The Hypersexualization of Latinas in Media
“Exotic”, means to originate in or be characteristic of a distant foreign country. A word commonly attributed to Latinas in social media, TV, music, and many more fountains of media consumption. Latinas in the media often grace the screen as extremely curvaceous figures, wearing minimal clothing, speaking loudly in a thick accent, and appearing in scenes littered with sexual innuendos. These characteristics serve to exacerbate the hypersexualization of Latinas in modern-day media. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a confident Latina embracing her roots and physical form. However, that shouldn’t be the only portrayal of Latinas up for consumption.
From a personal standpoint, this hypersexualization did not make me, by default, embrace my innate characteristics. Instead, it filled me with unrequited embarrassment and a sense of shame. Whether it came from a male friend asking me intrusive and stereotypical questions about my upbringing, or from watching Sofia Vergara as Gloria Delgado-Prichett on Modern Family with my non-Latina friends. These small things accumulated in my mind as a teen, providing me with an “excuse” to diminish my pride in my roots, as they seemingly made me feel as if I was “exotic” in my own country.
In Modern Family, Gloria Delgado-Prichett, a trophy wife to a man nearly 30 years her senior, is constantly made to flaunt her cleavage in a pair of heels. She is portrayed as a woman who married her husband to elevate her financial status as she came from a background of Colombian criminals. In almost every scene she is in, the writers intend the audience to draw humor from the fact that she is always “yelling” about something in broken English. Sure enough, when I was re-watching Modern Family this past year, I found myself laughing at her character. A point at which I internally realized just how disturbing this blatant hypersexualization is. For a show created by two white men, Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd, I found it incredibly interesting how much they had to say about a culture they have no connection to. Vergara’s character was written as a “typical” Latina woman from a white point of view.
This harmful hypersexualization also exists in music. While it was great that the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show allowed two prominent Latinas in the music industry to perform, it did not help that they too, were in skin-tight revealing outfits, dancing in suggestive manners, and even going as far as to pole dance. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez are both musicians with well-established legacies, beautiful voices, and other creative talents. The nature of their performance made me wonder if they were truly embracing their sexuality in a way that had nothing to do with race, or if they felt as if that was the “brand” and “image” they ought to sell.
Not only does hypersexualization have obvious negative effects on how Latinas are portrayed by the public sphere, but it also has internal effects on our mental health. Growing up, anytime I felt insecure about my body or my inability to pronounce some words in English, it seemed as if I was never “allowed” the grace to feel that way because those same things, I was embarrassed about were considered “sexy”. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), this hypersexualization and fetishization are linked to low self-esteem, mental health struggles, and even body dysmorphia. To this day, I still have a complicated relationship and am continuing to decipher how I am “supposed” to feel about my hypersexualized characteristics in the media that are simply, just normal parts of who I am.
Latinas are intellectuals, creatives, researchers, entrepreneurs, and overall, dynamic individuals. It is incredibly important to have pride in your culture, your roots, your body, and every aspect of your persona. But frankly, Latinas deserve a more accurate representation in the media and should be portrayed for all they are, emphasizing their own respective minds instead of their bodies.
References:
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exotic
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2007/02/sexualization
https://www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/modern-family