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Latinas Stereotypes

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For years Latinas have been commonly portrayed in the media as criminals, maids, spicy, sexy, and many other untrue stereotypes. In an effort to change the way people perceive Latina women as a result of inaccurate media depictions, many celebrities are using their platform to effect change by paving the way for Latinas to be seen for who they truly are: strong-headed, hardworking, passionate, and proud. The Mexican-American population alone makes up 17% of the United States population (Negrón-Muntaner), yet they’re one of the most poorly portrayed ethnicities in American entertainment. Notably, race and gender are one of the biggest topics in America right now; it’s important to analyze the intersectionality between gender, race, and the media. In particular, it is imperative that there be an understanding of the unjust way the media has been portraying Latinas and realize their important contribution to the entire social fabric of the nation. Aside from Spanish …show more content…

Sofia Vergara’s character in Modern Family is a prime example of a typical Latina stereotype. Vergara’s character, Gloria Delgado-Pritchett is a married to Jay, a much older white man, while having a child from a previous relationship. Gloria is the “sexy” Colombian woman who wears tight dresses and high heels, frequently mispronounces English words, and has a hot temper. Vergara is constantly criticized by her thick Spanish accent and not speaking “proper English”, While her accent shouldn’t define her as an individual, the show highly accentuates her accent to ridicule her. In the first season Jay’s daughter calls Gloria a “gold-digger” simply because she was younger than him and also because he was her primary source of income. Because of characters like Gloria that support Latina stereotypes, it leads many people to believe in them and think it is the mainstream norm for all Latina

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