Growing up, the media had a very big influence upon me and how I viewed myself and the world around me. Although I had idols of all types of backgrounds, I always seemed to find myself searching for women that looked like me, or simply were of Latin heritage in Hollywood. Like many females, I felt that seeing positive representations of women I could relate to would help me be more proud and accepting of my heritage.
Although I was aware that there were, in fact, Latin women in Hollywood, and I knew of their presence in my favorite shows, movies, music or simply in the media, I was also aware of the common stereotypes and "personas" many seemed to share.
Many are familiar with Sofia Vergara's character, Gloria Pritchett, in the hit series Modern Family. From the moment her character is introduced, Sofia's character is portrayed as a loud mouth, short-tempered, walking Latina stereotype. Whether it be her over-the-top accent or her marriage to a much older rich white man, Sofia Vergara's character seems to unintentionally depict every negative stereotype presented upon Latinas, suggesting that her strongest attribute is her aggressiveness and physical beauty (which she uses to her advantage continuously throughout the show).
Unfortunately, Sofia Vergara's character is not the only example of the hypersexualization and other negative stereotypes presented upon Latinas in Hollywood over time. Many actresses, such as Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez, Eva Longoria, Rita Moreno and others have portrayed these types of characters.
Although hypersexualization and the negative stereotypes of Latinas is common in Hollywood, in recent years, there has been more positive representation of Latinas in Hollywood. An example is Gina Rodriguez's character of Jane Villanueva in Jane the Virgin. Jane is a refreshing character in Hollywood, helping to destroy Latina stereotypes in various ways with her intelligence, non-hypersexualization and various ways of embracing her Latin roots.
Letty Ortiz, one of the lead characters in the widely successful Fast and Furious film franchise, is another positive depiction of a Latina. Her bad-ass, independent personality is prominent in every film. Her driving and shooting skills are as good as the other males, and her spitfire personality is developed throughout the franchise and is relevant to the plot.
Ultimately, I would like to note that this article is not insulting any of the actresses who have portrayed offensive roles in the past, as I'm sure they are intelligent, strong women. However, the blatant overuse of negative stereotypes presented upon Latinas must end. Although we have seen more positive representation of Latinas like Letty Ortiz and Jane Villanueva, we must continue to push for a change until Latinas depicting strong, diverse, non-stereotypical characters becomes the new norm.
