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Latina Stereotypes in Mass Media

Stereotypes have been a devastating concept in any group that suffers due to their application in the lives of that group of individuals and people. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie exemplifies this in ‘The dangers of a single-sided story’ as she tells of how her life when she came to the United States of America to study was faced by so many of these stereotypes. She states that stereotypes are true even though they are incomplete (Adichie, “The danger of a single story [Video file].” (2009): 154.). She states how her roommate thought she did not know how to put on a stove yet she knew. This is a reflective example of how Latinos have been stereotyped as weak and as people who do not fully fit into the American society due to their language as well as their general behavior. Therefore Latinas even though representing about 16% of the total population in the US are not fully recognized as important to American progress (Lopez, 100). The issue of Latina representation in media and films is a very crucial one as it talks of how they are viewed by the outside world and therefore their judgment. According to Bojórquez, in ‘Selena is on Netflix’, people of color represented only 24% of the total film population in a study done in 2018. In the 24%, 11.6% were black actors while Latinas were 6.6%. This representation can be seen as a very low number since Latino Americans account for almost 50 million of the US total population.

This situation has been in existence for a long time and it has been aggravated by the immigration of Mexicans into America. Therefore it can be said that the hate for Mexican immigration can be attributed to the advancement of Latina stereotypes and thus the undervaluation of this group of individuals. The stereotypes about Latinas and they are under-representation in film and TV can also be seen as a result of their flexibility and ability to play any role given to them with much determination. Therefore this means that they are always given jobs that are less needed by the other individuals. This can be seen in Bojórquez’s ‘Selena is on Netflix’ as one of the directors stated that mostly the people working behind the cameras were Latina.

Other examples of stereotypes of Latina people include the lack of educational inclusion of parents in the education of their children (Lopez, 101), Latinas seen as drug addicts and dealers (Lina Cardona) among other stereotypes. Therefore this is a very important topic for discussion since it is what determines the level of success of Latinas since how they are displayed on TV, film, and in reality, is what educates the world about them. Once the world learns that Latinas are drug dealers or sex addicts among other negative qualities associated with Latinas it turns out that they will not be able to interact with other people freely since they will always be judged and treated negatively.

The issue of stereotyping in any culture or environment is a very difficult and serious one. The problem develops with time and it is a very important one for consideration since it is what forms what a people become in the society and what opportunities as well as ability to perform better they get. It is therefore an issue of equality since when there are so many stereotypes about Latinas it is very difficult for them to be represented in TV and film effectively or in numbers that are just according to their population (Bojórquez). Therefore Latinos should be represented and portrayed not based on their stereotypes but on their real self of who they are and what their caring and motherly nature can do to the American society if employed appropriately in different situations (Lopez, 103). Therefore this paper discusses how Latinas have been stereotyped in connection with their representation in film and tv. the paper will discuss these issues along with the following sub-categories; portrayal as Sex addicts and practitioners, inability to get jobs due to issues being poor workers due to their fertility as they are seen to ask for permissions to take care of family business more than their work, satisfaction with low paying jobs, Low representation in movies and films as they can be seen as not fully reliable, Sexualisation of Latina girls, Latinas seen as drug dealers and addicts, Language barrier especially in schools which is never considered as important, the role of lawmakers inclusion into representation issues, Latino representation as newsmakers being low among other issues.

Works cited

 Adichie, Chimamanda N. “The danger of a single story [Video file].” (2009): 154.

Boj, rquez, Kim. “‘Selena’ Is on Netflix. How Lawmakers Are Tackling the Lack of Latinos in TV and Movies.” Sacramento Bee, The (CA), 17 Dec. 2020. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=pwh&AN=2W61719303770&site=eds-live. 

Cardona, Lina. “Mass Media and Society.” Mass Media and Society Latino Stereotypes in the Media Comments, Rampages.us, 13 Nov. 2015, rampages.us/linacardona/2015/11/13/latino-stereotypes-in-the-media-2/.

Lopez, Johana P. “Speaking with Them or Speaking for Them: A Conversation about the Effect of Stereotypes in the Latina/Hispanic Women’s Experiences in the United States.” New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, vol. 25, no. 2, Spring 2013, pp. 99–106. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/nha.20020. 

LUGO-LUGO, CARMEN R. “100% Puerto Rican: Jennifer Lopez, Latinidad, and the Marketing of Authenticity.” Centro Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, Fall 2015, pp. 96–119. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=hus&AN=111812585&site=eds-live. 

Mastro, Dana E., and Elizabeth Behm-Morawitz. “Latino Representation on Primetime Television.” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 82, no. 1, Spring 2005, pp. 110–130. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=eue&AN=507985296&site=eds-live. 

McDade-Montez, Elizabeth, et al. “Sexualization in U.S. Latina and White Girls’ Preferred Children’s Television Programs.” Sex Roles, vol. 77, no. 1–2, July 2017, pp. 1–15. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0692-0.