:52The petticoats, the hat, the shoes, hair extensions, it all starts to add up.
26:57This is really complicated.
26:59How much?
26:59The full outfit can cost up to $2,500.
27:03And that's not even including jewelry.
27:05How much are these?
27:06In fact, Bolivian-made textiles in general are kind of a luxury, making Evo's policy of buying Bolivian a hard
27:14thing to swallow.
27:14I think, like, kind of...
27:18What do you call that in Spanish?
27:30Mierda.
27:33Although the fortunes of some have improved under Evo, Bolivia remains one of the poorest countries on the continent.
27:40So when a new Bolivian-made shirt costs over three times that of a used American one, the choice to
27:47buy used clothing is not only a more attractive option, but a necessary one for many Bolivians.
27:54I'm on my way back to El Alto to visit an open-air market that is the drop point where
27:59bales of secondhand clothing arrive after being smuggled in from neighboring countries.
28:04El Alto is an important base for Evo because it's made up of a majority indigenous population.
28:11Ironically, Evo's ban on secondhand clothing affects the very people that keep him in power.
28:18I'm meeting with Elizabeth from last night.
28:21She's agreed to show me around to give me a better understanding of the scope of this trade.
28:26It's the largest trade in Bolivia and South America.
28:39Wow, it's really soft.
28:42Yeah.
28:42It's the most fine to tie.
28:45It's the largest trade here.
28:48While some of this market is totally legal, it doesn't take much to find illegal used clothes for sale out
28:54in the open.
28:56Elizabeth is taking me to one of her most trusted dealers, Miss Teresa.
29:01She runs a section of this market.
29:04Before they used boats.
29:07And thanks to the second hand clothes, these things have been lost.
29:12Secondhand clothing, which is intended as aid for bordering countries, is sold to smugglers in giant bundles and then taken
29:19across the border to be sold at markets like this.
29:23And here's one now.
29:25Some of the good stuff.
29:27100% pure, uncut American sweatpants.
29:32Has the government ever come into a market like this and tried to shut it down?
29:45Despite the fact that it's illegal, the used clothes trade is a thriving industry in a country where jobs are
29:52scarce.
29:52Leaving Evo caught between his political ideology and the economic reality here in Bolivia.
29:58And markets like these are popular with everyone in Bolivia.
30:02Even wealthier people from La Paz who travel here looking for a good deal.
30:11Alejandra is a mestizo, middle class Bolivian who comes to this market every month to shop.
30:17And how much is this?
30:18To see if he takes it or not.
30:20Yes, it's 190, 120.
30:22Yes, I think it's a lot.
30:24It's okay, it's okay.
30:27Just why?
30:28Because we really hear her?
30:31No, no, no.
30:32No, no, no.
30:33No, no.
30:33No, no, no.
30:33No, no, no.
30:33No, no, no, no.
30:34No, no, no.
30:35No, no, no.
30:43And I hope you bring the Bible back home.
30:45No only to me but also to you.
30:55And when did that start happening?
30:56Desde que surgió, se sintió mucho ya esa agresividad, pero también como que los blancos
31:02en un principio también eran fascistas. Fue como que estamos ahora nosotros sientan lo que se sentía.
31:09El gobierno intenta gobernar solo para los indígenas. Este es un gobierno de la confrontación, de la división.
31:18For hundreds of years, indigenous people have been treated like second-class citizens and ruled over by the mestizo class.
31:26But now that the tables have turned, many mestizos in Bolivia feel alienated.
31:32This idea of reverse racism is really interesting, and I was wondering where the places you feel the most are.
31:38El racismo al inverso es un fenómeno que se ha venido dando en este país muy fuertemente a partir del
31:44gobierno del presidente Evo Morales.
31:46Optó por vengarse de las clases y de los grupos que lo tenían marginado en la política previamente.
31:56Yo me he sentido muchas veces discriminado como persona de test blanca boliviano.
32:02Es decir, se le ha agregado un elemento más al racismo en vez de erradicarlo.
32:12Since I've been here, the one thing that is just impossible to ignore is this Evo graffiti that is everywhere.
32:19It's very Big Brother-y and it's everywhere you look, it says Evo, Evo, Si, Si.
32:23And then some people have come across and said no over it.
32:52The referendum was an attempt by Evo to change the constitution in order to run for a fourth term in
32:592019.
33:01The results reflected a divide in the country, and Evo ultimately lost by a slight margin.
33:09We feel that the new generations of Bolivians have a new hope
33:15beyond what was becoming, somehow, in a dictatorship.
33:32Guys, I'm on Lake Titicaca.
33:36This has been a lifelong dream of mine.
33:38And if you are a fan of Evo's and Butthead, you also love Titicaca.
33:46The time has come for Glenda's fashion show, and she's asked me to walk in it.
33:54At an elevation of over 12,000 feet, the Ministry of Culture chose Lake Titicaca to host the
34:01iconoclast fashion show.
34:06It's early morning here on Lake Titicaca, and I have to say it's sort of eerily quiet.
34:13So, I'm a little bit confused as to who's coming to this fashion show, where the models
34:18are, where it's going to happen, but Glenda has been working all night to finish her collection.
34:23So, I'm going to meet her right now to try on my look.
34:28So, what do we start with?
34:39I don't know if these walls are open anymore.
34:49Oh, good to hear it pop.
34:55Hello, I'm Hailey.
34:58All right, let's get you into your looks.
35:03Where are you guys from?
35:05I'm from Santa Cruz.
35:06Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
35:08Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
35:09Oh, okay.
35:10Have you ever worn something like this?
35:16Nunca.
35:17How does it feel?
35:18How does it feel?
35:19Raro.
35:22It seems like you're vibing with this outfit.
35:47It seems like none of these models are the Mayra.
35:54And this is all their first time in a foyer, which seems to be a little strange considering
36:01this fashion show that is being put on by the Ministry of Culture.
36:11I noticed that none of the models that you're using today are Toledo.
36:17When I entered the event, I asked myself how the models are going to be, and if I could
36:27use other types of models.
36:28And they told me that I had to use the models of the event.
36:58I'm really nervous about this plank situation over here.
37:01This is, like, terrifying to me.
37:03This white car here still seems to be a problem.
37:06They're going to have to tow it, I think.
37:12We've got to get this car out of the way.
37:14It's 1.30.
37:15The show is supposed to start at 12.
37:18I think it's going to start at 2 now, but we will see.
37:49And finally, four hours late, the show starts.
37:59As the sun sets, the fashion show continues.
38:03Western designs covering slim, mestizo models seem to make up most of the fashion show's
38:09line-up, which may not be a surprise considering the show's organizers are from Santa Cruz.
38:15I'm a little bit nervous to go on the runway to be in front of all these local women in
38:19their garb, looking like a dumb white person.
38:23Halfway through the show, the organizers tell Glenda that they're moving her to the last
38:27slot of the day.
38:29As models became available, we were finally allowed to get dressed, and for Glenda to start
38:33preparing her show.
38:45None of us are ready because they give us no space and no time to change all these models.
38:49We don't have earrings or hats or anything.
38:53The sun is going down, it's freezing, the crowd has left.
39:07Four hours late, and with the sun already down, Glenda prepares to send her models out into
39:13the dark.
39:26As a f*** you to the organizers, Glenda sneaks in some of her Cholita friends from her modeling
39:32school.
39:33But it feels like too little, too late.
39:50How are you feeling?
39:51How do you feel?
39:53How are you feeling?
40:18Oh yeah, and on top of everything, today is Glenda's birthday.
40:28It's unclear whether the fashion show debacle had been an act of discrimination or just
40:33run-of-the-mill incompetence.
40:35I'm on my way to Glenda's home to discuss it further.
40:55How did you find your mom's fashion show the other day?
40:58Well, it was very interesting for the colors I used and creativity, too.
41:04There were some problems, but it was very beautiful.
41:07How are you feeling?
41:17Do you think that when you're older that you'll wear the pollera?
41:20Yes, I think so, because my mom has a fraternity.
41:26My grandmother suffered from being a pollera, right?
41:29When I went to the minibus, this girl that comes with her hair, and things like that.
41:36I admired my grandmother a lot.
41:39She was a very working woman.
41:49Do you think that your grandmother could have imagined a world like this?
41:53I think that she would have liked to be right now, in all this movement that has been created
42:03with a vision of indigenous people.
42:15The Aymara, even before the colony, we were rich, right?
42:24From the invasion of the Spanish, we have made us a promise
42:28that we don't have the freedom of express ourselves.
42:34We have always tried to be there like cutting the voice,
42:43like not having the right to expose what we have.
42:49But since the arrival of President Evo Morales has changed a lot.
42:56The society, the culture aymara,
42:58even the different ethnicities that exist in Bolivia are already expressed.
43:12So initially when I came here,
43:14I thought that I was going to walk into a very united country.
43:20And what I found is that although Evo's policies have been very successful in some ways,
43:27it's also been really divisive.
43:30And it cannot be argued that he has done incredible things in an extremely short space of time
43:35for the indigenous people here.
43:37And I think in some ways the scales have tipped to the point of no return
43:40and that no matter who comes into office next,
43:43the pride and the recognition that he has given the indigenous people here
43:47cannot be taken away from them.
43:57These are natives who are coming a little bit whose vul the air is coming a little bit up.
44:01And they are straight out.
44:01So today I really want to try to remind her.
44:01It's a very powerful message that can be made from this exercise.
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