"It’s really demeaning after you’ve won the Oscar to be offered the same role over and over again. They only wanted me to drag out my accent-and-dance show over and over again." (pg.174, Hadley-Garcia)
The filmmakers were not concerned about perpetuating these stereotypes in the cinema because they were made to believe that the Latina women were desensitized and unaffected by this representation.
The musicals, an increasingly popular form of cinema called for the flamboyant and sexy Latina woman. There was a great demand for these characters, who did not display a great deal of intellect but were proficient in dancing and singing. The characters also played up their ethnicity in these roles. "Her image was that of a foreign bimbo because she didn’t know much English."(http://www.aquarela.com/CarMir.html)
These females accepted these roles because they were the only ones available to them in this era.
These three women could not break free of these stereotypes once they allowed themselves to play these roles. They were forever typecast in these sexual roles because they proved to be successful at them. Carmen Miranda especially had a difficult time establishing herself as anything other than the lucious Latina. "Carmen became trapped in the image of the fruit dancer that every producer insisted on having. Even her attempt at a break-out role in Copacanba had to have her doing the same dance act for part of the film." (www. Aquarela.com/CarMir.html) Velez, with her thick Spanish accent, played out the ethnic stereotype to the full extent. "Her exotic accent charmed audiences and she was occasionally cast in different ethnic roles to take advantage of this fact." (
Her most memorable performance, in "The Mexican Spitfire", epitomized the type of role that mocked her accent and culture. In this movie, Velez played the wife of a dignified anglo man. She was chosen to play a role opposite him in order to draw attention to her drastically different persona. His suave and casual demeanor was counteracted with her flamboyant and eccentric behavior. Her behavior was justified however because it was typical of the Latina.
In the decade of the 1950’s, the spitfire role had emerged and these characters became abundant in Latin American cinema. The majority of the Latinas did not intend to occupy a role such as this one, yet because of the abundance of opportunities in this role, many were forced to be the comedic, quirky and often crazy Latina. "We see in the histories of the Latina stars the struggles of subsequent actresses against what became the predominant stereotype." (Pg. 80, Rodriquez) Wanting to succeed in the film industry, actresses often had to suffer the consequences of portraying a character such as this one regardless of the nature.
The stereotypes designated for the Latinos in this era became a stigma that was attached to them in every movie. The stereotypes became them and they were no longer able to reclaim their identity previous to these roles. "One of the saddest aspects of stereotyping is that out-group members may begin to believe and accept the stereotype." (pg. 119, Ramirez-Berg). This seems to have been the case because the intention of film is to be a reflection of reality. It can be assumed that the filmmakers did indeed perceive Latinas to be of this nature and as a result created a character that personified it.
The stereotypical roles that were created for the Latinas in the earlier decades continued throughout the decades of resistance when Latino’s became cognizant of the negative depictions that had defined them in Hollywood. There was a trend referred to as Hispanic Hollywood in which Latinos started to participate in the production of movies in the film industry. The most significant improvement was the implementation of Spanish films in which films made in English were reproduced with all characters speaking spanish.
"The most significant result of Latin American protests, and the simultaneous development of competitive Mexican and Argentine film production, was that the large Hollywood studios-such as Paramount, Fox, RKO, and Warner Brothers- established Spanish-language film production departments." (pg. 22, Noriega)
This system was intended to please the audiences who spoke the foreign languages yet it can not be viewed as a major accomplishment because the same demeaning stereotypes were not eliminated and they continued to portray the Latinos in a negative light.
There were no vast improvements in the way that the Latinos were being represented on the screen. In fact, many of the Latino’s were accused of selling out to the anglo authority. Therefore, the same roles continued in the cinema and there was a great deal of discouragement in the Latino community.
The struggle continues to this day as many filmmakers perpetuate the stereotypes that were created over fifty years ago. The Latina women have not gained much leadway in terms of the roles that they continue to play in the films. The Spitfire character has persisted throughout the decade of resistance cinema as well the depiction of the dark skin lady. Both of these stereotypes present conflict among the Latino community because the Latinas feel as though many of these characters are creating bad reputations and labels for many who have tried to hard to combat this form of discrimination. As writes in her paper, "The media does not allow for positive role models for Latinas, making it harder for young latinas to have a high self esteem and feel proud of their gender and race. Instead most of the young latina become as the images represent, they become the prostitutes, drug addicted, sex driven and having many children at an early age."() This is a valid statement because often times, stereotypes are believed and people may begin to accept it for themselves if that is the way in which they see themselves portrayed.
"What makes Latina images different is that there are so few images, that they are so narrow, and that lately they are so consistently negative and lower class." (pg. 76, Rodriguez). It has become increasingly evident that the Latina image has taken on even more of a negative connotation and it is apparent that the filmmakers and industry do not have a strong sense of respect or a favorable perception of the Latina woman.
The Spitfire role has never ceased to entertain the Anglo audience. Since the goal of the filmmaker is interest and money, they have seen no reason to eliminate this role from our cinema. Although the spitfire role has been modernized to correlate with the time period in which the movie is set, this character maintains the same qualities as Lupe Velez exhibited in her "Mexican Spitfire" series.
"The image of the Latina as a "hot- blooded tamale" harks back to the Mexican Spitfire image of Lupe Velez in the 1930s, Carmen Miranda during the 1940s and 1950s, Charo in the 1970s and 1980s, and currently to the 1990’s own Rosie Perez." (pg. 76 Rodriguez)
It is apparent that many do not realize that roles such as these are denigrating to the Latina population. Also, many do not know that this modern character has evolved from the Spitfire image that portrayed the Latina woman as classless, obnoxious and often unintelligent.
The dark skinned lady, on the other hand, has a more deviant role in the past few decades of film. Many of these "vamp" characters are used for the purpose of corrupting the Anglo. They are often mysterious and there is a sense of deceit surrounding them.
Latinas found themselves inevitably as prostitutes and cantineras whenever a silly summer movie required a "rites of passage" scene for some cherubic Anglo teenager or when some "good ol’ boy" contingent of marines wanted some sexual frolic."(pg. 183, Rodriguez)
It is unfortunate to see how this Latina vamp character has evolved into a character that is used at the disposal of the filmmaker when a degrading role such as this is required.
There has not been a significant amount of resistance among Latina women in response to their negative portrayals in the media, especially in the films produced in recent years that present them as obnoxious and also seductive individuals. An example of this current misrepresentation occurs in the recent comedy "Fools Rush In." The protagonist of the film, Isabel Fuentes, is an young Mexican woman who immediately attracts the attention of an American businessman, Alex Whitman. A one night stand occurs as a result of his attraction to her. Initially it seems as if Fuentes, a character played by the actress Salma Hayak, is going to play the traditional vamp/seductress role that we have seen in a multitude of films. However, this is not the case as their one night encounter evolves into a relationship. It is interesting to see the clash of cultures that occurs once they become involved with each other. There are several stereotypes that are used throughout to show the disparities that exist between the upper class American culture that Whitman is a part of and the Mexican culture that Fuentes belongs to. These stereotypes are intended for a contrast and to show that the American culture is more refined than the Mexican culture that is represented.
As a result of this negative representation and criticism that the Latinas have suffered as a result of the film industry, a wave of resistance has been spurred in which many Latinas are attempting to redefine their role in films and media. Mostly through the means of powerful documentaries, these women are fighting back against the years of repression. They are opposed to believing that these created stereotypes are a true representation of many of the powerful Latinas in our society. The Latinas are finally getting behind the scenes of the film industry and are attempting to reconfigure people’s perceptions. There is an emerging population of Latina filmmakers in Hollywood now who are making progress in defeating the misrepresentation by conveying the true facts and experiences of Latinas. "Some Latina filmmakers have provided an outlet for previously silenced political voices." (pg. 185, Rodriguez) In their use of documentary, these Latinas are making an effort to show Latinas in their true form.
Documentaries such as La Operacion, which is a powerful piece detailing the scandalous practice of sterilization of women in Puerto Rico, serve the purpose of alerting a greater population of the hardships and suffering that Latinas have had to endure. This also demonstrates how traditionally this population of women has been taken advantage of and dishonored. This documentary served its purpose of shocking the public by revealing this scandal.
"It presents a ground-breaking reformulation of feminist politics of the body and reproduction. Weaving interviews and historical analysis with graphic scenes on the operating table, the film exposes the imposition of this practice of the Puerto Rican population." (pg. 204, Rodriguez)
This documentary and others similar to it are extremely effective in raising peoples awareness of the struggle of the Latina. Giving a forum for the women to express themselves and let their voices be heard is crucial in the battle against the negative representation.
Throughout the semester, the movies, readings and information that we have encountered have authenticated the struggle of the Latina woman in combating the negative forces against her-mainly the conflicts that film has caused. Their negative portrayals are still bring perpetuated and it would lead one to believe that the Latinas have made no progress whatsoever in the films. However, these representations will take many years to reverse and it will be very difficult for the Latinas to create a new image for themselves because of the existing perceptions that people have. In order to achieve this, Latinas must become an active force in the movement against the negative representation. Their voice and expressions of disapproval may force the filmmakers and industry to reevaluate the harmful stereotypes that they utilize.
