Essay Example on Latina Women in Media: Invisibility & Stereotyping

It is conceivable that the Media industry has a diversity issue. Latinos women are completely underrepresented in the media, especially in TV and film. Latina women are more likely to be shown partially nude or nude, unlike other women of different ethnicities. Apart from that, 69% of maids in film and TV between 1996 and 2014 were Latina; others are still subjected as "emotional sex kitten (Cepeda, 2016)." Latinos women of all ages for decades have endured the problem of stereotyping from how they are misrepresented in entertainment media. Latina women identity is distorted as well in the popular culture, as often they tend to fall under repeatedly characteristics as maids, sex-pots, and feisty. The paper aims to give insights as to how Latina women's identity is distorted in the media and popular culture.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

It is significant to acknowledge that media has stereotypically misrepresented the Latina women's thus distorting their identity. From how they are underrepresented and are on TV inaccurately represented. Latino women being in the minority group, still in the media account for only 2% when featured as characters in TV (Cepeda, 2016). Nevertheless, even after getting to be characters in the TV always are portrayed in roles that are unfavorable like janitors, sex-pots, drug dealers, or even crime perpetrators. From research conducted, the media is highly criticized from how they have had the Latina women's identity distorted following how they are presented. Consequently, there are content analyses that back up the claims documenting how misrepresented the Latina women are in the media by them being displayed as maids, evil, immigrants, or criminals. Latina women identity is underrepresented in media due to racialised caricatures that broadcast them through a stereotypical lens. However blatant, it still impacts their characterizations.

Alternatively, Latina women's identity is distorted in the popular culture, following how they are sexualized on the grounds of how they appear (Dixon, Weeks & Smith, 2019). Latina women are seen in the popular culture, often from how they are labeled as hot heads based on their fiery attitude. Most cases, Latina women are put in professionals like hairdressers or even maids. Apart from that, Latina women tend to be portrayed through stereotypes that are exaggerated due to tropicalization. An example is the film "Devious maids" not only are Latina women displayed as maids, but the film depicts the struggle between the employer and the maid while communicating. Besides, these Latina women are presented to have a similar physical appearance. However, different from just common maids; like their skin tone and have revealing attires that typical maid's lack. Latina women identity is distorted in this popular culture, thus linked to tropicalization. It is exoticism and tropicalization, which result in these Latina women to be in connection with individual images. The Images portrays them having voluptuous hair, curvaceous bodies, and clothing that are seductive. It further results in expectations held against the Latina women and how they carry themselves in popular culture.

Conclusion

Latina women's identity is distorted in the media and popular culture entirely from how they are underrepresented. Latina women seem to be stereotyped based on their attitude, femininity, and body. It is the popular culture that has them portrayed as hotheads, sex-pots, and maids. In other terms, it results to them represented in a particular manner due to preconceived notions as displayed by the media.

References

Cepeda, M. E. (2016). Beyond "filling in the gap": the state and status of Latina/o Feminist Media Studies. Feminist Media Studies, 16(2), 344-360. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2015.1052005

Dixon, T. L., Weeks, K. R., & Smith, M. A. (2019). Media Constructions of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. DOI:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.502