The Common Latina

Introduction

I used to think that the representations seen in popular culture artifacts were harmless and sometimes even comical- overlooking the consequences that it can have. However, I now realize that these images do not only serve as entertainment but they, often, serve as reinforcements for stereotypes as they create a lack of representation and misrepresentation. I was able to reflect on the influence that popular culture has on societal views when analyzing one of my identities, being a Latina.

When Latina women are represented in Popular Culture they often fall under three recurring characteristics: feisty, sex-pots, and maids. These women are sexualized based on their physical appearance and often labeled hot-heads because of their fiery attitude. They are also commonly placed in jobs- such as a maid or hairdresser- associated with this group. Overall, Latina women are portrayed through exaggerated stereotypes as a result of tropicalization. In order to further explore the representation of Latina women in Popular Culture, I have decided to explore the following television shows: Modern Family, Ugly Betty, and Devious Maids.

Now let’s take a look at the television shows with Latina characters.

Modern Family

The first artifact to be analyzed is the popular television series, Modern Family. Many of the characters in Modern Family exhibit extreme traits that are highlighted throughout the show, most noticeably, Sofia Vergara’s Latin character, Gloria.  Modern Family’s representation of Gloria encompasses various features associated with Latina women: accent, residency status (immigrant), feisty, and oversexualized appearance.

Gloria was born in Colombia and often talks about the village she lived in before she met her husband, Jay; a place she repeatedly states is crime-ridden and drug-ridden. For this reason, she is often depicted as loud, feisty, and fearless. For instance, Gloria’s voice is even mistaken to be a parrot because it is loud and repetitive (nagging). Her feisty attitude is seen in many cases when she threatens other characters in the show and through her temper. One of the most noticeable traits associated with her ethnic background is her thick accent, sometimes making it difficult to understand what she is saying. In most episodes, her accent leads to several mispronunciations and misunderstandings between her and other characters in the show, resulting in satirical jokes.

Nevertheless, Gloria is illustrated as a sex-pot in almost every episode through her high heels and extravagant attire. Regardless of the episodes’ theme, it was uncommon to see Gloria wearing loose or conservative clothing. Instead, her body was often complimented through tight and revealing clothes. Even though she’s is also represented as a strong-minded woman, because of all the other characteristics she is often not taken seriously.

Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty is centered around America Ferrera’s character, Betty Suarez. Unlike most Latina women who are represented in films and television shows, Betty does not share the same [ideal] physical attractiveness as the other characters analyzed, such as the Devious Maid cast and Gloria. The characters in the show, most importantly Betty, illustrate the other side of the Latino identity. In other words, Betty Suarez is not the common Latina stereotype; she does not have an accent nor is she a sex-pot or a maid. Instead, her character is illustrated as a hardworking, successful, and job-oriented woman- as well as struggling to speak or understand Spanish. For this reason, Ugly Betty serves as an exception for the common portrayals of Latina women, “Betty is a fish out of water because her Latino background makes her an outsider in mainstream Anglo society, and because she is too “Americanized” to function properly in her traditional world” (Avila-Saavedra, 2010). Even more so, the show emphasizes on her looks as it is constantly criticized and held under a negative light by her co-workers, which illustrates her as an exception from the common Latina (body) expectation. Although America Ferrera’s character is shown in a more positive light, her sister, Hilda, continues to be misrepresented as the traditional Latina- a single mother without a job and emphasizes on her looks. In summary, the show illustrates the possibility of a new U.S.-Latino identity for Latina women through the values of  Betty’s character and the desire for cultural assimilation.

Devious Maids

This brings us to the third and final artifact. Devious Maids focuses on the lives of four Latina women who happen to work as maids for wealthy families and individuals. The comedy-drama and mystery series begins with a compelling scene that is intended to reel in the audience. This scene is compromised by a maid and another female, who is most likely her employer, stating that if the maid does not stop seducing her husband- indicating that its the maid’s fault- she will get her deported. Not only does this indicate that she is an immigrant but that she is a seductress. Her ethnicity is identified as Hispanic when the employer tells the maid (in Spanish) “comprende?” or in English “understand?”. Furthermore, this scene illustrates the power struggle between the maid and the employer. It is also equally important to note that half of the women have an accent and, incidentally, half of them are also immigrants. In addition, the most noticeable trait that differs from common representations of maids is their shared similar physical characteristics. They all have the same skin-tone, voluptuous brunette hair, and were often placed in revealing clothes that typical maids would not wear.

Digging Deeper

These popular images of Latina women can be tied to tropicalization. For instance, tropicalization and exoticism cause Latina women to be associated with images that illustrate them with curvaceous bodies, voluptuous hair, and seductive clothing (Martynuska, 2016). This contributes to the expectations held on Latina’s and the way they present themselves in popular culture and in person.  For this reason, Latina’s are not commonly portrayed as educated or professional women but instead, they are seen as maids or seductresses in popular culture. In the case of Devious Maids, not only do their main characters contribute to the portrayal of Latinas but so do the employers; often calling the maids spicy and the help. Consequently, many viewers criticize the show because of this representation, “Part of the criticism is the frustration that Hispanics don’t have more characters on television that represent them as nurses, doctors, and lawyers.” (Rodriguez, 2013). That is why Ugly Betty is seen in a more positive light than the rest of the shows because of the diversity of her character and job.

In regards to the sexpot ideal, the Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity- which assesses the inclusion of minority groups seen on screen and behind the camera, from 2014 to 2015-  found that Latina women were often represented in sexualized attire and had more nudity scenes when compared to other races/ethnicity (Smith, Choueiti, & Pieper, 2016). The report also revealed the proportion of Latino actors who had speaking roles, where Latina women were fairly represented (37.9%) but Latino men faired the least out of all the ethnicities and races (62.1%). However, although Hispanics comprise 17.1% of the population, only 4.9% of Latinos had speaking roles in films. The findings illustrate that Latina women’s sexuality is often highlighted in films that places them into a homogenous stereotype in regards to their femininity and physique. Thus, the notion that Latina women have a certain sex appeal or “look” becomes a key feature of their identity.

Conclusion

Popular culture is a big part of our lives, impacting the way we think, behave, and construct our opinions about others. These popular beliefs and attitudes can reach out to a wide range of communities through different platforms: television shows, movies, magazines, music videos, etc. As a result, people are grouped together and seen through specific lenses because of the way they are represented in the media.

The research illustrates that Latina women are stereotyped according to their body, femininity, and attitude. Consequently, they are represented as sex-pots, hot-heads, and maids because of tropicalization and popular culture. In other words, this causes individuals to be represented a certain way because of their cultural background and preconceived notions.  The notions, then, create unrealistic expectations for society including Latina women. I believe these images limit the way Latina’s view themselves- including me. In order to prevent these negative portrayals, it is important to create more diverse roles for Latina women and, in general, other groups.

“The problem isn’t in the awards. It’s not a Golden Globes problem, it’s not an award ceremony problem. It’s a creation of content issue. We need more in art and entertainment that is reflective of the world that we live in. And there’s just not enough reflection in it for women, for people of color.” America Ferrera

Learning Moments

Week 2 was able to teach me about the reflections of others in Popular Culture. The Urgency of Visual Media Literacy in Our Post-9/11 world revealed the importance of analyzing and knowing the context of a picture and other media platforms- including films- in order to succeed in media literacy. It pointed out how pictures can be used in an article regardless of the material being discussed. Many then associate a certain symbol, idea, or photo to a certain group- such as the Latina women seen in the films and TV shows. Consequently, this creates opinions and beliefs that are limited in information because of the misleading way a photo is used, even by “credible” sources. Overall, this can relate to several classes because it is always important to make informed decisions by knowing the background of the source.

I was also able to learn about the impact that the news has on society. In News is Bad for You, it is evident that the news can cause many adverse effects on an individual. It made me realize that in order to remain active and a part of society, it is important to read the news. However, it is important to read informative news. For this reason, I agree that the news methods used for reporting information should be modified to fit a more investigative and journalistic form rather than reporting. While the words news and journalism are sometimes used interchangeably, the difference between the two lies in the research done. In other words, journalism investigates, compiles, and prepares more thoughtful information. By being more informed about click-bait, fake news, and biased information I can make a more informed decision about what to read and trust.

Works Cited

Avila-Saavedra, G. (2010). A fish out of water: New articulations of US–Latino identity                on Ugly  Betty. Communication Quarterly, 58(2), 133-147.

Cherry, M. (Writer). (2013, June 23). Devious Maids [Television series]. Atlanta,                         Georgia: Cherry/Wind Productions, ABC Studios.

Lloyd, C., & Levitan, S. (Writers). (2009, September 23). Modern Family [Television                   series]. Los Angeles, California : American Broadcasting Company, USA                         Network.

Martynuska, M. (2016). The Exotic Other: Representations of Latina tropicalism in US               popular culture. Journal of Language and Cultural Education, 4(2), 73-81.

Rodriguez, C. Y. (2013). Devious Maids: The controversy behind the new Lifetime                     drama. Retrieved from                                                                                                        https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/23/showbiz/devious-maids-controversy/index.html

Silverman, B., & Hayek, S. (Executive Producers). (2006). Ugly Betty [Television                       series]. New York: ABC.

Smith, S. L., Choueiti, M., & Pieper, K. (2016). Inclusion or invisibility? Comprehensive                Annenberg report on diversity in entertainment. Institute for Diversity and                        Empowerment at Annenberg (IDEA): USC Annenberg School for                                      Communication and Journalism.