Stereotypes of Hispanic Women in Cinema

2501 Words6 Pages

The Latina women, even throughout the era resistance cinema, have not been able to make much progress in overcoming the degrading stereotypes that Hollywood has created for them. Despite the many advances that minorities have made in the cinema in recent years, Latina actresses still take on the roles of the "dark skinned lady" and other such stereotypes with strong sexual connotations. It is often debatable whether or not the role of the Latina has undergone dramatic changes since the days of Dolores Del Rio and Carmen Miranda dancing with the fruit baskets on top of their heads. However, in recent years there has been an emphasis by various Latinas in the film industry to combat such stereotypical roles and redefine themselves through the film medium, especially by means of documentaries. It is hopeful that the existing portrayals of Latina women as the sex object and desirable mate will gave way to a range of opportunities in cinema with roles of a more powerful and influential nature. The history of these stereotypes date back to the introduction of Latinos into the cinematic arena. The Latinas have traditionally been forced to accept a narrow range of roles that depict them as a sexual commodity or as a comedic and senseless individual. Both of these roles were common throughout early cinema and were played by a select number of Latina actresses who became notorious for their characters. They allowed themselves to be typecast into these demeaning roles because of a lack of better opportunities for them. By occupying these roles, these characters were only perpetuating these stereotypes and giving the impression that it was acceptable to be portrayed in this way. The most prominent role of the L... ... middle of paper ... ...uld lead one to believe that the Latinas have made no progress whatsoever in the films. However, these representations will take many years to reverse and it will be very difficult for the Latinas to create a new image for themselves because of the existing perceptions that people have. In order to achieve this, Latinas must become an active force in the movement against the negative representation. Their voice and expressions of disapproval may force the filmmakers and industry to reevaluate the harmful stereotypes that they utilize. Luz Rodriguez. "Voices of Feminism Oral History Project" Web. https://www.smith.edu/library/libs/ssc/vof/transcripts/Rodriguez.pdf Shakira Ramos. "Representation of Latinas in Film" Web. http://www.trincoll.edu/~sramos/final.htm http://www.aquarela.com/CarMir.html www.mdle.com.classicfilms/featuredstar/perfor81.htm

Open Document