Representation; It Matters!

Hispanic Heritage Month ended about a week ago and as a person of Latino descent, it really served as a time for me to reflect. If you’re not aware, Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15th to October 15th. It serves as a time to celebrate the “histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America ” (hispanicheritagemonth.gov). It’s a very important month for me because I am Hispanic and Latina! Hispanic simply means from a country that primarily speaks Spanish and Latinix is a person from anywhere in Latin America or the Caribbean. 

I am of Ecuadorian and Salvadoran descent, with my parents immigrating to the U.S. from those respective countries. To me, Hispanic Heritage Month has always been a time to recognize the amazing accomplishments of my people and the ways we can share our culture with the rest of the world. This Hispanic Heritage Month, I tried to sit and process the concept of representation and the importance it has served throughout my life in relation to my Hispanic identity. I am immediately drawn to the arts; film, TV, theater, music, and art. As a child and as I’ve grown into adulthood, there has been nothing more comforting than looking at a screen, gazing at a canvas, and listening with intent to someone who looks like me and comes from a home like mine. That is why I’ve decided to share some of my favorite art pieces by Latinos, for Latinos, and featuring Latinos. 

Films: 

There are countless movies out there that are told by Hispanic directors and writers, I highly recommend looking into them! Here are some of my favorite movies from childhood that made me feel represented. Stay tuned to the end for some more suggestions!

“Real Women Have Curves” (2002) Patricia Cardoso: This film follows the life of Mexican-American Ana Garcia, played by America Ferrera, as she moves into womanhood and wants to grow into her independence by leaving for college. Battling her parents, whose strict Hispanic values want her to remain home, she ends up working a summer job with her mother at a sewing factory as a compromise, where she learns a lot more than expected. 

The shift into womanhood is extremely important in Latino cultures, as seen in events such as quinceaneras. However, it is also a time when our bodies become subject to so much scrutiny from the world because of the stereotypical box society places Latina women into. This movie served as such an amazing form of representation that our bodies are not meant to look perfect, and perfect isn’t even what everybody raises it to be. It also discusses important cultural narratives of Hispanic culture, such as the constant scrutinization of weight and appearance passed down from mother to daughter over generations. It mattered so much to me as a teenager to look at the screen and see scenes that I myself had encountered with my own mom. 

“Encanto” (2021) Jared Bush and Byron Howard: Encanto is a more recent movie and at a glance, it’s for a younger crowd than mine. However, this movie is special to me because I went to watch it with my two little sisters. Even more special was the fact that I was able to look onto that screen and feel myself as an older Hispanic sister being represented, and then look to my sides to see my sisters experiencing the same. 

Encanto follows the story of Mirabel Madrigal, voiced by Stephanie Beatriz, who is the middle child of the Madrigal family and the only one to not have received a magical gift from the house. Yes, I know this sounds childish but bear with me, it’s actually a much deeper story than you’d think. Other gifts include the ones of her sisters, Isabella who produces flowers, and Luisa who is super strong. Now here is where more meets the eye. Luisa, as the strongest, deals with the constant weight of having to carry the family forward and protect everyone at her own expense. Isabella, as the oldest, carries the weight of having to live up to her family’s expectations as the first, perfect child. (You can see now why I cried). Mirabel represents the black sheep of the family, as does her Uncle Bruno. Her abuela Alma’s story represents the common experience of wars and conflicts that occur in many Latino’s home countries that push them to immigrate to a safer place. All the aspects of the movie tie in to push forward themes of Latino resilience, hardship, and common narratives. A great example of the representation was seen in the party scene after Antonio’s gift ceremony, in which a small snippet of the popular Colombian salsa song En Barranquilla Me Quedo. 

Television Shows: 

TV shows are great avenues for representation. However, I should mention that we’ve come a long way in the way Hispanics are portrayed and represented but there is still a lot left to do. In the past, Latino characters have been placed in a box, with actors having to fake an accent or characters being riddled with stereotypical actions such as random Spanish words in conversation. These are some shows that I feel are changing that narrative. 

“One Day At A Time” (2017 Series): “One Day At A Time” is a re-imagination of the 1975 series of the same title. It is a sitcom based on the three generations of the Cuban-American family. I love this series because of its honesty in its portrayal. The show centers on Penelope Alvarez, a U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran, who deals with her husband’s alcoholism due to PTSD as well as her own issues leaving the army.  It touches on difficult subjects such as the stigma of mental health and divorce in Hispanic culture, as well as the stigma towards being homosexual, as seen in Penelope’s daughter Elena. It even touches on issues of immigration, deportation, and the struggles of obtaining citizenship in the U.S. I highly recommend this show because it really sheds light on important issues in the Hispanic community but in a real way, it is in no way corny or stereotypical. 

“Ugly Betty” (2006 Series): “Ugly Betty” follows Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), a Mexican-American girl from Queens, who is an aspiring writer who gets a job as an assistant to the new CEO of Mode, a top New York fashion magazine. The show follows her journey in loving herself for who she is, developing her confidence, and moving into womanhood on her own terms. I love this show because although Betty is Hispanic, it isn’t the center of attention of the show. Being Hispanic is just part of who she is, but it isn’t all that she is. The show does an excellent job demonstrating Betty’s culture and family importance in relation to who she is as a person. She has to constantly fight stereotypes and move her way up a highly misogynistic and white-dominated industry. She is just a regular girl, who just happens to be Hispanic; she navigates society, relationships, and life in the same way any woman would. 

“Pose” (2018 Series): “Pose” is a drama series centered around New York City’s Ball culture (an LGBTQ+ subculture in Latino and African American communities) in the 80s and 90s. It follows crucial issues in these communities such as homophobia, transphobia, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, homelessness, racism, and family estrangement due to sexual identity. It’s a bit heavier of a show compared to the more light-hearted shows I just discussed, but trust me it’s such a good watch. Like the other shows, it sheds light on everyday experiences in these communities that aren’t talked about enough despite their importance and frequency. 

Theater: 

There are so many great shows out there that discuss and represent Hispanic culture. However, there is one in particular that I came to love in high school and continue to love to this day. 

“In the Heights” (2008) Lin Manuel Miranda: “In the Heights” takes place in Washington Heights, NYC. It follows a block of characters, with Usnavi being the main character. Usnavi is a Dominican-American bodega owner who dreams of gaining enough money to fly back to D.R. The cast follows Usnavi and his interactions with characters such as Daniela and Carla, salon owners dealing with bankruptcy and gentrification, as well as Nina, a first-generation college student dealing with burnout and the pressure of being the first in her family to go to college. In particular, I really connected with the song Breathe. In this song, Nina expresses her troubles being a first-generation college student, something that I greatly relate to. The line “When I was a child I stayed wide awake, climbed to the highest place, on every fire escape, restless to climb. I got every scholarship, saved every dollar, the first to go to college, how do I tell them how ”. 

As the first to go to college in my family, I found great comfort in this song and finally felt represented. Another song that stands out to me is the song Paciencia y Fe, which translates to peace and faith. It tells the immigrant story of Abuela Claudia, an experience of hardship many Hispanic people face. I’ll leave you with these snippets of the song; “You better clean this mess! Paciencia y fe. You better learn inglés! Paciencia y fe…Struggling with English and listening to friends, Finally got a job working as a maid. So we cleaned some homes, Polishing with pride. Scrubbing the whole of the Upper East Side…And as I say these words. My heart’s about to break…And ay mamá, What do you do when your dreams come true?.. I’ve spent my life inheriting dreams from you”. 

Music: 

I could talk about Latino music for hours. There are so many genres, dance styles, and artists from all over Latin America and the Caribbean. I mean just to name a couple, you have Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Cumbia, Dembow, Reggaeton, and Ranchera but that’s only a couple. However, I am going to mention two songs that I really feel exemplify the core of Hispanic culture. 

“Mi Tierra” (1993) Gloria Estefan: Gloria Estefan is an iconic Cuban-American singer-songwriter. In 1993, she released the song Mi Tierra which translates to My Land. For context, Estefan wasn’t allowed to ever return to her home country of Cuba because of dissenting opinions of the Castro regime. In this song, she expresses her love, pain, and passion for her country. She writes: “La tierra te duele, la tierra te da. En medio del alma, cuando tú no estás.” This translates to “your land hurts, your land gives. In the middle of its soul, when you are not there.” She follows by later saying, “La llevo por dentro como no (mi tierra), canto de mi tierra bella y santa (mi tierra), sufro ese dolor que hay en su alma (mi tierra), aunque esté lejos yo la siento”. This translates to, “I bring her within me (my land), I sing of my beautiful and holy land (my land), I suffer the pain that’s in their soul (my land), even though I may be far, I feel her”. In these lyrics, Estefan talks about the deep connection we have to our homeland, despite the distance we may be from it. Our country and our heritage are something that lives within us. 

“Hasta la Raiz” (2015) Natalia Lafourcade: Natalia Lafourcade is a Mexican singer-songwriter. Her song Hasta la Raíz, which translates to To the Root, speaks about her connection to her hometown Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico. Like Mi Tierra, the song talks about the importance of remembering one’s roots and the fact that you are the collection of your ancestors; it makes you who you are today. I’ll leave you with these lyrics: “Yo te llevo dentro, hasta la raíz. Y, por más que crezca, vas a estar aquí. O que yo me oculte tras la montaña, y encuentre un campo lleno de caña. No habrá manera, mi rayo de luna, que tú te vayas”. This translates to, “I bring you within me, to the root. And no matter how much I grow, you’ll be here. Or if I hide behind a mountain and find a field full of sugarcane. There will be no way, my ray of moonshine, that you’ll leave me”. 

Representation is more than just seeing someone on a screen that looks like you. It is about having your experiences, concerns, and issues be discussed and given importance. It’s about feeling truly seen and appreciated for who you are. We’ve come a long way in representing different kinds of people in the arts but there is still so much left to do. 

As promised, here are some recommendations for pieces with Hispanic representation. 

Films: Stand and Deliver, McFarland, Coco, Cantinflas, Under the Same Moon, Selena. 

TV: Orange is the New Black, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jane the Virgin, Cobra Kai. 

Theater: West Side Story, Lydia, Letters from Cuba. 

Music: Karol G, Juanes, J Balvin, Banda MS, Los Angeles Azules, Ozuna, Selena, Celia Cruz, Bad Bunny, Plan B, Daddy Yankee, Farruko, Peso Pluma, Kali Uchis, Young Miko. 

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