Growing up, I saw the same few storylines about Latinos: gang members, teen pregnancy, and hostile families. The storylines impacted me, and they made me aware of just how limited POC media representation was. In my mind, this created a tension of who I should be.
Those stereotypical storylines never reflected my experiences. I had family members who were going to college and had stable relationships with their parents. But the media portrayed Latino families differently.
I found I related more to white characters who dressed quirky and were struggling with their grades than most Latino characters.
How media beauty standards affect us
Stereotypes about Latinas have shaped my life, particularly expectations about my appearance. The media portrays lighter Latinas as the “Spicy Latina” or destined for early pregnancy. Meanwhile, darker Latinas were middle-aged maids and immigrants.
I fit the darker shade. Many girls at my school looked like me, but because the media only portrayed celebrities like Jennifer Lopez as the beauty standard, boys often ignored darker-skinned and non-curvy Latinas like me.
Around the same time I was facing bullying for my appearance, I felt even worse when I truly saw how media representation made an impact within the Latino community, especially affecting those with darker skin.
It was noticeable in Mexican soap operas where darker-skinned characters were always poor and always maids for white-passing Latinos. All of this added to the negative expectations placed on darker-skinned Latinos.
Actresses like Salma Hayek, despite having darker skin, are often portrayed as the Spicy Latina character because of their bodies and the “feistiness” in their accents. Meanwhile, Afro and indigenous Latinas are seen as less beautiful because they don’t fit the expectations of American or Latin American beauty.
As the professor Nadia Y. Flores-Yeffal puts it in a CBS 42 article:
… in most American media, darker Latinos are overrepresented in background roles or as gangsters, while lighter ones are more likely to have prominent roles, even as Latinos in general are underrepresented.
Then I found The George Lopez Show: the only sitcom that seems to honestly reflect a Latino middle-class family.
The impact of positive representation
George Lopez’s show, and the actors, made me feel seen. Not only did I see a realistic portrayal of Latino families, but I also saw Latinos in the arts.
Other good representations of Mexican-American struggles came in the form of Biopics. Selena and La Bamba showed me Mexican-American pride. I saw myself in Selena Gomez in particular because she’s very outspoken about how unrealistic beauty standards have affected her mental health.
These representations showed that Latinos can have success and supportive families. However, without a clearer representation of real Latino struggles, we can’t succeed.
As an article published by Scholars Strategy Network states:
By generating inclusive social networks, Hollywood would attract and retain more talent of color. […] More people of color in key positions and in the pipeline will help accelerate racial inclusion in the industry.
Artists like Ritchie Valens have inspired people like Selena Gomez. That shows how important representation is.
Still, I wanted to see a Latina who struggled to find her own beauty or navigated all-white spaces.
When I discovered the show Ugly Betty, I suddenly saw a version of myself reflected on screen. Betty had frizzy hair, braces, and was clumsy. Seeing a non-stereotypical Latina becoming a success in an all-white space gave me hope.
Relatable struggles and triumphs
Although Ugly Betty showed me that a Latina could succeed without the usual stereotypes, I also wanted to see Latinas feeling like outsiders because of race. That’s when I found Nia Sioux’s memoir, Bottom of the Pyramid. She seemed to share my experiences:
My skin tone did not blend in. My hair was different. My eye color and body didn’t fit in with the other girls. According to Abby, my entire appearance made the group less uniform.
– Nia Sioiux
In school, students put me into a mold that restricted who I could be. My interest in pop culture and fashion was too Mexican or too white.
Another similarity between Nia and me is the microaggressions we faced from our educators. However, talking to other Latinos about these struggles gave me comfort. Like Nia said:
Whenever a Black dancer was brought on the show, I would be so happy. I was excited that I could fit in more and stand out less.
Nia’s words are true. They empowered me to keep going with my dreams despite a lack of encouragement from society.
The change we all need
Through my journey, I realized that seeing accurate media representations is vital, especially when they are missing in real life.
It’s time we see people of color from different backgrounds who don’t forget who they are. We need more faces of encouragement.
