Media representation holds the power to shape societal perceptions, redefine identities,
and influence cultural norms. Through media representation, the portrayal of Chicanas -Mexican American women- is often overlooked due to the media depicting them as hypersexual, exotic, short-tempered individuals who mask the identity of what it is to be a Chicana woman. However, the media is evolving from stereotypical caricatures to portrayals that challenge and transcend traditional narratives. Including more Chicana representation reflecting the complexities of their lived experiences and showcasing the broader themes of race, identity, gender, and cultural heritage. From Hollywood blockbusters to independent films, television shows to digital platforms, the many short stories we covered in class allow us to discover the multiple dimensions of Chicana representation in the media by exploring the historical context, emphasizing notable milestones, and analyzing trends, we seek to understand the impact these representations have on Chicana communities. I want to highlight the complexities, challenges, and triumphs of Chicana representation in the media while advocating for a more inclusive portrayal of what being a Chicana entails and addressing the way Latina bodies are politicized.

To begin with, we can trace back Latina body stereotypes & representation to the 20th
century with famous names such as Lupe Velez (The Mexican Spitfire), Maria Montez, Dolores del Rio, and Carmen Miranda (The Brazilian Bombshell) (Mendible, 9). Myra Mendible emphasizes the politicization of Carmen Miranda’s body through the lenses of stereotypical representation, national identity, immigration, and feminism. For example, Miranda became famous for her portrayal of exotic and stereotypical Latin American characters in Hollywood films. She was commonly displayed wearing elaborate fruit-laden headpieces and colorful costumes reinforcing stereotypes of Latin American women as exotic, hypersexual, and submissive, “The popular press typically characterized Miranda in terms of her body, like an exotic animal… reporter’s description of Miranda ‘swaying and wriggling, chattering macawlike’” (Mendible, 10). Miranda’s image was used by both the Brazilian government and Hollywood studios to promote a positive image of Brazil abroad. She was marketed as the embodiment of Brazilian culture and identity. This created a sense of national pride among Brazilians and presented Brazil as a vibrant tourist destination. However, the idealization overshadowed the complexities of Brazilian society and culture which reduces it to stereotypical representations. Additionally, Miranda’s immigrant status complicated the politicization of her body because as she rose to fame in Hollywood she was pressured to conform to American standards of beauty and behavior causing her to be criticized within Brazilian and American communities. However, she served as a symbol of success for immigrant communities striving for acceptance in the US. Through the feminist lens, Miranda challenged gender norms with her flamboyant style, carving out a unique space for herself in a male-dominated industry.

From the era of Carmen Miranda Latina representation in entertainment has significantly
evolved. Miranda paved the way for future generations of Latina artists who have since left their mark on the industry such as Selena Quintanilla who broke barriers and redefined perceptions of Latinas in music. Similarly. Jennifer Lopez emerged with her role as Selena in the movie Selena(1997) directed by Gregory Nava and branched out with singing and dancing. With the rise of Latina fame came the rise in media criticism and expectations, “Latina bodies of Jennifer Lopez and Selena, similarly marked by curvy bottoms, full lips, and dark hair, have become symbols ofethnic pride” (Mendible, 2) this was a controversial quote because although it gave way for Latina women who have dark hair and look different from the desired Anglo American with blonde hair and blue eyes it also discriminated against Latina women who don’t necessarily fit his “perfect embodiment” of what a Latina should look like. On the other hand, these two along with many other famous names gave way for Latina women living in the U.S. through media representation showing it’s possible to create a name for oneself despite the odds in an Anglo-American male-dominated industry. Not long after, more feminist movies were being made like Patricia Cardoso’s adaptation of Josefina Lopez’ play Real Women Have Curves emphasizing the beauty of Latina bodies going against the expectation of having curves in the “right places” such as curvaceous bottoms. This film not only defies the body hierarchy set by societal expectations claiming the “nicer” the body you have, the better job opportunities you’ll receive but also defies the usual Chicana representation commonly displayed in the media by showing a strong, ambitious, head-strong,
protagonist like Ana Garcia played by America Ferrera. This movie promotes crucial
commentary on media representation regarding body image, representation of Latina women, and empowerment through self-expression. Cardoso’s movie challenges the prevailing beauty standards that glorify thinness as the ideal by celebrating the diversity of women’s bodies, highlighting the value and beauty of bodies that don’t conform to mainstream expectations. The movie encourages self-acceptance by encouraging the audience to embrace their natural bodies rather than striving for an unrealistic and often unattainable beauty standard created by the media.

Furthermore, this film focuses on the experiences of Latina women, particularly those
from working-class backgrounds. Through the various scenes showing the women working for Estela who owns Garcia’s Sewing Factory, we see a different side to Chicana women than
what’s usually portrayed. For example, the film doesn’t portray a caricature of a Chicana but
complex Latina women with unique experiences and personalities rather than solely being
portrayed by their ethnicity or cultural background. There is a powerful scene in the movie that captures these elements beautifully where Estela, Ana, Pancha, Rosalie, and Carmen are working on the dresses and Ana stands up to her mom (Carmen) who was body shaming Ana for having fat on her body. Ana refutes saying, “How dare anyone try to tell me what I should look like or what I should weigh when there’s so much more to me than just my weight” (Cardoso,01:10:47). In this scene we see how media representation and the preference for thinness affect women along with the hurtful feelings one experienced when their culture internalizes it and uses it against the individuals within. Additionally, The Dirty Girls Social Club by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez follows the lives of six Latina friends who met in college but reunite once every year to catch up on their lives. In this story, we see that each woman has a different cultural background and faces unique challenges and triumphs in themselves and their career. This story ties in with media representation as it shows authentic cultural representation as Valdes-Rodriguez portrays different aspects of Latina culture through language, traditions, and family dynamics. She creates an authentic representation to counter the superficial and stereotypical depictions of Latinidad presented in the media. For example, this particular group of “sucias” don’t pray like the Virgin Mary or spend their days crying over men who don’t want them but instead have a career and a life they’ve worked hard to create for themselves which in itself breaks stereotypes, “We’re not silent little women praying to the Virgin of Guadalupe with lace mantillas on our heads”
(Valdes- Rodriguez, 11). There’s also a mention of how these Latina women are neither hookers nor maids instead, there’s a strong emphasis on the Latina protagonists as strong independent women who assert their identities, challenge societal expectations, and pursue their goals. The main protagonist is a journalist with her column in the paper who ironically had to conform to Latina stereotypes to break them, “They had my face darkened in the picture, so I looked more like what they probably think a Latina is supposed to look like. You know brown” (Valdes-Rodriguez 9). She succumbs to the stereotypical and racist marginalization of a Latina employee so the paper can presume they have diversity to reach its targeted audience but is also able to make a name for herself as a Latina. After reading about the diverse experiences and identities of Latina women through “The Dirty Girls Social Club” I began considering how these narratives fit into U.S. Latina literature as a whole. I came
across a scholarly article that delves into cross-culturalism and politicization of Latina literature in the U.S. This article spotlights how authors navigate the intersection of ethnicity, gender, and politics while offering different perspectives on the complexities of Latina identities in American society, “Latina writers emphasize that female subjects are marked not only by gender but also by multiple and intersecting categories of class, ethnicity, sexuality and geopolitics” (Mujčinović, 6). This article mentions more famous names such as Julia Alvarez, Ana Castillo, and Gloria Anzaldua as the author analyzes the importance of their work for the Latina community by showing the strengths each author possesses with their characters
and the messages they try to convey. Throughout the article, we are given multiple examples of how the stories tie into real-world struggles while altering the illusion created by media representation, “Gloria Anzaldua’s Borderlands/ La Frontera also proposes strategies of women’s emancipation and
transformation” (Mujčinović, 30).

In conclusion, the journey of media representation of Latinas has undergone significant
transformations. From the caricatures and stereotypes embodied by figures like Carmen Miranda to the emergence of multidimensional, powerful characters portrayed by Selena Quintanilla and Jennifer Lopez. Films like “Real Women Have Curves” and literature such as “The Dirty Girls Social Club” have continued to challenge these stereotypes by showcasing the strengths and complexities of Latina women, encouraging them to embrace their authentic selves rather than conforming to one-dimensional media portrayals. Moreover, scholarly analyses like the one above highlight the impact of Latina writers who are reshaping the narrative surrounding Latinas in media. By featuring Chicana characters who defy stereotypes and challenge societal norms, these writers are paving the way for more inclusive and authentic representations of Latina experiences. Although there is still work that needs to be done Latinas continue to face pressure to conform to idealized standards created by the media. We must continue to support and grow diverse voices within the Latina community, both in media and in scholarly discourses.

 

Works Cited

Cardoso, Patricia. Real Women Have Curves. Performances by America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros,
Warner Bros., 2002.
Mendible, Myra. From Bananas to Buttocks: The Latina Body in Popular Film and Culture.
University of Texas Press, 2007.
Mujčinović, Fatima. Postmodern Cross-Culturalism and Politicization in U.S. Latina Literature.
Peter Lang, 2004
Nava, Gregory. Selena. Performances by Jennifer Lopez, Edward James Olmos, Warner Bros.,
1997.
Valdes, Alisa. The Dirty Girls Social Club. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2020.

Hispanic Representation in Media: An Analysis

Representation for the Latino community has greatly improved from what it once was.
With the rise of Hispanic actors, directors, and musicians, the amount of Hispanic representation in mainstream media has increased and has put out new, authentic versions of what it means to be Latino. From movies and films, to prominent Latinx figures, to social media, Hispanic representation has been widespread across the United States. Contrary to early negative stereotypes about the Hispanic community in past media, the increase of Hispanic representation has led to accurate portrayals of the Hispanic community, furthering authentic stories and success of Hispanic individuals.

Portrayals of stories centering around traditional Mexican traditions and familial culture show beautiful authentic stories that garner success. Encanto and Real Women Have Curves both tackle generational trauma and feminist issues within the Hispanic community. Encanto, released in 2021, is an animated movie centered around a character named Mirabel. Everyone in her family besides her has a unique gift, and she struggles with this throughout the film. She eventually realizes that she would “never be enough” for Abuela, the family matriarch. Real Women Have Curves, released in 2002, stars Honduran actress America Ferrera as main characterAna Garcia. Her main goal is wanting to go to Columbia University to further her education, but receives backlash from her mother, wanting her to stay home and provide for the family. At the end of the movie, Ana decides to pursue her education despite her mother not approving. This movie highlights the generational gap between first generation and second generation immigrants, with Ana defying traditional gender roles. Both movies show both sides of the maternal figure and the daughter: the matriarch wanting to protect her daughter from the outside world while (sometimes unknowingly) degrading them, while the daughter wants to venture off into the real world and accomplish something more than herself. Movies Coco and The Book of Life both center around Dia De Los Muertos, a Mexican holiday revolving around the remembrance of ancestors who have passed away. Coco’s main character Miguel is played by Anthony Gonzalez, who is Puerto Rican and Mexican, while The Book of Life centers around Manolo and Maria Posada, played by Mexican actor Diego Luna and Afro-Latina actor Zoe Saldana. The movie captures the beauty of Mexican culture with its unique art style. Both movies are extremely colorful and have great music soundtracks. Stories involving Latino/a characters that show how Latinx characters are three dimensional and have stories worth telling.

Movie franchises that have Latino characters prove that Latinos actors can play multi-
dimensional characters, destroying any negative stereotyping. The Star Wars franchise in particular has had multiple successful projects starring actors that are of Hispanic descent. The popular series The Mandalorian stars Chilean actor Pedro Pascal, who plays a Mandalorian named Din Djarin. Although his character wears a helmet for the majority of time on screen, he is shown as a caring and authentic character, who has a father-son relationship with Grogu, an alien child. One of their most recent series, Andor, stars Mexican actor Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, who was also featured in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. His character is quick-witted and easy to root for, and his character goes from not caring about the Rebellion against the Empire, to becoming a key leader. Both of these dynamic characters are played by Latino men, a stark contrast to earlier renditions of Latin men being labeled as “criminals’’, “lazy’’, and “aggressive” (Orbe 281). All of these Disney projects were major successes in the box office, with the reception to the Andor and The Mandalorian series being extremely positive, getting a 96 percent and 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes respectively. Marvel, more recently, has had their first Afro-Latino character in the form of Miles Morales, starring in both Spiderman; Into The Spider Verse and Spiderman: Across The Spider Verse, which have been massively successful. Both movies made almost one billion dollars worldwide (IMDb). The movies also feature and give emphasis to the element of family with his Puerto Rican mom, Rio Morales, and his African American dad, Jefferson Davis, unfortunately a rarity in both Hispanic and black communities in Western media.

Spanish music and songwriters have become extremely popular in the United States,
normalizing Spanish speaking when it was once viewed in a negative light. In 2017, the song
“Despacito ”, by Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Bad Bunny, became extremely popular
amongst both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking audiences. The song ended up being the top selling songs of that year, with 2.69 million downloads. The soundtrack from Encanto, written by Puerto Rican songwriter Lin Manuel Miranda, one song in particular, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” became especially popular on several streaming platforms like Spotify and TikTok. The song stayed No.1 on the album chart for seven consecutive weeks, and the first Disney song to ever do so (Ordona). One article attributes the massive success due to Latin influences, stating “salsa, Guajira, and Cha Cha, expertly mixed with traditional pop and musical theater elements” (Gardner). All of these soundtracks incorporate Spanish or otherwise traditional Latin culture, accumulating incredible success and profit.

Although there will be issues regarding colorism and appropriation regarding the Latino
community, only more so stresses the importance of representation regarding producing and management. Before Disney’s Coco was released, there was an attempt to copyright the term “Dia De Los Muertos”. After public outrage, Disney released this statement: “Disney’s
trademark filing was intended to protect any potential title for our film and related activities…we are withdrawing our trademark filing” (Ruelas). While quickly shot down by the media, it stresses the importance of representation, specifically behind the scenes of film and media. In this case, if someone who has celebrated Dia De Los Muertos, thereby knowing the meaning behind this valued tradition, was told of this copyright file being processed, it would not have gotten very far in development. “In The Heights’’, a movie directed by John N. Chu (originally a musical written by Lin Manuel Miranda, and original book by Quiara Alegría Hudes) focuses on the diverse community of Hispanic people in Washington Heights. It stars Anthony Ramos and Melissa Barrera as Usnavi de la Vega and Vanessa, respectively. After the film came out, it garnered controversy about how all the main characters were being casted by light skinned actors, erasing Afro-Latinx people. The absence of darker skinned people in the film was not realistic and erases the identity of darker skinned Latinos (Castillo). Chu defended the film, stating “When we were looking at the cast, we were looking for the people who were best for those roles specifically” (Castillo). Miranda apologized for the erasure, stating that he will do better to include the “diverse and vibrant community” of Latinidad. This controversy about Afro-Latinos not being prominent in the film definitely shined light on colorism within the Hispanic culture and film industry as a whole. However, if there was increased representation behind the scenes, especially Afro-Latinos, perhaps there would have been a more diverse presentation of all Latinx characters. An article reads “[b]lack Latinx are constantly policed and forced to prove their Latinidad”, stating that further alienating Afro-Latinx hurts the overall face of Latinidad (Lopez).

Furthermore, Colombian actress Sofia Vergara, though highly regarded as a “self-made
businesswoman” (Moreno) and a “Latina trailblazer” (Spreaker), has had some backlash
regarding claims of playing into Latina stereotypes. Such stereotypes include hyperseuxalizing herself, to “acting dumb”, and making fun of her thick accent. An article reads “[making fun of herself gives] others comedic license to do it as well..”, (Moreno) inferring that non-Hispanic audiences will think it is okay to do so to other Latinas. Actor and singer Jennifer Lopez, also known as JLO, has had some controversies concerning her Latina identity. Some criticisms have been raised when getting the role of Selena Quintanilla in her movie Selena, claiming that she should not get the role as “she was not the correct type of Latina”, or that “she is not in touch with her roots” as a Latina woman (Canvas 10). Instances of claiming Vergara is “playing a stereotype” and Lopez is “not Latina enough” both bring up the point of how there is no “right” way to be a Latina woman, and shaming Latinas for being their authentic selves is very harmful.

Lastly, “Latina makeup”, and the term “copy and paste Latina” has been trending on
social media in the past year. Popularized on the social media app TikTok, this makeup look
consists of full eyebrows, fake lash extensions, and lined lips, with the girl usually having
straight black hair. While the term “copy and paste Latina” is seen as a joke in the TikTok
community, many others call attention to the stereotyping that it presents. It harmfully calls all Latinas the same, disregarding how everyone has their own identity and experiences. This goes back to the fact that there is no “right way” to look Latina, and to call a Latina “copy and paste” is harmful and removes the activism in order to create space for all Latinas.
While there are still issues surrounding Hispanic representation regarding colorism and
appropriation, the overall depiction of Hispanic culture has been accurately portrayed in
mainstream media. Hispanic characters as of recent years are three dimensional and authentic, and their films and tv shows have proven to be successful in the box office. Music like Despacito and movie soundtracks like Coco and Encanto have proven to be massively successful thanks to Latin influence.

Works Cited:

Barbeito, Camila. “Why Is ‘copy and Paste Latina’ Trending on TikTok?” We Are Mitú, 2
Nov. 2022, wearemitu.com/fierce/copy-and-paste-latina-tiktok-trend/.

Castillo, Monica. “The Limitations of ‘Latinidad’: How Colorism Haunts ‘in the Heights.’”
NPR, NPR, 15 June 2021,
www.npr.org/2021/06/15/1006728781/in-the-heights-latinidad-colorism-casting-lin-manue
l-miranda.

Caulfield, Keith. “Ed Sheeran’s ‘divide’ Is Nielsen Music’s Top Album of 2017 in U.S.”
Billboard, Billboard, 3 Jan. 2018,
www.billboard.com/pro/ed-sheeran-divide-nielsen-music-top-album-2017/.

Chow, Andrew R., and Mariah Espada. “Bad Bunny on Being Ready for Coachella-and the
World.” Time, Time, 28 Mar. 2023, time.com/6266349/bad-bunny-cover-story/

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/15/1006728781/in-the-heights-latinidad-colorism-casting-lin-
manuel-miranda.

Gardner, Jessica. “Disney: Why Was We Don’t Talk about Bruno Such a Hit?” MovieWeb,
12 Dec. 2022, movieweb.com/we-dont-talk-about-bruno-hit-song-why/.

“Lin-Manuel Miranda Breaks down the Success of ‘we Don’t Talk about Bruno’ (No, No,
NO).” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2022,

www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2022-03-08/lin-manuel-miranda-on-the-
success-of-encanto-and-that-bruno-song.

Orth 8
Lopez, Alan Pelaez. “The X in Latinx Is a Wound, Not a Trend.” By Alan Pelaez Lopez,
from Color Bloq’s X Collection,
www.colorbloq.org/article/the-x-in-latinx-is-a-wound-not-a-trend. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Moreno, Carolina. “Why Sofia Vergara Relying on Latina Stereotypes for Laughs Is so
Damaging.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 9 Jan. 2017,

www.huffpost.com/entry/why-sofia-vergara-relying-on-latina-stereotypes-for-laughs-is-so-
damaging_n_5873c015e4b043ad97e4c107.

Orbe, Mark P., and Tina M. Harris. “Interracial Communication.” Google Books, Google,
books.google.com/books?id=P04XBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA281#v=onepage&q&f=false.
Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.

Patricia Cardoso, Heitor Pereira, and Margaret Guerra Rogers. REAL WOMEN HAVE
CURVES . USA, 2002.

Ruelas, Richard, and The Arizona Republic. “Disney Pulls ‘Dia de Los Muertos’
Trademark Bid.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 8 May 2013,
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/08/disney-day-of-dead-trademark/2143527.

“Sofia Vergara – the Colombian Firecracker Who Took over Hollywood.” Spreaker,
www.spreaker.com/episode/sofia-vergara-the-colombian-firecracker-who-took-over-holly
wood–58769933. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

UCI Canvas, canvas.eee.uci.edu/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2024.