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The word Hispanic describes people from or descended from “Spanish-speaking countries, including people from Spain and 20 countries in Latin America (including Puerto Rico) that were once a part of the Spanish Empire.” According to this article from the United States Census Bureau, Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated by Americans from September 15 to October 15. During this month, they “celebrate the contributions of individuals tracing their roots to Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, and Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean.” They also state “historically, its timing is significant as September 15 is the anniversary of the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.” Additionally, September 16 is the anniversary of the independence of Mexico and September 18 the anniversary of the independence of Chile. Further stated in the same article, according to the 2023 Census, the Hispanic population in the United States was 65.2 million as of July 1, 2023, making it the largest racial or ethnic minority group of the country. So, if Hispanics make up almost 20% of the total population in the United States, why is their representation so limited and stereotyped?
Growing up, many children choose characters to look up to, sometimes ones of similar cultures to their own because they can see themselves and their families represented. For example, when it comes to dressing up as a character, some girls tend to dress like the princess they “look similar to,” either because they share the same culture or because they share traits like skin tone, hair, or eye color. According to reports, representation matters for kids’ ethnic-racial development because media serves as a tool to teach acceptance and inclusion. Different studies have shown that proper media representation can help children evaluate and understand ethnicity and race, which are important concepts to learn not only about themselves but about others as well.
In media, Hollywood plays a particular role in American society. Rep. Joaquin Castro says that “Hollywood in particular is still the main image-defining and narrative-creating institution in American society.” Nowadays, ethnic groups have been seen in different movies or films, but there is not a balance between them. Sadly, Hispanics are both misrepresented or underrepresented in the media despite how the Hispanic population is growing in the United States. A study by USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that only 5.5% of speaking characters on the big screen are Hispanic or Latino, 4.4% were leads or co-leads (less than 1%, or 8 actors total, were Afro-Latino), and 2.6% were born in the United States.
One of the biggest problems for the Hispanic community’s representation in the media is stereotyping. Historically, they have been primarily portrayed as criminals, maids, immigrants, or gang members, often in a negative light. Hispanic men are presented as gang members and street thugs, as seen in the movie West Side Story (1961). Women are seen as sexy, noisy, loud, aggressive, and bossy. In the sitcom Modern Family (2009), for example, the character Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (portrayed by Sofía Vergara), has a strong Spanish accent, is feisty, loud, and consistently presented as a sex-symbol. Hispanic and Latina women, according to Uno The Gateway, “were not happy with Vergara’s character since she was written as the stereotypical feisty Latina.” Even children’s shows have these misrepresentations with stereotypes; the role of Manny in Handy Manny (2006) comes from the history of Latino and Hispanic immigrants, specifically the idea that they’ll drop everything for work and a cheap rate.
Another aspect is the lack of actors and actresses of Latino or Hispanic origin playing those roles. For example, the character Olivia Delgado (Ronni Hawk) in On My Block (2018) has a particular scene in which she speaks Spanish to the other characters, despite not speaking the language herself, further enabling the harmful stereotypes that paint Hispanic women as being loud, aggressive, and bossy. On a similar note, Ronni Hawk is not even Hispanic or Latina and has been repeatedly casted as one in various shows. There are also cultural inaccuracies when language and traditions are involved. This can be seen in films when some characters say random words in Spanish and then continue in English. For example, the typical “sí,” “no,” “señor/señora,” and “hola.” The nonrealistic Spanglish is a way for the writers to remind us that the character is from a Spanish-speaking country and therefore exotic.
To further research these problems, I decided to interview Gabriela García González, a young Puerto Rican actress, to see if there have been some challenges in her casting process.
Q&A Section:
Lizbeth Rodríguez: Have you ever received a casting call for a stereotypical role?
Gabriela García: Well, I usually get castings for nanny and maid roles, because that’s where my ‘look’ falls; A noticeably young girl, Latina/Hispanic, with a strong accent. I’ve also received a lot of roles to play a waitress, cashier, and the typical quinceañera. The numbers of roles I get in castings always fall into that category.
LR: How do you feel about those casting options?
GG: When they offer them to me, I always try to see the positive side first, which is to see if I have enough lines to be in the project credits. After that, I analyze more deeply how I feel about this stereotype and it makes me feel underestimated. Especially because I’ve spent years studying acting and training in different workshops and classes only to be seen in such stereotypical and underdeveloped roles. Still, I try not to think too much about it, since these roles, no matter how small, help me get exposure in the industry and open up my options for other projects.
As we celebrate this month full of history and variety, it’s important to reflect on the ongoing challenges faced by our community especially in media and entertainment. There’s no doubt that there has been some progress, but the underrepresentation and stereotypical roles affect how masses view Hispanics. It is important to understand that representation matters, because it is how we see ourselves and how others see us. Demanding authentic, inclusive, and proper stories is not a bad claim; we have to begin dismantling harmful stereotypes and celebrate our cultures and differences. We must keep fighting for change, that way, future generations can learn and understand our culture properly all while watching their favorite pieces of media and entertainment.