I kept reading a while back about how Disney was taking “huge” steps to diversify its productions. One of the products of such efforts was going to be Disney’s first Latina princess, Elena of Avalor. So with all the hype, especially after seeing a specific picture on Instagram, I finally decided to watch the show. It was like a wake up call for me. I have never really taken into account that some little girls couldn’t dress like the characters they wanted because of their skin color. Here is the trailer if you don't know what I'm talking about or just want to see Elena again:

When Elena of Avalor was announced, every Latino actor/actress that I follow on social media posted about it. They posted things like they were glad TV and movies were finally embracing other people since that has been a huge problem. Take “yellow face” for example, when white people were hired to play Asian roles. Not only did that become offensive, it’s also creepy since the actors end up looking like weird aliens. Here’s a BuzzFeed video that talks about it:

So there’s “yellow face,” but there are also the stereotypical roles that Hispanics get. Housekeeper, gardener, drug dealer, cook and all of them with huge accents. So having a Hispanic princess is a giant step for media diversification, even though it shouldn’t be because media should already have as much diversity as the world does. First let me tell the negatives of the show. There’s actually only one, that Elena is pronounced E-lay-na instead of the correct Hispanic pronunciation. But everything else is great!

There are tons of displays of Hispanic folklore, from Elena’s clothing to Avalor’s buildings everything is carefully executed to represent Hispanic culture. In one episode they even ate tamales in the palace! Some of the characters even have slight accents but they do not come off as offensive and are actually tasteful with a few words in Spanish thrown here and there. Elena calls her grandparents abuela and abuelo. Another specific thing I liked is when they said Elena’s full name and didn’t try to make it something funny like here:

Instead they just said: Elena Castillo Flores. Perfect, most Hispanics have two last names, because we get one from each parent, so I was very glad to hear that. It is a great thing that Disney has decided to make a second season for the show.

And another great show that diversifies media Latino-wise is "Jane the Virgin." The third season is being filmed right now, but the first two have been amazing. The thing that jumps out at most is the fact that a major character does not speak English. That’s right, Jane’s abuela only understands but doesn’t speak English! That is the reality of so many Hispanic or Latino families! Even though there are stereotypes, like the single mother who had Jane at age 16 or the telenovelas that Jane’s father works on, everything works with the plot and the characters.

There are family values and cultural practices in the show, but it is really the example of adaptation to American life by immigrants. The telenovelas I mentioned before are huge in the plot just like in Latino culture. They are the dramatic lives we seek to entertain ourselves like Rogelio, Jane's father, does. Anyway, Jane is also some type of role model because of her personality, organizational skills and dedication to her family and her dreams.

Both Elena and Jane share the basis of their personality, they are strong and independent in their own way and they are both opening new doors for further incorporation of Hispanics and Latinos in TV and movies.