In Search of the Latina Goddess: Part 1

I’ve received a few emails touching on an issue that I thought would make for an interesting series of entries. The issue can be summed up with one statement, “Loca is not a role model”. Before I address this issue I thought it would be interesting to see if I could find the ideal Latina role model on public television. Being that I’m limited to a blog entry, I narrowed the experiment to characters and not actresses, after all LittleLoca is a character too.

Here’s what I found:

A. From “My Name is Earl”, Catalina is an illegal immigrant, that works as a maid for a cheap motel. In this photo, she’s working as an exotic dancer. Summation; Catalina is the hot sex vixen. Show producers are Greg Garcia, Marc Buckland and Bobby Bowman.

B. From “Desperate Housewives”, Gabriella Solis is a divorced, self-centered, adulterer. Summation; Gabriella is the hot sex vixen. The show creator is Marc Cherry.

C. From “Ugly Betty”, Betty Suarez, is a sweet, intelligent and hard-working assistant. Summation; Betty is the oversized peg in the petite round hole in the fashion industry. The show creators are Salma Hayek, Silvio Horta, Ben Silverman, Jose Tamez, James Haymanand and Marco Pennette.

D. From “Grey’s Anatomy”, Callie Torres is an orthopedic doctor. Summation; Callie is passionate, intelligent and dedicated to her profession. The show creator is Shonda Rhimes.

E. From “American Family”. I believe the show it is no longer on air.

F. From “George Lopez Show” the females are as follows: Benny, George’s mother, is a loud mouth, obnoxious mother that drinks, smoke and curses. Angie Lopez is a bit of a bubblehead and dresses in tight clothing. Show creators are Bruce Helford, Deborah Oppenheimer, Robert Borden and Sandra Bullock.

After going through the list, based on the criteria that is placed on the Loca character, all these Latina characters, except for one, should be rejected and banished by the Latin community. Here are the guidlines I gathered from Loca detractors and applied it the characters listed above. 1. The character must be portrayed by a Latina actress or created by a Latina. 2. The character should have no faults or negative behavior.

Well, as you can see that leaves one character, Betty Suarez from Ugly Betty. Here you go ladies, your role model; the image that society buys, embraces and projects across half the world. It’s hard to argue against the success of the show. It is one of the most successful show across Latin countries, as well as being Emmy worthy here in the states. I’m being political correct here by excusing the ugliness as a fault, after all Betty is a cute, ugly, if there is such a thing. For my taste, I think the show’s environment is cartoonish, the characters are cliché’s and the storylines are too over-the-top to make the characters believable and realistic. But then again, I'm not Latina so my I'm probably not the intended demographic for this show, and the show is not designed to retain my interest.

For my liking, I think there’s a better role model than Betty but I had to dismiss her according to the criteria. I’ll have to tell you who she is in my next entry. Until then, I invite you to watch and examine these characters and ask yourself, do I think these characters are role models? Are they stereotypical or not? Are they racial or not? If they are role models (like Ugly Betty), do Latinas pay attention and learn from them? If they are detrimental then why aren’t they being bashed like LittleLoca? Of course you know I have an opinion on these questions, and I promise I’ll try to be “ugly” with them.

Happy TV watching!
pm

...but is it art?

The other day I read that Angel and I are “sellouts” to our race. Angel has repeatedly warned me not to read the YouTube comments on LittleLoca but I can’t help take a peek at them every once in awhile. The jest of the comment is that we are sellouts because we made a short film with LittleLoca. You are probably thinking the same thing I thought when I read the comments, “will this discussion ever end”? Every time I think people have gotten passed the idea that Loca is a stereotype and an insult to Latinas, someone comes along, rehashes and bashes LittleLoca and her fans. It gets to the point that I wonder if it’s worth the effort to continue the Loca story.

After going to the gym and cooling my blood over the comments, I remembered an article I had read a long time ago about Steven Spielberg and the criticism he received on directing “The Color Purple”, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. The argument was that Steven was not black enough to tell this story of a black woman and should be replaced. If i remember correctly, his reply was that human suffering is colorblind. This led me to think that if Steven had listened to his “haters” or naysayers would the film have ever been made. Fortunately Steven stood up for his art and was able to transcend the black story and tell the story as a human experience for everyone to relate to and experience. Steven’s example reminded me that artists have to believe in themselves and create what is right for their art.

I wonder how many artists have given up their dream because someone told them they are stupid, untalented or not ethnic enough to express an idea? I also wondered what would have happened if Steven had stopped making films because a few people bashed him for being Jewish or a sellout.

I’m not so much concerned about my personal venture as a filmmaker. At this point in my life, I am utterly thrilled and fulfilled when I can just bring an idea to fruition. So if I am considered a sellout for taking a stance and making art then yes I am a big time sellout! I hope to always be a sellout to my ideas, creative voice and intelligence to create the right message for an art piece. I want my art to be challenging and spark debate. I might not always create good art but the only thing worse would be not to create art at all. After all I have a responsibility to my race – the human race. So I ask the question again. Is it worth it to take a stance with LittleLoca and continue her story? Yes. After all, a can of soup is a work of art too.

Thanks
Pablo