Put Her On The Map
Central & South America
Negative Representation
• Latina characters are often hyper-sexualised which constructs a damaging stereotype in the media. • Sofia Vergara’s portrayal of Gloria in the sitcom ‘Modern Family’, is completely built upon false and offensive stereotypes. Gloria is a Latina trophy wife that is always in high heels, sexualized clothing and is hot-headed and loud. • A study of South American countries found that the participation of women in the media as a news subject has reached an average of 26%, 3% less than in 2015. Women in TV is now at 28% and women in radio is now at 22%. • UNICEF and the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media found that harmful gender norms and stereotypes were present in advertising in Mexico and four Caribbean countries - Jamaica, Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Women and men appear in advertisements at similar rates in the five countries. However, their portrayals often reinforce discriminatory gender norms, depicting women as caregivers and objects of sexual desire and men as breadwinners and leaders.
Positive Representation
• More Latina women are being given prominent roles in TV and film with shows such as Ugly Betty, Jane the Virgin, Brooklyn 99, and Superstore all featuring main characters and storylines relating to the struggles of Latina women, with all of the characters displaying independence and strength. • ‘Ugly Betty’ (2006) and ‘Jane the Virgin’ (2014) are two shows that challenge the stereotypes commonly used to define Latina women. They challenge negative stereotypes and show that Central and South American characters are complex and nuanced. • Betty Suarez stands out because of her atypical physique and the professionalism she puts into her job. Jane Villanueva stands out because of her relationship with her mother and grandmother, and living a life that she decides on. • A GMMP study found that the largest rise of women as news subjects was seen in Latin America (13% increase from 1995 to 2015).
Recent Positive Changes
• Filmmakers are starting to create series that feature more Central and South American characters in positive roles. • The Fiercely Latina group (made up of Latina celebrities such as America Ferrera, Gina Rodriguez, Eva Longoria, and Rosario Dawson), is a group of Latina women in Hollywood fighting for a greater representation of Latina women both in front of and behind the camera. They are campaigning for the Latina community to be portrayed positively and to see the opportunities that are available to them.
Barriers To Change
• Traditional gender roles and hyper sexualisation of Latina women has made it hard for women to get positively represented in the media or involved in the media at all. • Latina women are often exoticised in other cultures and media such as in the USA, and this furthers the difficulties that Latina women face. • Men make up many of the key roles in the media in Central and South America, which makes it difficult for women to make any systemic changes.
What More Needs To Be Done?
• Companies and individuals need to raise awareness of the lack of women involved in the media in Central and South America. Men in key decision-making roles need to make changes and offer opportunities and qualifications to encourage women to get involved with key creative roles in the media. • The public must continue to demand that programmes with accurate representation of Latina women remain on screen. Latina women need to be given roles in film and TV that go against traditional gender roles.
TV & Film Recommendations
• Zama – directed by Lucrecia Martel from Argentina. The film follows Zama as he waits for a letter from the King to grant him a transfer to a better place. • Camila – written and directed by Maria Luisa Bemberg from Argentina. The film follows Camila as she defies her prominent family in Buenos Aires by publicly criticising the Argentine dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas. • Pelo Malo – directed by Mariana Rondon from Venezuela with cinematography by Micaela Cajahuaringa. The film follows a Venezuelan boy’s desire to straighten his curly hair leading to friction between himself and his mother. • The Amazing Catfish – written and directed by Claudia Sainte-Luce and cinematography by Agnes Godard. The film follows Martha, a single mother of four, who lets Claudia move into their house. As Claudia bonds with the family, Martha’s health slowly deteriorates. • The Eternal Night of Twelve Moons – directed by Priscila Padilla Farfan from Colombia. The documentary follows Pili, an indigenous Wayuu, during her first menstruation, and what that entails.
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