Instead, like other kids in Oaxaca, one of the poorest states in Mexico, she took on the responsibility of financially contributing to her family from an early age. While she was in elementary school, she sold toys and clothes in the streets with her family. Growing up, she empowered herself by talking openly about the color of her skin, taking it as a point of pride when people on the street said, "¡Hola morenita!" — a common greeting that's meant to be endearing, although it translates to the brash-sounding, "Hi, dark-skinned one."