Latinos in Social Media
Dani Barnhouse
Mrs. Goodling
CP American Literature
4 May 2015
From Maids to Landscapers: Latino/a Stereotypes in Modern Media
The word stereotype is defined as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. When many hear the word ‘stereotype,’ specific images may come to mind such as white girls always drink Starbucks coffee. Today, most people laugh and undermine the power of stereotypes but the truth is stereotypes are overwhelmingly powerful and are used to belittle people, groups, and especially races. The presence of stereotypes is everywhere, on billboards, magazines, social media, and even in the news. Many do not realize the power that one image holds. Everyday there are images printed and shared that deteriorate individuals and races. The Latino population, for example, is frequently stereotyped and belittled for being uneducated. Latina women are hyper-sexualized and are seen only for the ‘sultry’ beauty Latina women can possess. The Latino population struggles to overcome their stereotypes because social media presents and perpetuates stereotypes that negatively affect the public perception of the Latino population.
According to a study published by the National Hispanic Media Coalition, titled “The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards Latinos,” the media portrayals of Latino/as are largely negative and unfavorable representations of the Latino/a culture. The study asked over 900 participants to report the various roles they remember seeing played by Latino/as in films and on television. The study found that seventy-one percent of the participants saw Latinos portrayed as criminals or gang-members on television or in movies, very often or sometimes. Furthermore, sixty-four percent see Latinos portrayed as gardeners on a consistent basis. The most frequent characters non-Latinos see Latinos play are as follows: criminal or gang member, gardener, and/or maid. This finding
Mrs. Goodling
CP American Literature
4 May 2015
From Maids to Landscapers: Latino/a Stereotypes in Modern Media
The word stereotype is defined as a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. When many hear the word ‘stereotype,’ specific images may come to mind such as white girls always drink Starbucks coffee. Today, most people laugh and undermine the power of stereotypes but the truth is stereotypes are overwhelmingly powerful and are used to belittle people, groups, and especially races. The presence of stereotypes is everywhere, on billboards, magazines, social media, and even in the news. Many do not realize the power that one image holds. Everyday there are images printed and shared that deteriorate individuals and races. The Latino population, for example, is frequently stereotyped and belittled for being uneducated. Latina women are hyper-sexualized and are seen only for the ‘sultry’ beauty Latina women can possess. The Latino population struggles to overcome their stereotypes because social media presents and perpetuates stereotypes that negatively affect the public perception of the Latino population.
According to a study published by the National Hispanic Media Coalition, titled “The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards Latinos,” the media portrayals of Latino/as are largely negative and unfavorable representations of the Latino/a culture. The study asked over 900 participants to report the various roles they remember seeing played by Latino/as in films and on television. The study found that seventy-one percent of the participants saw Latinos portrayed as criminals or gang-members on television or in movies, very often or sometimes. Furthermore, sixty-four percent see Latinos portrayed as gardeners on a consistent basis. The most frequent characters non-Latinos see Latinos play are as follows: criminal or gang member, gardener, and/or maid. This finding
Cited: Correa, Teresa. “Framing Latinas: Hispanic women through the lenses of Spanish- language and English-language news media.” Austin, TX: U of Texas, 2010. Print. Negrón-Muntaner, Frances, Chelsea Abbas, Luis Figueroa, and Samuel Robson. “The Latino Media Gap.” Rep. Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race’s Media and Idea Lab at Columbia University, the Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, and the National Association of Latino Independent Producers., n.d. Web. 1 May 2015. Mendible, Myra. From Bananas to Buttocks: The Latina Body in Popular Film and Culture. Austin: U of Texas, 2007. Print. Segura, Gary, Matt A. Barreto, and Sylvia Manzano. "The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards Latinos" Rep. National Hispanic Media Coalition, Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2015. Spines, C. 2002. "One from the Heart." Premiere 16 (February): 37–43, 85.