Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Department of English
and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Alena Popelková

Racial Stereotypes about Latin

Americans in the U.S. movies
Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: M.A., Jeffrey Alan Smith, Ph. D.

2014
 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently,
using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

……………………………………………..
Author’s signature
I would like to thank my supervisor, M.A. Jeffrey Alan Smith, Ph.D., for his patient and help with the
revision of the thesis. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their support and
understanding.
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
1. Process of stereotyping ....................................................................................................... 3
1.1. Cognition ..................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Stereotyping ................................................................................................................. 4
1.3. Mediated stereotypes ................................................................................................... 5
2. Latino stereotypes in the U.S. movies ................................................................................ 7
2.1. Latino stereotypes in classical Hollywood cinema...................................................... 7
2.2. Latinos as a group ........................................................................................................ 8
2.2.1. Latin look ............................................................................................................. 8
2.3. Latinos as individuals .................................................................................................. 9
2.3.1. El bandido .......................................................................................................... 10
2.3.2. The harlot ........................................................................................................... 11
2.3.3. The male buffoon and the female clown ............................................................ 11
2.3.4. The Latin lover ................................................................................................... 11
2.3.5. The dark lady ...................................................................................................... 12
2.4. Reasons to stereotype ................................................................................................ 12
3. Stereotyping and reality .................................................................................................... 14
3.1. Film versus reality ..................................................................................................... 14
3.2. Impact of stereotypes on American public opinion ................................................... 16
3.3. Impact of stereotypes on opinion of Latino minority ................................................ 19
4. How to eliminate stereotypes? .......................................................................................... 21
4.1. Promotion of Chicano cinema ................................................................................... 21
4.1.1. The first wave ..................................................................................................... 22
4.1.2. The second wave ................................................................................................ 23
4.1.3. The third wave .................................................................................................... 23
4.2. Economic power ........................................................................................................ 24
4.3. Ten percent threshold hypothesis .............................................................................. 25
4.4. Latino screenwriters .................................................................................................. 25
4.5. Media literacy ............................................................................................................ 27
5. Latinos in Hollywood and their experience ...................................................................... 29
5.1. Latin Look ................................................................................................................. 29
5.2. Spanish accent ........................................................................................................... 30
5.3. Homogeneous Latinos ............................................................................................... 31
6. Case studies ....................................................................................................................... 35
6.1. Shall We Dance (2004).............................................................................................. 35
 6.2. Material Girls (2006) ................................................................................................. 37
6.3. The Three Stooges (2012) ......................................................................................... 39
6.4. Jack and Jill (2011) .................................................................................................... 40
6.5. Shrek 2 (2004) ........................................................................................................... 41
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 44
English Resumé ........................................................................................................................ 46
České resumé............................................................................................................................ 47
List of sources .......................................................................................................................... 48
Primary sources .................................................................................................................... 48
Secondary sources ................................................................................................................ 48
Introduction
According to several national studies in the United States over the last 15 years public

support for various social and criminal control efforts is connected with the perception of

Hispanics as potential threat to society (Welch). This perception of Latinos has negative

impacts on the way the dominant population treats this minority. This work operates with

presupposition that the negative attitudes towards Latino within U.S. public are influenced by

the way Latinos are portrayed in media, especially in films.

The media serves as the main source of information for those who have no personal

experience. Unfortunately, they reflect reality just from one point of view and thus it is very

problematic because the media misinterpretation plays a significant role in shaping public

attitudes and opinion (Vargas, DePyssler). Film is nowadays one of the most influential media

that provides the viewer insight into various places and times. However, what films show us is

just a subjective simplified and limited representation of reality. Hollywood filmmakers claim

that the characters are not “meant to be taken literally” or to represent entire groups, but by

the repeated casting of members of one ethnic to a certain kind of simplified roles the

stereotypes have formed anyway (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 18).

The thesis examines the characters that were repeatedly played by Latino actors (or

actors who were at least considered to look Latino enough) and thus became stereotypical

representation of the whole Latino ethnic. Some of the stereotypes have experienced some

changes, but yet they can be still found as I will prove in the case study of five contemporary

films.

However, if we want to examine the stereotypes in films, we first need to understand

what stereotypes are and why and how are they formed because “learning about the process of

stereotyping makes it easy to detect them” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 23).

1
Goddard and Patterson explain the brain functions that form the general framework for

stereotyping. Their study is essential for understanding the reasons for the formation of

stereotypes.

The basis of this thesis is the work of Charles Ramirez-Berg who focuses on the

Hollywood imagery of Latinos and responses of Chicano cinema to it. He describes the

creation and development of Latino stereotypes in Hollywood and considers their possible

future changes. Nonetheless, I use also reports of the national surveys held in the United

States to compare the stereotypes with reality and to find out how the stereotypes influence

the public opinion. Moreover, the thesis includes also the personal experiences of Latinos

working in the film industry that provides insight into their attitudes towards the stereotypes

and possibility of their change.

The key concept of this thesis is then to find out what the best-known Latino

stereotypes appearing in U.S. films are, what impacts they have on the public opinion and

how or whereas they can be eliminated.

2
1. Process of stereotyping

1.1. Cognition

To understand the problematic of stereotyping we have to first examine where does the

tendency to stereotype comes from. It is logical then to start with the human mind.

Human mind is very complicated. Even though science has been developing quickly,

we still know very little about the brain in comparison with the rest of the human body. One

of the most important brain functions is the cognition. Variety of different psychological

processes that occur in the brain like thinking, memory or perception, belong to the aspects of

cognition. Cognitive processes are extremely important as they “are involved in every aspect

of how we interact with the world – how and what we perceive, understand, decide, and how

we behave” (Goddard, Patterson 48).

However, it is impossible to perceive everything that happens around us. Goddard and

Patterson say “we cannot process all the information or data that we are receiving from our

sense at the same time [...] We need to both simplify and become selective about what

information gets processed and how far it gets processed” (51). But even if we are simplifying

and selecting yet we still perceive an enormous amount of information. The brain has a

cognitive system based on categories that organize information and enable “the location,

retrieval and use of information it contains” (Goddard, Patterson 50). The categorization

makes our thinking automatic and quicker.

On the other hand, we should not forget about the fact that the way our mind works –

in other words the way we think. It is “strongly related to our language and our culture,

because it is through these that we perceive and understand the „real world‟”(Goddard,

Patterson 47). Moreover, our culture and society influence also the categorization as the

categories used in a society are a reflection of its ideology. In this we can see the root of the

3
misperception of the others as “the way we think [...] is based upon social experience and

relation rather than a literal representation of the physical world and its „natural order‟”

(Goddard, Patterson 54).

1.2. Stereotyping

The process of stereotyping is related to the cognitive processes that are based on the

selectiveness and simplifying. Some cognitive psychologists describe stereotyping as “a

value-neutral psychological mechanism that creates categories and enables people to swirl of

data presented to them from their environment” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 14).

Goddard and Patterson describe stereotyping as a constructing of “a simplified and limited

model from the characteristics of a few group members” and applying these models to the

whole group (57). At first, it was supposed that the stereotypes could include both positive

and negative connotations given to an experience. However, the stereotyping for most of us

gained a negative meaning and nowadays is it often seen as “the process of applying a

simplified model to a real, complex individual” which has a “negative and derogatory effect”

(Goddard, Patterson 57). Today we understand stereotyping as “the act of making judgements

and assigning negative qualities to individual or groups” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in

Film.” 14).

Ramirez-Berg claims that the stereotyping as we know it nowadays consists of the

three crucial elements – category making, ethnocentrism and prejudice (“Latino Images in

Film.” 15). This means that the categories we make in our mind are influenced by our own

culture that we take as a norm. This norm is considered to be perfect and superior so

everything that derives from it must be subordinate. Goddard and Patterson agree that the

“stereotypes are very bound up with the social and political structures of our culture”. On the

other hand they also warn against the danger of stereotypes that “gain power and credibility

4
through wide use in everyday talk and texts“, even though they do not have to be true

(Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 57).

1.3. Mediated stereotypes

Bell Hernandez Castillo describes stereotypes as the “simple, one-dimensional

portrayals of a certain group of people, usually based on race, gender, religion, profession or

age” and she agrees that “we all stereotype people who are different from us”. Nevertheless,

there are more kinds of stereotypes. For this thesis, the division based on the reach of the

stereotypes is important. We can distinguish mental stereotypes that exist in the mind of

individuals, and mediated stereotypes that exist in the media. The latter ones are public and

have a global reach (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 38).

In general, researches showed that “there exists the tendency to racialize and genderize

media representation” (Guzmán, Valdivia 206). The problem is that the media are extremely

influential these days and form our attitudes. There is a threat that the stereotypes seen in the

media might influence our attitude toward the others. Moreover the attitudes fix our beliefs

that can lead to actions against the stereotyped groups. Stereotypes might be used to “justify

acts that would be unthinkable to commit against a member of one‟s own group” including

racial violence or lynching (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 20).

This thesis works primarily with the mediated stereotypes, especially the ones seen in

movies as the television is perhaps the most influential of all media up to day. The United

States Commission on Civil Rights supports the leading role of television when it states in its

report from 1997:

Audiences place a higher value on television as a source of information and

entertainment than on other media [...] Television does more than simply

entertain or provide news about major events of the day. It confers status on

those individuals and groups it selects for placement in the public eye, telling

5
 viewer who and what is important to know about. Those who are made visible

through television become worthy of attention and concern; those whom

television ignores remain invisible. (Treviňo)

Unfortunately, as I have already stated earlier, the stereotypes may have a basis in

reality but they are simplified, gather specific negative traits and put them into a particular

image. This results in the negative images of certain groups. I wonder whether it is better to

be ignored by the media or being perceived in a negative – stereotypical way. But even

stereotypes have its limits. One character cannot bear all the negative traits so they are

distributed among a “handful of mediated stereotypes who together are meant to represent the

Other” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 39).

As far as Latinos are concerned, the quality of their media representation is low. They

are mostly portrayed negatively – as poor, uneducated, lazy and violent with limited language

skills. The problem is that “many people from majority use these representations to form their

judgements and notions with very few real-life experiences with the Latino cultures” (Pehl).

6
2. Latino stereotypes in the U.S. movies

2.1. Latino stereotypes in classical Hollywood cinema

It is important to examine the typical Hollywood film narrative before we start

examining the role of stereotypical characters in it. The typical Hollywood film story has

three parts – equilibrium, disequilibrium and equilibrium. (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in

Film.” 55). As Hollywood studio films are made for the dominant group in society, they

represent the dominant ideology. This means the hero is usually a white, handsome, middle-

aged, upper-middle-class, heterosexual, Protestant, Anglo-Saxon male. He is supposed to

defend the status quo that is the best of all worlds and which is threatened by people who are

different from the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant norm. These negative characters are often

represented by the people of colour. They occupy minor roles that are used to display the

“absolute pre-eminence” of the hero. They need to be defeated to regain the status quo

(Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 67).

Of course, there are many more narratives that can be seen in the movies, however, I

agree that this is the most typical one, that can be traced in some variations in many

successful movies throughout the history of filmmaking.

Latinos tend to be represented in a negative way. They are usually portrayed as gang

members, teen mothers, illegal immigrants, drug dealers and traffickers, common criminals or

blue collars with bad-paid jobs such as maids, nannies, janitors, cooks, mechanics or

gardeners. In general, we can divide the representation of Latino into two groups – the

stereotypical representation of Latinos as a group and the individual stereotypical characters

(Vargas, DePyssler).

7
 2.2. Latinos as a group

Group representation is more common. The Latinos as a group are mostly viewed as

illegal immigrants who live in separated communities and are unable or unwilling to

assimilate (Vargas, DePyssler). In general it is believed that all Latinos:

- are loud,

- are catholic,

- are poor and uneducated,

- are passionate,

- speak Spanish,

- have big families.

We can see also representation of Latinos who are always dancing, peasant, violent and

having many names (Comedy Girls NYC). Latinos are equally often portrayed as unskilled

immigrant workers (Brayton 3).

2.2.1. Latin look

We can see that these stereotypes are considerably influenced by the race and

sexuality. As far as the race is concerned, Guzmán and Valdivia use term “Latinidad”. They

say that “as a demographic category, the Latinidad describes any person currently living in the

United States of Spanish-speaking heritage from more than 30 Caribbean and Latin American

countries” (207). The major problem of the Latinidad is that it is socially constructed from the

outside – that means by the dominant group – with marketing and political homogenizing

implications that leads to a suppression of differences and specificity of the Latin American

nations (Guzmán, Valdivia 208). However, the Latino population – similarly as the European

or Asian population - has a heterogeneous character. Suzenna Oboler stresses that “the

majority of U.S. citizens with a Latin American background identify more strongly with their

respective country of origin than with the continent as such” (qtd. in Heide).

8
 The other important issue is the sexuality which “plays a central role in the

tropicalization of Latinas” (Guzmán, Valdivia 211). The tropicalism is also connected with

the tendency to homogenize Latinos. It is represented by the bright colours, rhythmic music

and brown skin. The men are portrayed as the Latin lovers – macho, dark-skinned with

moustaches – while women look like the harlots – wearing red-lipsticks, bright seductive

clothing and extravagant jewellery, often having curvaceous hips and breast and long brunette

hair. Their bodies are sexualized and exoticized. The emphasis put on the breast, hips, and

buttocks (Guzmán, Valdivia 211). This results in the tendency of mainstream cinema to

portray Latinas as a sex object – for example as a damsel in distress that needs to be rescued

by an Anglo male – while white females are portrayed as strong, intellectual or authoritative

(Anthony).

In general, “whiteness is associated with a disembodied intellectual tradition free from

the everyday desires of the body”, Guzmán and Valdivia claim, in contrast “non-whiteness is

associated with nature and the everyday needs to the body to consume food, excrete waste,

and reproduce sexually” (211). Jack Thomas includes an example of these different portrays

stating that “when white women are prostitutes, they are usually the „hooker with a heart of

gold‟ like in Pretty Woman. When Latina is a whore, she‟s just a slut”.

This perception of Latinos might be influenced by the tendency to see Latinos as less

civilized and thus more influenced by the natural needs of the body. It seems that the natural

wildness is reflected as well in the personalities of Latinos – their voluptuousness, hot-temper

and loudness.

2.3. Latinos as individuals

All these presuppositions are combined and mixed with even more ones. Together

they form the six basis stereotypes that can be seen in Hollywood movies throughout the

9
history of filmmaking. These six stereotypes that should together represent the Latino

minority in the United States are:

- El bandido

- The harlot

- The male buffoon

- The female clown

- The Latin lover

- The dark lady

Ramirez-Berg suggests that these conventional Hispanic stereotypes could be divided

into two triads based on gender. Each triad consists of a central positive stereotype and two

negative alternatives. In the female triad the central position is occupied by the dark lady, the

negative alternatives are the harlot and the female clown. Similarly, the positive male

stereotype is the Latino lover, accompanied by the negative bandido and buffoon (“Latino

Images in Film.” 165-6).

2.3.1. El bandido

The image of the Mexican bandit is associated especially with westerns. However, this

stereotype has roots in the era of silent movies where appeared Latin villains called “greasers”

(Treviňo). Later the character moved to adventure films and lately he has shifted into the

gangsters/drug runners or gang members. Ramirez-Berg describes the bandido in western

films as a dirty, unshaven, violent and treacherous man with a heavy Spanish accent, scars,

scowl and little intellect. The current incarnations vary a little bit. The character usually keeps

the Spanish accent but the scars have transformed into tattoos. Moreover, in comparison with

the original bandidos or gang members, drug runners have more intellect which they use to

gain success in their illegal activities (“Latino Images in Film.” 68).

10
 2.3.2. The harlot

The harlot is a female counterpart to el bandido. She is hot-tempered and passionate

which results in her disability to control her emotions. She is often an overly sexualized

woman of ill repute. Ramirez-Berg describes her as a “sex machine innately lusting for a

white male” (“Latino Images in Film.” 70). Alicia Perez adds that harlots are usually “fiery

and uncontrollable” and are connected with what she calls a “Latin look” based on the tan

skin, dark hair and voluptuous body. In current films the harlot is represented by a ” Hoochie”

– a young loud hot-tempered gang member living in ghetto with bad attitude and many kids,

usually wearing vulgar clothes, extreme hairstyle and big earrings – or simply by varieties of

sex bombs, mistresses and prostitutes (Tomas).

2.3.3. The male buffoon and the female clown

The male buffoon and the female clown share more features than the other pairs. In

general, we can say that besides the question of gender they are more or less the same. In the

first decades of Hollywood films, they just filled the background. We can see them for

example in the westerns as the weak, sleepy, ignorant peons occupying landscape while

American cowboy expresses his heroism and gallantry or as the cowardly audience for a

gunfight (Treviňo). Both the characters work as a “comic relief” in the story - their facial

expresses and gestures are exaggerated and they act childishly (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino

Images in Film.” 71). They both make fools of themselves and speak funny English with

heavy accents (Vargas, DePyssler). These stereotypes transformed into the minor comic roles

of the Latinos as labourers – maids, nannies, shop assistants and many others – and the crazy

family members.

2.3.4. The Latin lover

The positive stereotype of the male triad is the Latin lover. Traces of this stereotype

come back to the silent era. The most memorable Latin lover of this era was Rudolph

11
Valentino who popularized this type of character and help to its quick establishment as a

Hollywood standard (Treviňo). He is characterized as a dashing and magnetic male,

“possessor of a primal sexuality” who can make the love sensuous and dangerous – that

means different from the Anglo standard (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 76). He

has an “irresistible erotic appeal to Anglos” (Vargas, DePyssler). He usually speaks in a deep

voice, using also Spanish words to express his passion and most of them are great dancers.

This stereotype remains almost unchanged until these days. The difference is that the original

Latin lovers were seen as gentlemen from upper class. On the other hand current Latin lovers

are much more sexualized and work more with the Latin look that attracts the attention of

women. They are represented by the sexy gardeners, craftsmen but also some gangster.

2.3.5. The dark lady

The position of positive female stereotype holds the dark lady – a fair-skinned,

European-looking woman (Vargas, DePyssler). Like the other female stereotypes, she is

erotically appealing. In contrast to the harlot, she is virginal, upper-class and controls her

emotions. She keeps a cool distance and often acts in opposition to Anglo males what makes

her fascinating and attractive for them (Ramirez- Berg 76). Nowadays the dark lady does not

have to be from the upper class. One of the incarnations of the dark lady is for example the

poor Latina trapped in the submissive role that needs to be rescued by a kind-hearted white

man (Perez).

2.4. Reasons to stereotype

As far as stereotypes are concerned questions worth mentioning are: How did some

characters become the stereotypes and why are the stereotypes used if they are so bad?

Hollywood filmmakers do not want the film characters to be “taken literally” or to

represent entire social groups. They do not even claim that the films represent reality. They

12
are simply telling stories and the character should narrate the story, not represent reality.

However, some characters tend to reappear in very similar forms in many films. This

repetition causes the formation of stereotypes that we accept as a norm (Ramirez-Berg,

“Latino Images in Film.” 18).

If we are not sure, whether a character is a stereotype, we can put it to a “stereotype

communication test”. It means that we just imagine that the character is a member of different

ethnic, class etc. If it functions well even under these circumstances it is not a stereotype, in

contrast, if it seem rare it is probably a stereotype because it “relies on specific stereotypical

traits of the group to make its impact” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 73). On the

other hand, there are characters that would work well even without Latino cast, but they are

hardly ever played by non-Latinos and so they automatically became stereotypes.

The answer to the question why the stereotypes keep being used is very simple – the

economy. Stereotypes work “as a sort of shorthand” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.”

18). By the repetition of characters looking and behaving similarly in the films the viewer gets

to know them. He is then able to predict who the character represents as soon as he sees it.

This is very important, because it saves both time and money for the filmmakers. Just try to

imagine that a drug dealer in a suburb would be played by a white, Protestant, Anglo-Saxon

male from upper class. The filmmakers would need to explain somehow that he is a drug

dealer because the viewer would not know that. On the other hand if we see a Latino male

with a tattoo and bad clothes we immediately expect him to be a drug dealer or a gang

member because it is always that way.

13
3. Stereotyping and reality

3.1. Film versus reality

It has been already mentioned that the stereotypes are one-dimensional images so it

does not reflect the complexity of reality as “the Latino experience is diverse, rich and

multidimensional, as is the range of all human experience” (Johansen, “Why Latinos Should

Depict Latino Experience.”). On the other hand, even though they do not fully reflect the

reality, they are not completely made up. Ramirez-Berg says that the stereotypes may have a

“basis in fact” and that there is something he calls a “kernel of truth”(“Latino Images in

Film.” 16). He explains that there are always some aspects of reality that are in some ways

very similar or at least partly correspond to the stereotype, however, the important details “are

either omitted or completely recast in the stereotype” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in

Film.” 18).

More authors agree with the truthful basis of stereotypes, on the other hand they also

warn against its negative impacts. Sara Gates says that “some may carry half-truths, but many

are over-exaggerated” that might have a greater impact on the public perception than we

would expect. For example Jeanine Basinger thinks the problem is the stereotypical imagery

of Latinas as maids. She does not refuse that there really is a considerable number of Latina

maids, however, “the issue is that not all Hispanic women are maids” so the roles of maids

should be played also by the other ethnics (qtd. in Navarro). Similar attitude holds Mexican

Ambassador to the United States Eduardo Medina Mora. He did not deny that the drugs are a

significant problem in Mexico, but he argues that it is not a reason for reflecting Mexican

American only as drug dealers and gangsters. He adds that the stereotyping in Hollywood

limits the range of roles suitable to a Mexican actor as “even our best actors [...] cannot

escape the gardeners and drug dealers trap for Mexicans in Hollywood” (qtd. in Estevez).

14
 To sum it up we can agree with Treviňo saying that all these stereotypes “reduce to a

one-sided, superficial and exaggerated depiction the real variety and depth and complexity of

a struggling people”. He adds that “social issues affecting Latino life in the USA have seldom

been addressed in Hollywood films” and that they are portrayed as people unable to control

their lives, fight for their rights or care for future. Moreover, he brings to mind that there is

another problematic aspect of the representation of Latinos in general as “historically, there

have been relatively few portrayals of Latinos of any kind in motion pictures and television”

especially if we consider what population size they have represented.

According to the data released by the National Council of La Raza Latinos are the

largest ethnic minority in the country that in 2010 formed 16% of the nation‟s total

population. Their population has grown much faster than the U.S. – between 2000 and 2010,

their population grew by 43% and it is supposed that the trend will continue and that by 2050

the Latino population will form 30% of the American population. Moreover, La Raza

mentions important data proving that the stereotypes do not reflect the reality and

heterogeneity of the Latino population. They state that most Latinos are native-born

Americans and nearly 74%of them are U.S. citizens. The majority of them are proficient in

English. 66% of Hispanic households are married-couple families.

As far as jobs are concerned it is said that they represent a wide variety of occupations.

However, only about 19% worked in management and professional ones because they are

disproportionately employed in service and support occupations. It might by caused by the

fact that only 55.5% of Hispanic students graduated from high school in the past few years.

On the other hand, in 2010 63% of Hispanics older than 25 had at least a high school

education and there were 14% Hispanics with at least bachelor‟s degree. The unemployment

rate in 2011 was 11.3% (rate of total U.S. population was 8.8%). In 2009 twelve million

15
Latinos were counted as poor (“Twenty of the Most Frequently Asked Questions About

Hispanics in the U.S.”).

3.2. Impact of stereotypes on American public opinion

A serious problem of the stereotyping is that the stereotypes are believed and the belief

is usually connected with an attitude toward a group (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.”

20). I have found results of two researches that support the above mentioned impacts of the

media.

The first one - the Impact of Media stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards

Latinos implemented by Latino Decisions – is a complex research project consisting of two

parts – a national survey and an interactive online experiment including Non-Latino

respondents. The survey showed that there are positive perceptions of Latinos. The majority

of the respondents consider them to be family oriented hardworking, religious and honest. The

respondents had mixed feelings about the education, will to learn English or the number of

kids of Latinos. Unfortunately, the survey showed that the respondents see Latinos in film to

play roles of criminals or gang members (71%), gardeners (64%), maids (61%) or police

officers (56%). On the contrary, Latinos are seldom seen as lawyers and judges (38%) or

teachers (42%) (Barreto, Matt A., at al.3-7).

The other research was made by sociologists Jeffrey Timberlake and Rhys Williams.

In fact, it was based on the Ohioan phone survey that compared stereotypes of immigrants

from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The researchers consider Ohio to be

the most suitable place for the survey because there is a relatively low level of immigration

which makes the researches think “that Ohioans‟ attitudes are more likely to reflect national-

level debates on immigrants and immigration policy” because the attitudes are not influenced

by a negative personal experience. The survey focused on five stereotypes – the level of

poverty, intelligence, dependence on government assistance, assimilation and violence. The

16
research reveals that “Latin Americans were rated most poorly on all of the characteristics.”

They held an equally bad position only with Middle Easterners in the question of the level of

assimilation and violence (Fuller, “UC Research Examines Stereotypes of Immigrants to the

United States.” ).

As far as the first survey is concerned I should add that it focused also on another

important issue that plays an important role in the shaping of public opinion. That is the level

of contact or how the researchers called it the “familiarity with Latinos” (Barreto, Matt A., at

al. 2). The majority of the respondents report they are familiar with Latino culture (74%) but

just 44% daily interact with them and just 30% personally know many Latinos. The level of

personal contact is also a problematic issue of the other survey. The fact that the Ohioans have

a minimal personal contact with immigrants makes them more depend on the stereotypical

images of immigrants presented in the media. The researchers of Latino decisions claim that

“without direct experiences, media takes on a larger role in establishing opinions and

attitudes” (Barreto, Matt A., at al. 5). I absolutely agree with this. The Ohioans have no

chance to contrast the mediated images with real-life experience – either bad or good –

because of the low level of immigration. So the second survey can be used not just to compare

the different perception of immigrant groups but also to prove how the mediated stereotypes

influence the public opinion.

Many other authors agree with the influence of a lack of personal experience on the

shaping of public opinion. Jamie Pehl says that Latino stereotypes influence a social standard

that creates a norm. People‟s ideas are then, “created not out of reality but from this standard”.

In other words it causes that many people with only a few personal experiences with the

Latino cultures use the stereotypes to form their judgements. However, people should avoid

these judgements based on the mediated images as they contribute to the homogeneous

perception of Latinos that influences attitudes towards all members of the ethnic.

17
 Kelly Welch fears the negative impact of stereotypes as well. She thinks the negative

stereotypes towards Latinos have a power to influence the public policies. She found out that

the public in the states with a larger Hispanic population was more supportive of harsh

policies of social control than the public in states with a higher general immigration. She adds

that the “Hispanic stereotypes are driving public attitudes about immigration and not a general

dislike of immigrants.” Very similar opinion holds Sara Gates. According to her “people

claim to feel positively about immigration in principle”, however, it depends on who the

immigrants are because the “reaction to immigration is often filtered through attitudes toward

the particular characteristics they believe immigrant group hold.” I think that the Ohioan

phone survey confirms this statement.

Besides immigration, the stereotypical image of Latinos as criminals connected with

drugs and gangs has a negative impact as well. Latinos and other minorities do not commit

more crimes than the dominant population, “however, they are three times more likely to be

arrested for the same offense, under the same circumstances, than non-minorities” (Jimenez).

Moreover, according to the national report of Juvenile Justice and Mental Health the

minorities are more often sent to jails and prisons, they experience a harsher treatment and the

law enforcement officials use more often excessive force in minority communities. This is

really an enormous problem as the majority of the immigrant population has nothing to do

with crime. Jimenez thinks that the negative attitude toward Latinos is caused by the

“sensationalism and media attention to gangs” that paints Latinos “with criminal brush”. To

support these statements she adds that there were 3000 gang members in Monterey County,

California which might seem to be a great number, nevertheless it is just 3% of its Latino

population. This means that 97% of Latinos in the county are not involved in gangs.

18
 3.3. Impact of stereotypes on opinion of Latino minority

The media representation has a great impact not only on the dominant population but

also on the minority group that is being represented. Mexican ambassador to the United States

Mora thinks that movies provide insight into the attitudes of the country which produce them.

Stereotypes fueled by film influence the American public (Estevez). This issue is extremely

problematic because the immigrant can see in the media the “America‟s evaluation of them

and their experience” which is evidently not positive at all (Vargas, DePyssler). The media

give the viewer insight into the popular perceptions of Latinos – who they are and what they

do (Treviňo). However, Latinos and their culture keep being represented as exotic, foreign,

poor and lazy and this make them accept these representations as a truth and fact which

damages the self-image and psyche of Latinos (Pehl).

Unfortunately, these stereotypical perceptions negatively influence the attitudes, self-

perception and self-confidence even of the young generation of immigrant children and

children of immigrants. The young generation is raised outside the land of origin of their

parents so in fact they hold a difficult position on the border between two countries and their

cultures. They are less fixed to the original culture than their parents and, as for the rest of the

American population, television is an important source of information for them. Latinos

“grow up marginalized by the portrayal of negative stereotypes” (Hernandez Castillo).

“Television may be entertainment,” notes Patti Miller, on the other hand we should care about

“what message does that send to a Latina girl about her place in the world” (qts. in Navarro).

I agree that the stereotypical images of Latinos as maids, illegal immigrants, gang

bangers and drug dealers shape the image children have of themselves. Cartoonist and

political satirist Lalo Alcaraz stresses that especially for young Latinos – who are learning

what does it mean to be Latinos and are proud of who they are although some of them do not

even speak Spanish – it is important to have a personal knowledge of Latino reality

19
(Hernandez Castillo). The influence of Hollywood stereotyping could be so enormous that

some authors even conclude that “Hollywood has in many ways created rather than

represented Hispanics” (Brayton 462). In the next years this statement might prove to be true

as the new generations of American-born Latinos will lack the personal knowledge and

contact with the lands of their parents‟ origin and they will have to face the mediated

perception of Latinos as homogeneous unit.

Moreover, there is a threat that the young generations will accept the stereotypes as a

norm that they might use to think about themselves. For example, the over-sexualized

perception of Latinas endangers the self-confidence of American-Born Latinas who do not fit

the Latin look because they are forced to take the look as a norm because they see it in the

media every day (Perez).

Another issue affecting young Latinos is the number of their white suburban

schoolmates believing the myths they see on screen which causes the discrimination of

Latinos at schools (Pehl).

20
4. How to eliminate stereotypes?
The Latino population is the largest and fastest growing minority in the United States

with an obvious influence on the popular culture. The Latino influence is visible in many

fields of everyday life – from television and radio to culinary habits. However, there is an

evident disproportion between the size of the Latino population and its rather limited political

influence. This disproportion is caused by the heterogeneous character of the Latino

population (Heide). This character has also a negative impact on the attempt to eliminate

stereotypes.

Some authors compare the Latino stereotyping with the African American one. Both

these minorities have to deal with stereotypes based mainly on their race that show them as

criminals or inferior workers. However, the African Americans were able to protest against

these stereotypical roles offer to them with the help of groups like the National Association

for the Advancement of Colored People. Unfortunately, Latinos have never been united

enough to pressure the film industry as the black group did because they have always been

much more heterogeneous and so happened that these negative stereotypical roles passed

from African Americans to Latino actors (Navarro). Lichter and Amundson found out that

from 1955 to 1986 were 50% more likely to appear as unskilled laborers in television than the

black and white population (qtd. in Brayton 463).

4.1. Promotion of Chicano cinema

It is not easy to change the stereotypical image of Latinos, however, it is not

impossible. African American improved their representation on screen. It means that the

unified Latino population could also make a change. Edwin Pagan, the cinematographer of

21
document Latinos Beyond Reel1, thinks that Latinos need to fight for better stories about their

community. To do so they should get together and put a pressure. One person alone cannot

change the habits of the rest (Puga). However, the Latino population is heterogeneous as it

consists of many nations. On the other hand, the time and distance from the lands of origin

might contribute to the gradual adoption of the united Latino identity.

In response to the stereotypes arose a Chicano movement. The origin of the movement

traces back to the 1960s. It is connected with the Civil Rights Movement and movements of

Mexican American students that protested against racism, discrimination and exclusion.

These movements raised the consciousness of the Mexican-American population (Johansen,

“Notes on Chicano Cinema.”). The majority of this population then started to use a term

Chicano (which originally had a pejorative meaning) for their self-identification instead of the

hyphenated identity. They wanted to symbolically dissociate from both Americans and

Mexicans. They also reject any kind of identification with Spanish origins. (Heide)

The movement realized the importance of film and the media and agreed to promote

the ethnic pride by production of Chicano films. Johansen (“Notes on Chicano Cinema.”)

defines this kind of film as:

- Film by Chicanos = any sort of film made by Chicano filmmakers.

- Film for Chicanos = all the films addressed to Chicano audience.

- Films about Chicanos = any sort of film in which appears a Chicano.

History of Chicano cinema can be divided into several waves.

4.1.1. The first wave

The era of the first wave of Chicano cinema lasted from 1969 to 1976. During this

period, the Chicano cinema was revolutionary as the Chicano filmmakers rejected the

traditional Hollywood paradigm for being imperialist, racist and oppressive. The first wave is

1
Latinos Beyond Reel is a documentary about the Latino portrayals in mainstream film industry.

22
typical with a production of documentaries as non-narrative, non-mainstream forms which

provided filmmakers with limited resources make films (Ramirez-Berg, “Strategies for

Screenwriters.”). The filmmakers wanted to raise the consciousness of Chicanos, celebrate

their culture and history and politically, socially and culturally mobilize the Chicano

audience. During these years was established a professional training ground for the Chicano

filmmakers (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 186). In the 1970s the majority of the

Chicano filmmakers were trained at the University of California. This development allowed

several filmmakers even to enter the mainstream with films like I Am Joaqín (1969) or Raices

de Sange (1977). In 1975 was founded El Chicano Film Festival (Peña Acuña 401).

4.1.2. The second wave

The new generation of the trained filmmakers brought changes to the Chicano cinema.

Since 1977 to the present day, the separatist tendencies of the Chicano filmmakers have

moderated. The ideological messages in films soften as the Chicano cinema gets deeper into

the mainstream. On the other hand, they do not want to fit the mainstream and keep the

rebellious attitudes (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 186). During this period raises a

number of Latino students at universities enrolling in film and TV production programs who

are forming the basis for further development of the Chicano cinema (Ramirez-Berg,

“Strategies for Latino Screenwriters.”).

4.1.3. The third wave

In the late 1980s, there was a group of filmmakers who derived from the second wave.

They produced films within the Hollywood system or films very close to the Hollywood

paradigm. Characters are shaped by several facts, not just by ethnicity. These films do not aim

at resistance as the films of the first or second wave. The subject of critique does not appear

on the surface. On contrary, it is embedded in the deeper structure of the film. It usually

23
shows the dissatisfaction with the system that is somehow rotten (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino

Images in Film.” 187).

In addition there is a number of film festivals – besides El Chicano Film Festival – attempting

to promote the Chicano cinema held all over the United States. Moreover, the Imagen

Foundation organizes the annual ceremony where are the entities and individuals elevating the

image and status of Latinos rewarded with the Imagen Award (Villafañe).

4.2. Economic power

As the greatest minority in the United States, Latinos positively contribute to the

country in many ways. However, their demographic, social, economic and political realities

are often ignored. Latino population includes the most frequent moviegoers among all ethnic

groups. Their purchasing power reaches up to 1 trillion dollars. Such a considerable economic

power could enforce the filmmakers to modify their habits of stereotyping Latino characters

(Villafañe).

Actor Esai Morales encourages Latinos not to go to films that negatively depict

Latinos. He criticizes them for going to whatever. Instead they should support the movies that

are good for Latinos and walk away from those that are not (Pondal). Important Latino

producer Moctesuma Esparza agrees with Morales. He thinks that Latinos should realize that

they can choose what film, show or network they will watch. He discourages them of going to

films that do not portray Latinos accurately, because it is a way how to defend their image

(Villafañe).

I agree that Latinos‟ economic power is a reasonable factor. However, the audience

does not have to know that the film includes stereotypes or they just simply do not realize that

the character on screen is a stereotypical one. Moreover, the main cause of the evolution in

the roles given to Latinos might be the attempt to attract the economically important Latino

audience (Peña Acuña 400).

24
 4.3. Ten percent threshold hypothesis

With the economic power of Latinos is very closely connected the “10 percent

threshold hypothesis” (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 267). This hypothesis is

based on the evolution of Irish stereotypes. Irish immigrants made their way into all walks of

the American life. By 1880s they formed over 10 percent of the American population. This

meant that they became a significant purchasing power. They got into the film industry – a

place where they could display their talent and where they could told their experience. The

great number of Irish formed important both consumer and talent base which led to

minimization of Irish stereotypes.

Emanuel Nuňez thinks the Irish example could be applied also to the future

development of the Latino representation as the Latinos demographically crossed the 10

percent threshold. In addition, the number of Latino filmmaker increases together with the

necessity of the self-representation and artistic expression. However, the hypothesis does not

have to be valid. (Ramirez-Berg, “Latino Images in Film.” 267-70)

Moreover, I have already mentioned that who “they” are matters. It is easier for the

Irish as European immigrants to get into the industry and assimilate than for Latinos who are

much more often marginalized in all spheres of life.

4.4. Latino screenwriters

The university training opens doors to Hollywood for many Latinos. This is significant

because Latino filmmakers can reflect the real Latino experience. Unfortunately, the ultimate

creative control in Hollywood stays in the hands of “those with economic control” (Johansen,

“Why Latinos Should Depict Latino Experience.”). Chon Noriega says that “for the most part,

Hollywood ignores Latinos. When you see a number of Latinos in movies, you typically see a

gardener, a cholo, or maids. And those stereotypical roles are disrespected.” They exist just

25
because someone writes a story and makes a movie about them (qtd. in Martinez). The reason

why the non-Latino screenwriters portray Latinos this way might be simpler than we could

think. The writers write what they know. Unfortunately, the Latino characters are usually

written by the writers who personally either do not know any Latino, or know just a Latina

maid or Latino gardener they hired, or they know them just from mediated stereotypes.

(Hernandez Castillo; Navarro)

The best way to produce more real-like scripts is to let the Latino screenwriters make

them. They know everything about Latinos, their personalities, culture and diversity and they

have many valuable experience of what it is like to be a Latino in the United States and they

can reflect all this knowledge into the scripts.

The Latino characterizations - written, produced and directed by Latinos - differ

significantly from Anglo misconceptions. The Latino filmmaker can bring a “fundamental

shift to positive portrayals” of Latino based on their real lives (Treviňo). The Latino writers

are believed to be the only ones who can write stories exploring the diversity of Latino world.

Even actress Judy Reyes says that the progress will take much longer if there will be a lack of

important Latino writers and producer in the film industry (qtd. in Navarro). On the other

hand, even Latino writers do not always write realistic scripts. Producer David Valdes argues

that although he has read many Latino scripts, he has not found one that he could take to

Latinos yet (qtd. in Isais) .

The truth is that Latino screenwriters hold a complicated position. Ramirez-Berg

explains that if they want to be successful in Hollywood they need to master the dominant

screenwriting which is mostly stereotypical. At the same time, they should alter the

stereotypes to contribute to their ethnic group. On one hand, if they stick on the ethnic stories

they risk being marginalized. On the other, if they get too deep into the mainstream they risk

26
losing touch with their background and forgetting who they are (“Strategies for Latino

Screenwriters.”).

Several authors try to form advices for the screenwriters focused on the best way how

to eliminate the stereotypes in movie scripts. The most important is to avoid a good versus

bad binary. Some writers seem to take revenge on Anglos for the decades of stereotyping by

turning them into the villains. Nevertheless stereotyping is unrealistic no matter who is the

stereotype group (Ramirez-Berg, “Strategies for Latino Screenwriters.”).

The stereotyping should be eliminated in general. Even positive stereotypes are bad

because they limit the real characters. The best way to fight stereotypes is by reflecting a real

human experience, the complexity of the world and of the human character. Vargas says that

it is the mixture of positive and negative qualities that makes us human, so we should reflect it

on the screen instead of the unrealistic one-dimensional characters. On the other hand, he

realizes that the Latinos in the film industry are in a complicated position as they can only

decide whether they will involve in stereotyping and become successful or avoid stereotyping

and become marginalized. However, he gives them advice:

Embrace the human experience. Don‟t simplify it. If we‟re going to push for

positive stereotypes, at least let‟s exaggerate them to the point of ridiculousness

so neither negative nor positive are taken seriously.

4.5. Media literacy

It is important to admit that the stereotyping in films is not only a matter of

filmmakers. An influential role plays the audience. “Media consumers also hold a great deal

of the responsibility for solving the problem” because they should be able to change the

perception of Latinos by a critical analysis of the images provided by the media (Pehl). The

media literacy is essential to make our own rational decision. The key principles we need to

realize while dealing with the media (including movies) are that the media do not present the

27
real complex world but rather a limited construction of it. As construction, they can be

deconstructed and analyzed. Finally, different media depictions are shaped by a number of

contexts which influence the way they represent the world.2 As the media audience we should

actively interpret information received from the media (Vargas, DePyssler).

2
We can see considerable differences between mainstream and independent cinema.

28
5. Latinos in Hollywood and their experience
With the growing number of Latinos entering the film industry, the stereotypes seem

to be changing. Even though there are many Latino actors, director, writers, producers and

executives in Hollywood really doing their best, the process of eliminating the stereotypes is

very slow and difficult and so the negative stereotypes persist (Isais; Villafañe). In fact, some

believe that the negative stereotypes will probably never completely disappear (Treviño). On

the other hand, many Latinos feel positively about the evolution of stereotypes. This section

describes the personal experiences of Latinos working in the film industry and their opinions

of the future development of this issue.

5.1. Latin Look

The Latina stereotype is based mostly on the Latin look. Nevertheless, it does not reflect

the actual appearance of many Latinas. Actress Marissa Tomei had to gain weight and wear

bronzing products for her role in The Perez Family to look more like the Hollywood idea of a

Cuban prostitute. In contrast, Estrella Nieto was picked without auditioning to play a Mexican

girl although she is not Mexican and she cannot even speak Spanish. The producer simply

said that her skin looks like the skin of a Mexican girl (qtd. in Isais).

Similarly the roles of Latinos are often cast by actors and actresses from Spain such as

Penelope Cruz or Antonio Banderas. The reason for this is simple. They just look Latino. To

the contrary, Gina Torres never played a Latina on screen although she is a Dominican. The

problem is that she is black. She says she quickly realized that she was not going up for Latina

parts because Latinas were supposed to “look Italian” (qtd. in Perez). Torres‟ experience

might serve as an example of the suppression of the diversity of Latinos. In general there is a

lack of the Black-Latina representation in Hollywood which decreases the self-confidence of

29
the real-life Black-Latinas as they seem not to be important enough to be portrayed on the big

screen (Perez).

But as far as the look is concerned there are numerous actors and actresses of Latino

origin who rarely play Latino characters because they do not look Latino enough. We can list

Alexis Bledel, Frankie Muniz or Cameron Diaz who have at least one Latino parent. It was

told to actress Sara Paxton that the white girl would be never hired to play a Latina

(Hernandez, “Sara Paxton Explain Why Hollywood Won‟t Let Her Play Latina.”). Similarly

Puerto Rican Lana Parrilla say that although she played Latinas at the beginning of her career,

she has always been said not to look Latina enough because they wanted a Latina with

“darker skin, and longer hair” (Hernandez, “‟Once Upon a Time‟ Star Lana Parilla says

Hollywood Told Her: You don‟t Look Latina Enough.”).

Unfortunately there are also actors who do not care about changing the stereotypes.

The Colombian actress Sofia Vergara is often criticized for playing stereotypical roles which

damage the image of Latinas. However, she does not think she does anything bad. In her

opinion, the stereotypes of Latinas are not negative, in contrast she appreciates them for

showing Latinas as pretty, sexy and scandalous (Hernandez Castillo). Her attitude towards the

stereotyping might have a lot to do with her lack of Latino immigrant experience as Vergara

was born and brought up in Colombia and moved to the United States when she was already

quite a known person.

5.2. Spanish accent

Another important issue concerning the stereotypical roles is the Spanish accent that

are the characters supposed to have. Many Latino actors try to get rid of the accent. At the

same time there is a number of Latinos who do not even speak Spanish, unfortunately the

roles are given mostly to those actors who have the accent so even if they can speak perfect

English, they are forced to speak with accent if they want to get a role.

30
 Even Vergara says that she was trying to get rid of the accent. However, she could not

concentrate on both the pronunciation and acting during the auditions and she realized that it

is the accent that the filmmakers want. She just quit trying to change her accent which have

brought her many roles (“Sofía Vergara talks First Fragrance”).Similar experience has

Roselyn Sanchez who admits attending the speaking classes until today (Latinomediaworks,

“RoselynSanchez.”).

An interesting example is Lupe Ontiveros who was born in the United States and

spoke perfect English. However, she had to put on an accent that her family lost a generation

ago to get a part (Navarro).

5.3. Homogeneous Latinos

The stereotypes provide the simplified images of reality that suppress human diversity.

The Latino actors have to deal with being cast for the same roles all the time.

Besides her accent Ontiveros can serve also as an example of actress forced to play

Latinas occupying inferior works. She played a maid at least 150 times. Sometimes she is said

to be a Latino incarnation of the African American actress Hattie McDaniel who played

similar roles in 1930s (Navarro). She said that at beginning of her career she simply worked

as an extra and was happy for whatever role she got. Anyway, she soon realized that she does

not want to play maids all the time. Unfortunately, she had already made her name as a maid

so many important filmmakers like Steven Spielberg - whom she cannot reject - asked her to

play maids. However, she started to work with independent filmmakers who allowed her to

play a variety of Latinas so she could reveal her talent. Finally, she added that she did not

regret playing so many maids (Pondal, “Celebrity Habla – Lupe Ontiveros.”). She claimed

that at least she had a chance to portray them honorably and give them soul and heart

(Navarro).

31
 Roselyn Sanchez says that she has been rejected for playing a doctor because she has

an accent. The producers thought that the doctor should speak perfect English. However, she

does not agree with them because her brother is a doctor even though he speaks with an

accent (Latinomediaworks, “RoselynSanchez.”).

The filmmakers often ignore the fact that real-life Latinos are not just the inferior

workers and poor immigrants. Luis Guzman narrates the story of how he got to acting. He

says it was an accident. Some man simply asked him to join the career on the street as he is a

“hard-ass looking” Latino. Until that he was working as a social worker in New York City

where he got many important experiences with junkies, drug dealers or criminals that he could

later use in his acting career. He has already played in more than a hundred movies but most

of them were just minor roles so he complains that often happens to him that people ask him

where they know him from (Latinomediaworks, “Celebrity Habla 2 – Luis Guzman.”).

Similar problem has the actress Sonia Manzano. She notices people smiling at her and

thinking where they know her from. However, she does not mind it. She confesses to be

happy to be an actress because by appearing on the big screen she shows children how diverse

the American society is and that even Latinos have a place in it. She considers it to be

important because it teaches children that they can participate in the society and as well as

contribute to it. (Latinomediaworks, “SoniaManzano.”).

There are also many people in the film industry that feel positively about the

development of stereotypes. The current president of CNN Worldwide Jeff Zucker thinks that

with the increasing diversity of society it is just a matter of time before the Hispanic

portrayals evolve into a fuller picture because the range of role also increases. Similarly Fox‟s

senior vice president for Diversity Development Mitsy Wilson appreciates that the industry is

moving in the direction of putting Latinos in roles of leading characters (qtd. in Navarro). The

32
first Latino Miss USA Laura Martinez Herring claims that in Hollywood is everything

changing and that it makes her and the other Latinos happy (qtd. in Esais).

On the other hand, there are Latinos who are not so sure about the positive

development. Lalo Alcaraz wonders whether the stereotypes can be better. He just knows that

Hollywood should catch up to reality. Latinos simply know that they have to combat the

stereotypes as there is no chance to avoid them. Esai Morales claims to be “pissed” because

the industry provides just whites‟ image of what they consider to be reality. He and other

Latinos are forced to play roles that he calls “the four haches”. That means Hostile,

Hormonal, Humble and Hysterical Latinos (qtd. in Hernandez-Castillo). He stresses that

Latinos have more to offer to America as they are also a part of it (Pondal, “Habla Esai

Morales.”).

Another prominent figure who does not think the stereotypes would be changing is

Moctesuma Esparza. This Latino producer - a representative of the first wave of the Chicano

movement – has dedicated his life to the fight against the stereotyping. He has already

produced many films with the positive images of Latinos. In addition, he fought for the

diversity in film and journalism schools and established an independent distribution company

Maya Entertainment and a chain of theatres Maya Cinemas. Even though he still wants to

transform the stereotypical Hollywood image of Latinos into an image of them as people

ready to contribute to the country and society, he does not see the image of Latinos has

transformed. In his opinion, it is right the other way round – the stereotypes have even gotten

worse. According to his study, in the 1950s and 60s there were thirteen Latinos who could

headline a movie whereas today there are only five. All of them are women and only one of

them – Cameron Diaz – could raise the money for a film alone just by her name. The other

four – Zoe Saldana, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson and Eva Mendes – fall into a co-star

category. (Hernandez-Castillo; Latinomediaworks, “MoctesumaEsparza.”).

33
 To sum it up the situation within the Latino filmmakers is diverse. Some of them

believe the stereotypes are changing some do not. However, most of them claim to make

efforts to contribute to the positive portrayals of Latinos. Some of them try to avoid playing

stereotypical roles, others exaggerate the stereotypes so much that they cannot be taken

seriously. On the other hand, there are numerous actors who keep playing the stereotypical

roles without considering the negative implications it might cause to real-life Latinos. These

actors often include Latinos who were not raised in the United States so they lack the

experiences of the ordinary Latin Americans and the actors who are not even Latinos and are

cast according to their appearance which makes them fit into the Latin look category.

34
6. Case studies
The stereotypes can be seen in all kinds of the media. Very often we do not even realize

that the character has been stereotypical. In this section I examine five films where the

stereotypical characters can be found.

I have chosen the current mainstream films produced by the well-known film studios. All

the films were shot in the last ten years and thus they represent the up-to-date stereotypes. The

three films of older date I knew before, for the other two I searched at Internet Movie

Database3 where I looked up films in which particular Latino actors were cast. At first, I

picked about ten movies that seem to be suitable for my research and at the same time are

available in the Czech Republic. While watching the films I concentrated both on the Latino

characters and the major characters‟ attitudes to them. After having all the films watched I

chose five of them that I considered as the most convenient for my research. Even thought the

other movies also support the points I have made about stereotypes, the stereotypes in them

were either less evident or there were just few of them. On the contrary, the selected films

include handful of Latino stereotypes as well as some attempts to eliminate the stereotyping.

6.1. Shall We Dance (2004)

An American remake of Masayuki Suo‟s Shall We Dance? mostly tries to negate the

Latino stereotypes. Nonetheless, I found also some stereotypical features in the film.

John Clark (Richard Gere) is a Chicago lawyer. He has a beautiful wife (Susan

Sarandon) and two teenage children. On his way home from work, he spots an interesting

young Latina woman sitting at the window of a dance studio. He is so attracted by her beauty

that one day he starts to take dance lessons there without telling his family. Unfortunately, this

young lady does not care about him. On the contrary, she rejects him. Nevertheless, he still

3
www.imdb,com

35
seems to be fascinated by her. In addition, he gets every time more interested in dancing. His

family suspects him of adultery so his wife hires a detective to spy on John. When they reveal

the truth, they support him in dancing. At the end, the Latina leaves for England and asks

John to dance with her at a goodbye party. However, John decides to dance with his wife

instead. Later he and his wife arrive at the party and all the characters seem to be living

happily ever after.

The movie follows the traditional Hollywood narrative paradigm. A white, middle-

aged, Anglo-Saxon male hero has a perfect life, work and family. However, he is attracted by

a Latina that in fact disequilibrates the status quo. At the end, he rejects the Latina and returns

to his Anglo wife so the status quo is maintained.

The young Latina – Paulina (Jennifer Lopez) – can be classified as a dark lady. She

attracts the American hero, but she does not want to seduce him and keeps a distance. On the

other hand, she bears traces of more Latino stereotypes. Her appearance fits the Latin look.

Her body is sexualized, she is a great dancer and she is very passionate while dancing. In

addition, when she narrates a story about her childhood she mentions that her entire family are

dry-cleaners. In fact, it was a white, Anglo-Saxon costumer that inspired Paulina to start a

dancing career. This contribution of whites to the improvement of Latinos lives for better

often appears in the Hollywood narrative paradigm.

The movie includes another two minor characters connected with Latino stereotyping.

One of them is Chic – a young Latino guy who attends dance lessons with John. At the

beginning he acts as a kind of Latin lover – he claims to start taking lessons because of

“babes” and he very often speaks about seducing women. On the other hand, he is hardly ever

shown with any women and at the end it turns out that he is actually gay. This might be an

attempt to fight the homogeneous stereotypical images of Latinos by showing their diversity.

On the other hand, the major point of the filmmakers was probably not to show that all the

36
Latinos are not Latino lovers and that there are also homosexual individuals. The filmmakers

perhaps wanted a ridiculous Latino character the audience might laugh at - simply a male

buffoon.

The last character worth mentioning – Link Peterson (Stanley Tucci) – is not Latino at all.

Link is a John‟s colleague who loves Latin dances. Unfortunately, he feels shame for this so

he hides his identity while dancing. He pretends to be a Latino - he puts on a wig, uses

bronzing products and wears bright, shiny clothes. This vision of “what a Latino should look

like” perfectly fits the Anglo stereotypical image of Latinos. Later Link realizes how

ridiculous his behavior is and throws the costume away. This might symbolize the need for

rejecting the stereotypical views of Latinos. The Link‟s Latino alter ego is so exaggerated that

it shows the audience that Latinos do not neither look nor act that way. The viewer gets a

chance to compare this comic exaggerated image of Latino with the portrayals of Latinos in

other movies where they are supposed to be taken seriously.

Even though the movie might seem to be “stereotype free” there are hidden features of

many Latino stereotypes. On the other hand, the filmmakers probably only wanted to entertain

the audience, not denigrate Latinos. As far as consequences of stereotyping are concerned I do

not consider this film to be negative. The dark lady is at least one of the positive stereotypes

and the rest of the stereotypes there are exaggerated or comical thus they should not be taken

seriously.

6.2. Material Girls (2006)

A family comedy Material Girls shows the attitudes and prejudices of the members of

upper-class towards the less privileged population and their changes caused by newly gained

experiences and knowledge. The film is naive and simple, yet it includes the stereotypes and

at the same time negates some of them.

37
 Sisters Tanzie and Ava Marchetta are rich heiresses of a prospering cosmetics company.

They are living idyllic lives full of wealth and fame when a scandal with their product

appears. They lose everything and are being obliged to sell the company. Nevertheless, they

decide not to do so and try to find out the truth to clear their father‟s name instead. They move

into a flat of their Colombian nanny and maid Inez and with help of real friends they reveal

who is responsible for the scandal. At the end they save the company and restore their social

position.

The most obvious stereotypical character is the Latina nanny. Inez lives in a small flat in a

poor neighborhood – as soon as the girls come to the visit her, their car is stolen. Inez‟s flat is

full of religious items – there are crosses all over the wall in her living room. She uses

Spanish words while speaking. She lives alone, but she has two small daughters in Colombia

because she is not able to get them to the United States. However, kind white American girls

help her and at the end of the movie she reunites with her children. There is no reference to

the children‟s father. This is a typical depiction of middle-aged Latinas – an immigrant single

mother who has to work hard (often as maid or nanny) to earn a living for her family. The

image of a family separated by immigration and reunited thanks to the help of a kind white

Anglo savior is also often seen.

Another Latino character is a young Latino Rick (Marcus Coloma). At the beginning, he

is depicted as a guy parking the sisters‟ car at the parking lot of the company so both the girls

and viewer consider him to be working there. This would be also the logical outcome as he is

Latino. Nonetheless, later in the film it shows up that he is a lab technician who parks the car

just because he wants to be nice and he later dates one of the sisters. The character shows that

Latino can be more than a guy working at the parking lot. On the other hand, he helps the girls

to break into one of the offices. So he also bears some stereotypical features. The fact that he

is capable of breaking into some places indicates that he probably comes from a poor

38
background where he has learnt this. Moreover, it might seem that all Latinos – even those

who work as lab technicians – could be able to burgle.

The film shows the importance of knowledge. The upper-class sisters know nothing about

their employees. At first, they even have not known that Inez has a family. However, when

they are forced to spend more time with the Latinos, they get to know them and realize that

they have been wrong about them. The movie could inspire the audience to avoid prejudices

by using their own knowledge.

6.3. The Three Stooges (2012)

The movie The Three Stooges is an example of current movie where one of the traditional

stereotypical Latino characters appears in an almost unchanged form and carries various

negative characteristics.

Larry, Curly and Moe are three friends that grew up in an orphanage like brothers. Even

as adults they stay at the orphanage and work as servicemen there. However, as they are lazy,

irresponsible and cause many accidents the orphanage goes bankrupt. If they do not get

830.000 dollars in 30 days, the orphanage will close down. So the three men leave the

orphanage for the first time to earn the money. They are hired by a Latina woman to kill her

husband. However, they find out that her husband is their old friend and a mate from the

orphanage Teddy who has inherited a lot of money after his adoptive mother‟s death. The

three stooges decide to save him and ask him for the money they need. They really save

Teddy‟s life, unfortunately he refuses to give them the money they need. Luckily at the end

the orphanage is saved by a TV producer who intends to start a reality show about the three

stooges.

The Latino stereotype of this movie is obvious at the first sight. Lydia (Sofia Vergara) is a

typical harlot. She is a representative of the Latin look. She is tall, slim and tan with dark long

hair. She wears high-heels and tight short dresses that put attention to her breast. She

39
apparently does not love Teddy. She probably marries him to get his money. When she

appears for the first time, she is cheating on Teddy with his best friend Mac. She is hot-

tempered, impulsive and manipulative. She wants Mac to get rid of Teddy. Mac says that he

loves her and that she can just divorce, however, Lydia says that she wants her husband‟s

money even though she does not need them. Later she persuades Mac to kill Larry, Curly and

Moe after their unsuccessful attempt to kill him (as they considered him to be Lydia‟s

husband). Moreover, she is sexually involved even with her father-in-law, Teddy‟s stepfather

Mr. Harter. It later comes up that Lydia and Mr. Harter are just using Mac to get rid of Teddy.

Fortunately they are defeated and arrested. Teddy finds a new partner and starts a family with

her.

I wonder why the filmmaker did not cast any non-Latina. The story would function also

very well with any white American. The problem is that according to the filmmakers, the

Latina harlot fits there much better. The film proves that the repetition of casting Latinos for

the stereotypical roles keeps going on and thus it sabotages the attempts to eliminate

stereotypes.

6.4. Jack and Jill (2011)

Jack and Jill is another comedy where we can find a Latino employed as a minor worker

in a house of an upper-class white Anglo-Saxon male. However, in this movie, he is depicted

in a more stereotypical way than the nanny and maid Inez in Material Girl.

Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler) are identical twins. Jack works in advertising. He has a big

house and a happy family. On the other hand, he has a complicated relation with his twin

sister who is coming for a Thanksgiving visit. Jill is an annoying, ignorant, loud and

masculine middle-age woman living just with her parrot. When Jack finds out that she wants

to stay with them in his house for some time, he decides to find her a man to get rid of her.

Unfortunately it soon shows up that it is not as easy as he thought. Moreover, Al Pacino –

40
whom Jack needs for a commercial – gets obsessed with Jill so Jack forces her to date him. At

the end, Jill refuses Al and starts her life with Jack‟s gardener Felipe and his family.

In the comedy, the Latino stereotypes are represented by Felipe and his family. Felipe is a

male buffoon. He works as a gardener and he always makes fun of others. He keeps saying:

“I‟m kidding.” Once he takes Jill to his family reunion. At this reunion are reflected many of

the Latino stereotypes. There is a Spanish guitar music playing in the background. There are

colorful balloons everywhere in the park. Felipe family is numerous and all the family

members are called just by variations of names Juan and José. He introduces his kids as José,

José Junior and Josefina. He invites Jill to eat a Mexican food, but he prevents her from eating

a jalapeño pepper saying her that it is too hot. On the other hand Felipe‟s grandmother is

eating the peppers all the time. This probably represents that all Mexicans love the hot food.

All the family members love fun – they are just drinking, eating, singing, dancing and playing

football. However, there are also hints of fact that they are poor. As an example of the poverty

might serve their “dance floor” made of pieces of ripped paper boxes pasted together.

So even though the movie‟s happy ending includes Felipe, it is still extremely

stereotyping and does not contribute to the positive picture of Latinos on screen.

6.5. Shrek 2 (2004)

It is important to realize that the stereotypes can be seen even in cartoons, comedies and

fairy tales. We are taught to perceive some group in a stereotypical way from childhood.

Shrek 2 is one of the films where the stereotypes can be found.

Shrek and his wife Fiona are invited to the Fiona‟s kingdom Far Far Away. However, no

one seems to be happy to see that the princess married an Ogre. In addition, Fiona‟s father and

a fairy godmother have made a deal that Fiona will marry a prince Charming so they try to

separate Fiona and Shrek. Later the king realized that the Fiona‟s happiness is more important

41
than any deal and the story ends up with a great celebration where Shrek and Fiona get

together and the fairy godmother and her son Charming are defeated.

The animated films prove that the Latino imagery goes beyond the visual depiction. The

king tries to get rid of Shrek by hiring a killer – someone with a Spanish accent hid in the

darkness. This depiction is close to the image of bandido – mysterious man killing others for

money. We can see what the killer actually looks like when Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas)

attacks Shrek in woods. In addition, there is a flamenco music playing in the background. He

is charming and his appearance reminds of Zorro – similarly he signs by carving later P into a

tree with his sword. He fights with Shrek but he is defeated and starts being humble. He

claims to be poor and that he has to care about his sick parents and little brothers and sisters.

While speaking with Shrek he uses some well-known Spanish words like “por favor” or “sí”.

On the other hand, he shows to be honorable – he refuses to leave Shrek because he wants to

pay him back that he saved his life and becomes a reliable companion of Shrek and Donkey.

Later in the story there is a scene where knights – substituting police – are arresting Shrek,

Donkey and Puss In Boot. In the scene, the knight find out that Puss have some bag that

strikingly resembles drugs. This is related to the fact that Puss is supposed to be identified as a

Latino and thus a drug dealer.

Puss represents also a Latin lover. He is handsome and gives his companions advices

concerning women. When Shrek and Donkey wake up after drinking the magic potion, we

can see Puss in arms of one of the girls saying Shrek: “We love your kitty.” Similarly, when

Fiona in her human form meets Donkey and Puss while searching for Shrek, Puss answers to

her question whether he is Shrek: “For you, baby, I could be.” At the end of the movie, at the

party –or fiesta as the Puss says – Puss starts to sing “Livin‟ La Vida Loca” and flirts with a

cat in the audience while singing. After the party Puss appears with two women trying to

cheer Donkey up by saying he can find him some burro.

42
 To sum it up, we can say that although Puss is just a cat he is definitely meant to be a

Latino and bears stereotypical features that allow us to classify him as a Latin lover with some

features of El bandido. This representation sends children a message about the Latino

population that teaches them to connect Latinos with crime and sexuality.

43
Conclusion
Although Latinos are nowadays the largest minority in the United States, they keep being

portrayed as a homogeneous group of uneducated immigrants, gangsters, drug dealers,

criminals and inferior workers. As the analysis of the national surveys showed the stereotypes

are not only far from true but they also have negative impacts on the public opinion about

Latinos and that is the reason why they should be eliminated.

Unfortunately, the process of changing the stereotypes is very complex and

problematic and would need to involve many people. The scripts should be written by Latino

screenwriters who master the Hollywood paradigm, but at the same time avoid stereotyping.

Actors should reject offers to play stereotypical roles and avoid exaggerating them.

Nevertheless Hollywood filmmakers can always hire someone else to write the scripts or to

play the Latino roles if the Latinos refuse to do so. This is the reason why the audience plays

an important role in the fight against stereotypes. The audience can decide what films they

will go to. Viewers who want to contribute to the positive development of the stereotyping,

can do so by not going to the stereotyping films. They can support more realistic independent

films instead. Regardless, if they go to a stereotyping movie they should be able to

deconstruct it and not just take the images for granted. The children in schools should be

taught to critically analyze mediated images instead of taking them for granted. In addition

they should learn more about the cultures of the minorities that would provoke deeper

understanding of the others. Moreover the individual Latin American nations in the United

States should aim at substituting their heterogeneous character by a more united one that

would aim at the improvement of their situation. To effectively do so, they should support

organizations promoting their civil rights such as the League of United Latin American

Citizens or the National Council of La Raza. This is probably the best way to change the

stereotypes.

44
 To sum is up, as the case studied show there are still numerous characters in the U.S.

movies that portray Latin Americans in a stereotypical way. On the other hand, there are also

every time more films where the depiction of Latino comes closer to the reality. Nonetheless

as long as there will be enough people caring just about success and not considering what they

might cause to the real-life Latinos, the stereotypes about Latinos probably will not be

completely eliminated.

45
English Resumé
This bachelor‟s thesis deals with the stereotypes about the Latin American population

that appear in the U.S. media – especially in films - and the consequences of stereotyping that

influence both the dominant American population and the Latino minority.

At the beginning, there are explained the key processes of the human mind which are

related to the creation of stereotypes. It is followed by the description of the particular

stereotypes about Latinos as a group, and a list of the six individual stereotypical characters

that can be found in the history of the U.S. filmmaking. Later, it compares the stereotypes

with reality using the results of the national surveys held in the United States. Moreover it

discusses the impacts of the stereotypes on the dominant population and on Latinos.

On the other hand, the thesis focuses also on the possibilities of changing or

eliminating the stereotypes. It states efforts of some Latinos working in the U.S. film industry

that might improve the situation and also their personal experiences with stereotyping.

In the last part of the thesis are analysed five contemporary films. The analyses reveal

stereotypes that appear in the film and they deal with the impacts they might have on the

viewer.

The conclusion provides a summary of the main points concerning stereotypes and

their impacts. Moreover, it lists some aspects that together might contribute to the fight

against stereotyping.

46
České resumé
Tato bakalářská práce se zabývá stereotypy o latinsko-americkém obyvatelstvu, které se

objevují v amerických médiích, zvláště pak ve filmech, a jejich vlivem jak na většinové

americké obyvatelstvo, tak na latinsko-americkou menšinu.

Na začátku jsou vysvětleny základní procesy odehrávající se v lidské mysli, které mají za

následek tvorbu stereotypů. Následuje popis jednotlivých stereotypů o latinoameričanech a

seznam šesti základních stereotypních latinsko-amerických charakterů, které můžeme najít

v historii amerického filmu. Na základě výsledků národních průzkumů jsou pak stereotypy

srovnávány s realitou. Zmiňuji také dopady těchto stereotypů na většinové americké i

menšinové latinsko-americké obyvatelstvo.

Na druhou stranu se práce zaměřuje i na možnosti změny či odstranění stereotypů. Uvádí

snahy některých latinoameričanů pracujících v americkém filmovém průmyslu, které by

mohly přispět ke zlepšení situace, a také jejich osobní zkušenosti se stereotypy.

V poslední části práce je analyzováno pět současných filmů. Jednotlivé analýzy se

zaměřují nejen na jednotlivé stereotypy obsažené ve filmech, ale zohledňují také jejich možné

dopady na diváka.

Závěr shrnuje hlavní body týkající se stereotypů a jejich následků. Dále pak uvádí některé

z klíčových aspektů, které by dohromady mohly pomoci v boji proti stereotypům.

47
List of sources

Primary sources

Jack and Jill. Dir. Dennis Dugan. Columbia Pictures, 2011. Film.

Material Girl. Dir. Martha Coolidge. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 2006. Film.

Shall We Dance?. Dir. Peter Chelsom. Miramax films, 2004. Film.

Shrek 2. Dir. Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon. Dreamworks Pictures, 2004.

Film.

The Three Stooges. Dir. Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly. 20th Century Fox, 2012. Film.

Secondary sources

“10 Latino Stereotypes That Must Go.” Online video clip. HuffPost.com. Huffington Post, 4

Oct. 2013. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.

Acosta, Ikam. “Salma Hayek Wants to Change How Latinos Are Perceived in the US.”

HuffPostcom.. Huffinfton Post, 4 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

Antony, John. “The Sexploitation of Latinas.” UPLIFTT.com. United People for Latinos in

Film TV and Theater, 13 May 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

Barreto, Matt A., at al. “The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards

Latinos.” Latino Decisions.com. National Hispanic Media Coalition, September 2012.

Web. 16 Sep. 2013.

Brayton, Sean. “‟Mexican‟ Labor in the Hollywood Imaginary.” International Journal of

Cultural Studies. 11.4 (2008): 459-76. Print.

ComedyGirls NYC. “Latino Stereotypes for Dummies.” Online video clip. YouTube.com.

YouTube, 13 March 2014. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

48
Dong, Qingwen and Arthur Phillip Murrillo. “The impact of Television Viewing on Young

Adults‟ Stereotypes Towards Hispanic Americans.” Human Communication 10.1

(2007): 33-44. Print.

Estevez, Dolia. “Mexico‟s Ambassador Blasts Hollywood for Promoting Racist

Stereotypes.”Forbes.com. Forbes, 18 Sep. 2013. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Fuller, Dawn. “UC Research Examines Stereotypes of Immigrants to the United States.”

UC.edu. University of Cincinnati, 10 Aug. 2009. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

---. “Who „They‟ Are Matters: Researchers Assess Immigrant Stereotypes and Views on the

Impact of Immigrants.” UC.edu. University of Cincinnati, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 3 Apr.

2014.

Gates, Sara. “Impact of Latino Stereotypes: Latin Americans Viewed Most Negatively of in

Immigrant Comparison Study.” HuffPost.com. Huffington Post, 21 Aug. 2012. Web. 5

Apr. 2014.

Goddard Angela, Lindsey Meân Patterson. Language and Gender. London: Psychology Press,

2000. Print.

Guzmán, Isabel Molina, and Angharad N. Valdivia. “Brain, brow, and booty: Latina iconicity

in U.S. popular culture.” The Communication Review 7.2 (2004): 205-221. Print.

Heide, Markus. “From Zorro to Jennifer Lopez: US-Latino History and Film for the EFL-

Classroom.” American Studies Journal no. 51 (2008). Asjournal.org. Web. 16 Sep.

2013.

Hernandez-Castillo, Bel. “Beyond Stereotypes.” Latino Magazine. no. 2 (2012): n.pages.

LatinoMagazine.com. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

Hernandez, Lee. “‟Once Upon a Time‟ Star Lana Parilla says Hollywood Told Her: You don‟t

Look Latina Enough.” Latina.com. Latina, 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.

49
---. “Sara Paxton Explain Why Hollywood Won‟t Let Her Play Latina.”Latina.com. Latina, 12

May 2011. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.

Isais, Elsa E. “Latinos Work to Change Stereotypes in Hollywood.” Borderlands vol. 15

(1997): n. pag. El Paso Community College. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

Jimenez, Diana. “Gangster Stereotyping Endangers Latinos.” Monterey County Herald.

Monterey Herald, 2 March 2009. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

Johansen, Jason C. “Notes on Chicano cinema.” Jump Cut: A review of

Contemporary Media no. 23 (1980): 9-10. Ejumpcut.org. Web. 5 Apr. 2014

---. “Why Latinos Should Depict Latino Experience.” LATimes. Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov.

1999. Web. 5 Apr. 2014

Latinomediaworks. “RoselynSanchez.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 9 Jan. 2012.

Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

---. “Celebrity Habla 2 – Luis Guzman.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 9 Jan. 2012.

Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

---. “SoniaManzano.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 9 Jan. 2012. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

---. “MoctesumaEsparza.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 9 Jan. 2012. Web. 4 Apr.

2014.

Martinez, Kevin. “Boyle heights Beat: East L.A. Residents Claim Hollywood Depicts Latinos

Solely in Stereotypes.” HuffPost. Huffington Post, 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

Navarro, Mireya. “Trying to Get Beyond the Role of the Maid; Hispanic Actors Are Seen as

Underrepresented, With the Exception of One Part.” The New York Times. The New

York Times, 16 May 2002. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

Pehl, Jamie. “Latinos in the U.S. Media.”TeachingLiterature. Teaching Literature, 12 May

2004. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

50
Peña Acuña, Beatriz. “Latinos in U.S. Film Industry.” Journal of Alternative Perspectives in

the Social Sciences. 2.1 (2010): 399-414. Print.

Perez, Alicia V. “Latina Women on Screen: A Realistic Portrayal?” feminspire. Feminspire,

n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

Pondal, Octavio. “Habla Esai Morales.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 11 Aug. 2010.

Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

---. “Celebrity Habla – Lupe Ontiveros.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 11 Aug.

2010. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Puga, Kristina. “Latinos Beyond Reel: Film Hopes to Change Latino Stereotypes in Media.”

NBC Latino. NBC Universal, 13 March 2013. Web. 16 Sep. 2013.

Ramirez-Berg, Charles. Latino Images in Film: Stereotypes, Subversion, Resistance.

Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 2002. Print.

---. “Strategies for Latino Screenwriters ¡Ya Basta con the Hollywood Paradigm!” Jump Cut:

A review of Contemporary Media. 38 (1993): 96-104. Ejumpcut.org. Web. 5 Apr.

2014.

“Sofía Vergara Talks First Fragrance and Why She Kept Her Accent.”HuffPost. Huffington

Post, 17 March 2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

“Study: Non Latinos Buy Into Stereotypes About Hispanic Americans.” HuffPost. Huffington

Post, 12 Sep. 2012. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

Tomas, Jack. “Maid in America: Top 5 Latina Media Stereotypes.” TuVez. Tú Vez, n.d. Web.

4 Apr. 2014.

Thompson, Katherine Clay. Cinema, Race, and Justice: A Qualitative Analysis of Selected

Themes. Diss. East Tennessee State University, 2007. Print.

Treviño, Jesús Salvador. “Latino Portrayals in Film and Television.” Jump Cut: A review of

Contemporary Media no. 30 (1985): 14-16. Ejumpcut.org. Web. 16 Sep. 2013.

51
“Twenty of the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Hispanics in the U.S.” National

Council of la Raza. Governors State University, 16 Oct. 2007. Web. 16 sep. 2013.

Vargas, César. “Downside to Positive Stereotypes.” HuffPost. Huffington Post, 13 March

2014. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

Vargas, Lucia and Bruce DePyssler. “Using Media Literacy to explore Stereotypes of

Mexican Immigrants.”Social Education. 62.7 (1998):407-12. Print.

Villafañe, Veronica. “The Hollywood „Imagen‟ of Latinos.” Poder 360°. Poder360.com, July

2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

Welch, Kelly. “Could Resistance to Comprehensive Immigration Reform Really Be About

Ethnic Stereotypes?” HuffPost. Huffington Post, 14 June 2013. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.

52