Latin Looks: Images of Latinas and Latinos in the U.s. Media by Clara E Rodriguez

Author:Clara E Rodriguez [Rodriguez, Clara E]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9780429967870
Google: SwDFDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-10-08T10:35:18+00:00

Chicanes es Assimilated Americons (1970-?)

In terms of Chicana portrayals, two major filmic trends begun in the 1960s have had a major impact. First came the decline of the western as a popular film genre. Second came the ethnic civil rights movement, which included an all-out frontal assault on ethnic stereotyping and increased demand for a greater ethnic screen presence. How did these changes affect Chicana screen portrayals?

First they brought the virtual end of the filmic Chicana frontier prostitute. This image probably would have died of natural causes along with the general demise of the western film. In addition, however, the Chicana prostitute became a prime target of anti-stereotypic protesters, although a few Chicana loose women managed to survive, such as Cha Cha in Grease. Unfortunately, the decline of the western also brought an end to the era of strong Chicana western characters.

The decline of Chicana prostitutes and the virtual disappearance of strong Chicana characters did not have to be linked. Films could have, as they always could have, created strong Chicana characters other than prostitutes or mistresses. But, with few exceptions, filmmakers did not, just as they traditionally had not.

The anti-stereotyping crusade, itself a worthy movement, led to one negative, unintentional consequence. Along with the reduction of Chicana stereotyping came a reduction in Chicana typing of any kind. Thus a paradox arose. While more Chicanas and far more Latina screen characters have appeared since the late 1960s, they have usually been far less culturally Hispanic than their filmic predecessors, except for the de rigueur device of saying a few words in Spanish. Unable to present the Chicana characters that film audiences had grown to expect and accept, filmmakers generally stopped portraying Chicanas as culturally unique human beings.25

To avoid stereotyping but at the same time to carry out filmland s version of affirmative action, movies have littered the screen with Latinas who come off as little more than Spanish-surnamed Anglas. By the middle of the 1970s you could hardly have an urban bank scene without at least one identifiably Latina teller (Dog Day Afternoon, 1975), an office without at least one identifiably Latina secretary (9 to 5, 1980), a classroom scene without at least one Miss Gómez or López, or a wealthy home without a Latina maid, usually monolingually Spanish (Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice, 1969, and The Changeling, 1979). With a few notable exceptions, such as the stalwart, stoic, yet compassionate Puerto Rican Nurse Rodriguez in Whose Life Ls It Anyway? (1981), these Latina minor figures have seldom had the opportunity to do much more than take up space, look Latin, and spout Spanish, or at least accented English.

Lest I be misunderstood, let me clarify that I am pleased with such quantitative progress, no matter how token it may be. But this plethora of Latinas in minor cultureless roles or as background atmosphere is a far cry from such culturally real Chicanas as those portrayed by Katy Jurado and Rosaura Revueltas. Give me those strong, intelligent Chicana prostitutes anytime over the current carload of Hispanic Barbie-doll characters.

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