04/30/2018

Rocio Huizar
English 1100 – 402
Professor Brandon Alva

Latina Stereotypes in Film

Imagine growing up in an immigrant Mexican family in the United States and having

little to any role models portrayed in film. Sonia Manzano, who played Maria in Sesame Street

states, “When I was a kid I didn’t see any Latina’s on television - not just television but in

magazines, books, in anything… There were no Latin people who existed in the world that I

grew up in and I wondered how I was going to contribute to a society that didn’t see me. I was

invisible.” (Moreno) When children or teenagers watch movies, they try to identify or relate to

the characters or heroes they see but when you can’t identify as any, you sometimes feel lost.

Luckily, I had access to Univision through satellite television and knew there was a larger world

out there as opposed what was near me. I noticed how American film has portrayed some Latina

women as certain stereotypes; I would like to discuss these stereotypes and their reasons behind

them, including their positive and negative effects on the viewer.

The role of a Maid is usually that of an uneducated, poor, servant, who may be non-

English speaking and works for someone who is wealthy. The role of a maid can be seen as a

negative. Although many times this role can add humor, stability, and zest to a movie. An older

film, which aired in 1985, portrayed a Latina as a maid is the movie Goonies. In this film, you

see Lupe Ontiveros playing the role of Rosalita. She is there to help Mrs. Walsh move because

Mrs. Walsh has hurt her arm and cannot use it. Rosalita does not speak a word of English and

this complicates things. Luckily, one of the boys took a Spanish class in school and can translate

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for them. The boy’s nickname is Mouth and he translates completely erroneous instructions from

Mrs. Walsh to Rosalita. He is supposed to say, “This is the supply closet. You’ll find everything

you need brooms, dustpans, insect spray. I would really like the house clean when they tear it

down.” Instead, he translates in Spanish “If you do a bad job you’ll be locked in here with the

cockroaches for two weeks without food or water.” Rosalita then responds in Spanish with “My

God, I’m in a crazy house,” this, along with other completely incorrect translations, adds a

comedic element to the film. (Goonies) Then at the end of the film Mrs. Rosalita is the one to

save the day because she finds a bag of jewels and then becomes the hero. Rosalita had a small

role in this film but she added an extra element that no other character could have added to the

film. I was happy to see that her character played an important role, especially at the end of the

film.

Another popular role for Latina’s is one that is spicy, curvy, sexy, loud and usually thick

accented. For example in the movie Fools Rush In, a 1997 film, Salma Hayek plays the role of

Isabel Fuentes who ends up marrying Alex Whitman. She comes from a very Catholic family, he

come from a wealthy white family and their lives become intertwined when Isabel becomes

pregnant after a one-night stand with Alex. In this film cultures, traditions and personalities

clash, especially that of Isabel with her in-laws. Isabel’s character is very artistic, sexy, and feisty

and she has no reservations when it comes to speaking her mind. When Alex meets Isabel’s

parents, in their home, Isabel’s mother describes her as having a very deep connection with her

great grandmother and says, “You can see it in the eyes, that same wild spirit.” (Fools Rush In)

Her family traditions in this film fit the stereotypical views people have of Mexicans, although

without this they would not be able portray the cultural clashes that exist in society. Her

character may appear as a negative to some but to others it could be seen as attractive and

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culturally rich. I feel her role in this film isn’t too over the top sensual, I feel they demonstrate

there is more to her than just her looks. Her role demonstrates she is an artistic photographer and

she is a very independent young woman who feels she can raise her child on her own, if need be.

However, there are other Latina actresses like Rosie Perez who question why they are always

portrayed as the “Crack ho” and she states “And I challenged them on it, and initially, oh my

God, the negative response was horrific.” (Moreno) Every actor or actress wants a leading role,

one that will be remembered in a positive light, especially when you know you are the minority

and you represent your ethnic group in film.

Another role I see Latina’s in film is that of the chola or gangster. Gang members are

seen in a negative light because of the violence, drugs, alcohol use, profanity and criminal

mischief they become involved in. When I went to high school in Utah and in the 90’s, I saw

Hispanic girls wearing dark lip liner, baggy pants, draw in their eyebrows with dark eyeliner and

they would tease their hair because that’s what was portrayed as cool either on TV or film.

During that time, there were gangs in California which were being in portrayed in films for

example, Mi Vida Loca. Many girls admired these actresses and they began imitating them,

although I can say I did not because I never seen this movie until recently. The two key Latina

actresses in this film are nicknamed Sad Girl and Mousie; they are best friends until they both

become pregnant by Ernesto. Then they hate each other and even plan to fight until the night

Ernesto dies. As the movie progresses they become friends again. Later on in this film, a fellow

gang member named Giggles is released from prison and while eating lunch she mentions how

she wants to better herself by working with computers. She says, “we girls need new skills cuz

by the time our boy’s are 21 they’re either in prison or disabled or dead….” then she states,

“homegirls I’m gonna get a job” and her friends just roll their eyes, almost as if they disagree

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with her. (Mi Vida Loca) It was great to see the character Giggles had learned from her mistakes

and was an example of someone wanting to better herself, especially for her child. This film

depicted the lives of those who actually live in these circumstances. Many Latina teens during

that time wanted to look like these characters and I feel because of this they could have been

stereotyped as a gangster. Looking back, I did wear the lip liner, tease my hair, wear dark

lipstick, plus I wore the baggy pants but I was not involved in gangs. It makes me wonder if that

is the reason why my sister and I were kicked out of a store once for just looking.

Stereotypical roles are created for films because they can make movies memorable,

comedic, charismatic, thought provoking and impactful. Unfortunately, people are influenced to

believe that everyone of a certain race is what’s been depicted in film or TV. In reality; Latina

women are not the uneducated maids who barely speak English, we are not the thick accented,

overly sexy spicy lady who wears provocative clothing and we are not the gangbanger criminal

with black lined eyebrows, dark lipstick and baggy clothes. Lupe Ontiveros played the role of a

maid so many times, she longed to play other roles. When interviewed by National Public Radio

(NPR) she told them “I long to play a judge. I long to play a lesbian woman. I long to play a

councilman, someone with chutzpah.” (Bryce)

Luckily, there are more roles now where Latina’s play strong characters and show there

is more to us than our stereotypes. Elizabeth Peña plays as a LAPD bomb expert in the movie

Rush Hour. Michelle Rodriguez plays a leading role in the Fast and Furious movies. Justina

Machado is a single mother who works as a nurse in the Netflix original One Day at a Time.

Lauren Velez plays a lieutenant and captain of a Miami Police Department in the TV series

Dexter.

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 I believe if producers or writers started creating roles filled with characters who don’t fit

a specific look or stereotype, there would be less belief that everyone has to fit a certain persona.

As Andy Garcia said “Just look at that person as an actor, don’t look at him as an actor of

Mexican descent… just look at him for what he can bring to the story and how he can enhance

your film by his participation and his talents as an actor or actress.” (Moreno) I hope to see more

movies that challenge these stereotypes of Latinas and give young Latina women someone to

identify with or aspire to be.

Works Cited

1. Moreno, Carolina. “16 Times Latinos Were Brutally Honest About Hollywood's Lack Of

Diversity.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 Jan. 2016,

www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/16-times-latinos-were-brutally-honest-about-hollywoods-

lack-of-diversity_us_56a6600be4b076aadcc75a1f.

2. Donner, Richard, et al. The Goonies. Warner Bros., 1985.

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3. Bryce, Alison. “Latina Actress Aims To Break Maid Stereotype.” NPR, NPR, 12 Apr.

2009, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102967047.