Latino Influence on American Media
This is an excerpt from the paper...
In her review of Clara E. Rodriguez' book, Latin Looks: Images of Latinas and Latinos in the U.S. Media, Milanes comments that there is a dearth of critical and sustained attention to the representation and lack of Latinos in the U.S. media (1998, 19). She lauds the appearance of the book as a necessary event, as Latinos make up ten percent of the population of the United States, approximately 26 million Americans of Latin descent, making the U.S. the fifth largest Latin American country in the world (Milanes, 1998, 19). It is the purpose of this paper to examine the influence of Latin America on the American media, especially music, television and film.According to Milanes, writer Gloria Anzaldua contributed greatly in her work Borderlands/Fronteras, which was a comprehensive reference point. Many other writers reference her work, but quickly move on to other topics. It seems that once a writer mention's Anzaldua, the appropriate dues are paid, and no further attention is given to the way Latinos live, work, write, or speak in the world (Milanes, 1998, 19). Rodriguez examines the specifics of Latino representation in the media with a focus on the five following major points: 1. Hispanics are either underrepresented or misrepresented in the media; 2. Latino images in Hollywood creations have become more negative over time; 3. the similarities in the portrayals of Chicanos, Puerto Ricans, have outweighed the differences, making all Latinos seem the same; 4. the
. . .
be taken seriously. She produced and starred in Frida, a movie that has appealed to a wide cross section of American people. Kahlo's life and work has a large following in the United States, appealing especially to women. Reproductions of her work can be found in every museum shop around the United States.
Also featuring a Mexican woman is the film Real Women Have Curves, released late in 2002. This work is an intimate slice of Latina life, directed by Patricia Cardoso, a story that especially resonates with Hispanic women, Latinas who are hungry for screen role models. In one scene a group of female factory workers strip to their underwear to escape the heat in the sweatshop in which they work, a scene that shows the reality of working conditions, not how sexy they are (Britt, 2002, 2). The film was inspired by playwright and co-scripter Josefina Lopez's own life, and director Cardoso took pride in showing Latinos and Latinas in their own houses and neighborhoods, images that are not often seen in film.
All too often, Hispanic characters are shown as illegal immigrants, drug dealers, or prostitutes (Britt, 2002, 2). Cardoso was born in Columbia and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA's film school. She had spent her
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Latin American, Los Angeles, Latin America, Buenos Aires, Puerto Ricans, Frida Kahlo, Salma Hayek, Various America, College Spanglish, Gloria Anzaldua, wiltz 2003, milanes 1998, latin america, los angeles, latin american, navarro 1999, latino community, wiltz 2003 3, 2003 3, wiltz 2003 2, hispanic culture, 2003 2, navarro 1999 18, britt 2002 2, milanes 1998 21,
Approximate Word count = 4845
Approximate Pages = 19 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Latino Influence on American Media
|