A Think Piece: The Portrayal of Latinas in the Media

For decades, the portrayal of Latin Americans in media has been bordering on nonexistent. From the beginning of broadcast television and film, Latin American men and women have been highly underrepresented on screen, with only a 2% range of representation in media over the past three decades according to a study conducted by The Center for Media and Public Affairs (Rodriguez, 1997). However, when Hispanic men and women were chosen to be portrayed in film or television, they were almost always featured in a negative or heavily stereotyped manner (Mastro & Sink, 2017). In the past decade, media producers have attempted to become more inclusive a well as tap into the increasingly thriving Latino market. According to the Census Bureau in (2016), there are roughly 56.6 million Spanish speaking men, women, and children in the United States taking up 17.6% of the country’s total population. Although there is an increase in Latin audiences, these individuals, particularly Latin American women, are not accurate and often times offensive (Mastro & Sink, 2017). Thus, the purpose of the present literature review is to examine the portrayals of Latin American women in the media. Specifically, we will look at three reoccurring tropes, the sexual harlot, the low class maid and gold digger, as well as the overly religious and out of touch “abuela” or grandmother. We will also be examining the effects of these stereotypical portrayals on audiences.

The Sex Object

Since the beginning of television Latina women have been overly sexualized (Garcilazo, 2017). Their purpose on the screen is to spice up or bring an exotic flair and little more. Although women in general have a long standing history of being used as sexual props in television and film, Latinas are far more likely to be portrayed in an overtly sexualized manner (Lacroix, 2004; Rivadeneyra & Ward, 2005). Dating back to the 1930’s, Brazilian actress Carmen Miranda was used as Hollywood’s representation of a Latin American woman. She was dressed in tight, vivacious clothing and her trademark image consisted of carrying a basket of fruit on her head. Although welcomed by American audiences as an acceptable and attractive portrayal of what hispanic women were supposed to look like, the character she often portrayed was heavily criticized across central and south America for her heavily stereotyped portrayal of a Latina woman (Balieiro, 2017).

The portrayal of Latinas as spicy sexual beings has far from dissipated in present day culture. As of 2016, only 5.8 percent of speaking roles were attributed to hispanic men and women in television (Case, Yao & Choi, 2017). Despite the fact that Sofia Vergara remains the highest paid actress on television for her role as Gloria Pritchett on the acclaimed and widely popular television series Modern Family, she is more often than not portrayed in an overtly sexualized manner, dressed in tight fitting clothes with a distinctly fiery personality (Garcilazo, 2017). While Vergara’s role as trophy wife Gloria is often looked to as a prime example of representation for Latinas in the media, other blatantly sexualized portrayals of Latina women in media are still common (Balieiro, 2017). For instance, Eva Longoria’s highly sexualized portrayal on the ABC show Desperate Housewives as Gabrielle Solis, which is frequently characterized as oversexed, underdressed, and divisive (Merskin, 2016).

Other interesting examples include Penelope Cruz’ role as a seductive and exotic beauty who holds little more to offer to Depp’s character than her looks in the 2001 film Blow, or Jane’s overtly sexual mother in contrast to her virginal character on the hit series Jane the Virgin (Grell, 2017).

While media producers claim to be making strides in regard to representation of Hispanics in television and film, it is pivotal to explore the adverse effects these representations have on audiences. Although the portrayal of the “fiery Latina” or “hot seniorita” may seem harmless or even complimentary to women from South America it is explore the effects these portrayals have on young woman and more specifically their body image and own sense of self-worth (Mastro, Behm-Morawitz, & Ortiz, 2007). Research has found that media images have an effect on the female body image (Bell, Lawton, & Dittmar, 2007). Society has grown to accept the overtly sexual, attractive, and sultry Latina characters featured on screen as a norm and expectation (Garcilazo, 2017). Therefore, Hispanic female viewers are more likely to feel persuaded to live up to these expectations and behave in a similar manner (Mastro, Behm-Morawitz, & Ortiz, 2007). It has been proven that there are societal ideals of beauty within varying cultures. These ideals are subsequently internalized by individuals, and the satisfaction they feel with themselves is based upon the extent which they believe they meet these societal ideals (Stokes, Clemens & Rios, 2016). Failure to meet these expectations results in a direct correlation between these portrayals and eating disorders, mental health issues, and overall dissatisfaction in Latin American women.

The Maid

The portrayal of the “Latina Maid” may be one of the most offensive stereotypes of Latin American women on television and film (Tukachinsky, Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015). However, it remains as prevalent of trope today as it was decades ago (Ryan, 2015). Latinos are often depicted as having blue collar jobs, unfit for those with citizenship status (Rojas, 2004). In fact, characters depicted as having wealth and power in the media are more often than not criminals (Trinidad, 2013). For example, in the Netflix Series Narcos, real life Medellin Cartel leader Pablo Escobar is depicted as being one of the richest and most feared men in the world due to his violent reign as a narcotic trafficker in the 1980s-1990’s. Similarly, another acclaimed Netflix series portraying hispanic individuals is Orange is the New Black, which features several prominent Latina characters behind bars for their various criminal activities (Trinidad, 2013). When Latina characters careers were not as criminals, they were often subservient to Caucasian characters which they shared the screen. One of the most prominent examples is Jennifer Lopez’s character Marisa Ventura in the 2002 film Maid in Manhattan. Over the course of the film, Ventura is a single mother and hotel maid who poses as a wealthy socialite in order to win the affections of a senatorial candidate (Vega & Carter, 2017).

There have also been several other depictions of the Latina maid spanning over decades, in films such as the Goonies (1985), Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) and Maid in Manhattan (2002). A few television shows include Designing Women (1986–1993), Veronica’s Closet (1997–2000), and Will & Grace (1998–present). Researches studying the portrayal of Latina maids have also shown that a vast multitude of guest roles spanning across half a century of television in shows such as Who’s the Boss, Sex and the City, Seinfeld, CSI: Miami, portray Latin American women as having this job. (Soto, 2006).

The frequent and reoccurring depiction of Latina’s as maids and other careers revolving around servitude are stereotypical and have been proven to have adverse effects on audiences. According to the cultivation theory, television is responsible for shaping audiences' conceptions and expectations of their own reality (Gerbner, 1976). It is common for viewers to develop their own attitudes and beliefs about the world around them based on the fictional scenarios and characters they see portrayed on TV and in film (Gerbner, 1976). One of the possible effects of these portrayals are the unwillingness to view Latina women as professionals in the workplace (Correa, 2010). Lack of depictions of successful Latina businesswomen in American television have the propensity to impact how young Latinas are viewed in scholastic or business environments by classmates and coworkers (Mastro, Behm-Morawitz, & Ortiz, 2007). Even further, young women may see characters such as Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan as a role model or an example of what Latina women should become and their place in society (Correa, 2010).

The portrayals of relationships between Latina maids and their Caucasian employers can create unhealthy expectation for similar dynamics in the real world (Gerbner, 1976). On the sitcom Will and Grace, Karen Walker frequently chastises her maid Rosario and makes frequent inappropriate remarks about her “home country” as well as her immigration status (Rojas, 2004). In addition, Consuela the maid from Family Guy is seen at the but of many jokes over the course of the series, speaking in broken English and often being unable to communicate effectively with the rest of the family (Tukachinksy, Mastro, &; Yarchi 2017).

The Devout Catholic

In present day society, Latin American’s are still frequently associated with Catholicism (Market,2007). The dedicated catholic grandmother or elderly Spanish woman is a common stereotype for Latina women in television and film, although considered to be less harmful (Ryan, 2015). Arguably the most popular Hispanic example of the elderly devout catholic woman occurs on the series Jane the Virgin. From the first episode of the series, Jane’s grandmother Alba is described as having two passions in life: God, and Jane (Grell,2017). The series revolves around the main character Jane becoming pregnant after being accidentally artificially inseminated, despite the fact that she was a virgin (Ryan, 2015). As explained by the narrator, much of the reason for Jane’s vow to save her virginity until marriage was due to her devout Catholic grandmother who informed her that once she lost her “flower” she could never get it back. Her grandmother Alba’s insistence that Jane saves her virginity for marriage in order to honor God is often used for comedic value over the course of the series. Rather than a respectable and religious woman, Alba is portrayed as out of touch with the present times and a comedic character.

There are several issues that should be discussed when viewing portrayal of Latina women on television and film. On one hand these portrayals overly generalize an entire culture and ignores the presence of Central and Southern American men and women who practice faiths other than Catholicism (Vega & Carter, 2017). These depictions entirely minimize other practicing religions in Latino culture which aren’t commonly portrayed in the media. Alba is one of many elderly overly religious Hispanic women shown on screen clutching rosary beads and reciting Hail Marys, far removed from today’s progressive society (Grell, 2017). Often times characters such as these are deemed as entertainment by audiences, further perpetuating the ideal that religious Hispanic woman are to be mocked or ridiculed in daily life.

This exemplifies stage 2 of As Clark’s four stages of minority portrayal entitled ridicule, in which a minorities presence on screen is solely to to generate humor (Raley & Lucas 2006). The portrayal of Latin American women on television and film is far from the fourth stage of minority portrayal outlined by Clark titled “respect” where minorities are represented equally and in a positive light. Limiting the representation of Latina’s in mainstream media to these prejudicial cliches have the propensity to influence the audiences and undermine the ethnicity as a whole.

Presently, Latino speaking characters on television are still only at a dismal 7%. However, this review strives to prove that it is not necessarily the quantity of Hispanic characters on the big and small screen but the quality. The three frequented stereotypes of Latina women portrayed in the media are the seductive sex siren, the low-class maid, and the devout fanatic catholic. As depicted by the cultivation theory, individuals who frequently view television programs are more likely to believe that the messages and setting presented to them on screen are an accurate representation of the real world (Gerbner & Gross, 1976). Therefore, audiences are highly likely to perceive these representations as accurate and valid. Even further, Latina viewers who are repeatedly exposed to these stereotypical images are more likely to feel motivated to live up to these portrayals. Overall, film and television have the impact to shape viewers thoughts on Latina immigrants and their subsequent behaviors towards the ethnic group in real life.