Lizbeth Teodoro Aguas

The Misrepresentation of Latinos in Television and Films 

Credit: Cesar Pelizer

Latinos make up over 18% of the US population, yet there is a lack of representation in the mainstream media. When Latinos are being shown on television or films, we are most likely to be portrayed in a negative and stereotypical manner. Latinos also suffer from being oversexualized and dramatized in television and films. Some people tend to associate Latinos with violence because that is how the media likes to portray us. Since Latinos are heavily underrepresented, we are often followed by these negative stereotypes and this can eventually cause harm to the Latino community. It is important that mainstream media becomes more diverse so that Latinos can finally get the proper representation we deserve. 

In 2019, a study titled “Latinos in Film: Erasure on Screen and Behind the Camera Across 1,200 Popular Movies,” revealed that Latinos are still being misrepresented in mainstream media despite the growing narratives advocating for diversity and inclusion in the film industry. The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative along with the National Association of Latino Independent Producers and Wise Entertainment conducted this study with the purpose 

to examine the prevalence and representation of Latinos in popular fictional films.  “Latinos in Film: Erasure on Screen and Behind the Camera Across 1,200 Popular Movies,” reported that there hasn’t been a change in the portrayal of Latinos on screen in over 11 years. Over 100 top-grossing films each year, between 2007 through 2018, were examined and out of the 1,200 films released, only 3% featured Latinos as leads or co-leads. From that 3%, films that included Latinas as leads and co-leads was a total of 49%.  This proves how Latinos are underrepresented in films and television.

   

Not only did the study do a great job at showing us the sad reality that Latinos face when it comes to being properly represented in television and films, but it also listed out some of the most common stereotypes that Latinos tend to portray in films, which mirrors what we see on our television screens. To find out what the most common stereotypes Latino were associated with on-screen, over 200 fictional films were examined. According to the study, the most frequent portrayals on-screen involved stripping Latino characters of their culture or community. This means that characters were shown as not having any ties with their Latino community. The study claimed that “over 36% of all speaking Latino characters were depicted without any cultural artifacts, symbols, or references to their ethnic group.” While examining the films, it was also revealed that many Latino characters were associated with crime. Characters were portrayed as lawbreakers, members of gangs, and drug dealers. The study discovered that in just 3 films alone, “33 out of the 39 characters were linked to a fictionalized Mexican cartel.” Another stereotype that follows Latino characters involved religion. Characters were often portrayed as being religious and devoted to God, and those 

who had speaking roles often made comments about their religion. had speaking roles often made comments about their religion. The sexualization of Latino characters was also another common stereotype that was present throughout the films examined. It was discovered that “females were more likely to be sexualized than their male counterparts; 35.5% of Latinas and 12% of Latinos were sexualized.” Additionally, this study also listed out the jobs and occupations that Latino characters were often associated with. Latino characters were portrayed as having “low-skilled” jobs and occupations that didn’t require higher education. All of these stereotypes are continuously shown on television and films and they cause an impact on the way other people view Latinos. 

 

Credit: Naomi Elliot

= The lack of proper representation for Latinos has created a massive problem. As previously mentioned, the stereotypes that Latinos often portray on-screen now follow us into our everyday lives. According to Mingxiao Sui and Newly Paul (2017), “When audiences are repeatedly exposed to negative racial stereotypes, and in the absence of exposure to heterogeneous portrayals of minorities, audiences are likely to believe that the negative stereotypes apply to all members of the race.” Since Latinos are continuously portrayed as criminals, and drug addicts it sets people to think negatively about us causing them to believe that Latinos are bad people. This is one of the main reasons as to why we need better representation for Latinos. What people see on their television shouldn’t define who we are and what we do.

Why I care about this issue:

The need for better Latino representation is an issue that I truly care about and over the years it has created a big impact on my life. When I watched television as a child I never felt truly represented, and I couldn’t identify with any of the characters from popular shows like Hannah Montana or iCarly. The times I did feel slightly represented was when I changed the channel and watched anything on Telemundo or Univision. As I became a teenager and continued watching American television, I realized that I was never going to be properly represented. Looking back, I realized that in both American and Latino shows I rarely saw a Latino character with my similar skin color. In the shows I watched, almost all of the Latino characters shown on screen had light skin color, but that is a whole different issue in itself. Most characters with my similar skin tone weren’t the main characters. They were either gardeners, maids, or criminals. It is sad to think that shows that are supposed to represent Latinos and are aimed for us have still failed to properly represent everyone. As of lately, some may think that Latinos are now being recognized and represented on television and films and to a certain extent I also agree, but there’s still room for improvement. Netflix and other streaming platforms have a few shows with Latino characters, but some of those shows are still using negative stereotypes to represent Latinos. Shows like One Day at a Time, Diary of a Future President and The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia are representing Latinos in a different and positive light but shows like On My Block and Queen of the South are still portraying Latinos as criminals and gang members. Yes, it is nice to see that more shows and films are featuring Latino characters, but we continue pushing for better representation and even more inclusion. Eventually in the future, I would like for my younger siblings to feel like they are being properly represented. I would love for them to turn on their favorite show and be able to see themselves and feel empowered rather than feel ashamed of who they are. 

Sources:

Sui, M., & Paul, N. (2017). Latino Portrayals in Local News Media: Underrepresentation, Negative Stereotypes, and Institutional Predictors of Coverage. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 46(3), 273-294.

USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (2019). “Latinos in Film: Erasure On Screen & Behind the Camera Across 1,200 Popular Movies” http://assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/aii-study-latinos-in-film-2019.pdf