Chicana/o-Latina/o Gender & Sexuality

I posed the question in class regarding Puerto Ricans only being able to play Puerto Rican roles. Jennifer Lopez had referenced this in the article Jennifer's Butt which I thought to be intriguing. I don't want to diminish the complexities of the argument by also posing the trying to "relate" this to gender and/or sexuality, but my brain works by analogy. Therefore, if I'm insanely insulting, then please fill me in on HOW badly I've missed the mark. That said, I'd like to say, from my perspective, that I am currently siding with J. Lo when it comes to ACTING. This will also reference my question of "representation" the other day in class. Now, regarding the controversy of J. Lo not being Mexican American and playing the role of Selena. I'm not saying that in terms of representation that it wouldn't have been BETTER, but it is complicated because it is a portrayal. Had J. Lo herself attempted to deny herself as Puerto Rican or claim to be Mexican American, in real life, then I would be see further complications. I'm not trying to take away from the argument of the "blanket Latina." I realize that with the systems of power in place it is not fair for me to make such analogies that assume my understanding of these complications. I'm probably proving myself wrong more than anything, which is a good thing, right? In the end, I feel that the space in acting cannot hold the same responsibilities as real life does. Why does Felicity Huffman get to play a Transgender person? Why does Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger get to portray closeted gay men? Once again, I'm not EQUATING race to gender and sexuality, but in an intersectional approach, I'm exploring it.

Posted by rusco001 at 11:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Before this class and discussion about Chicana women I used to enjoy this movie greatly. I'm always a fan of cheezy chick flicks where there's a love story, but I guess I have never examined this movie that deeply. I can see all the contraversal scenes and aspects about this movie and how they create the stereotypical image of a Latina woman. First how Marisa is in a working class position as a maid who waits on rich white people in a hotel and how it would be a "dream" to manage. I think it's terrible how such a dream for a Latina woman is like an average position for a white person; because you didn't see any white maids in the movie. The next scene that stood out to me was when Marisa got all dressed up to go to the party with Chris. When she walked into the party all eyes turned to her and it seemed like everyone was looking at her like why is she here or she doesn't belong here. Why would they have everyone look and whisper something when she walks in? I know this adds a dramatic feel and a cinderella twist to the story but it would have been different if there were some other people of color in the room when it happened. These two aspects stood out to me the most during the movie. Even with all the contraversy in this movie I can't lie and say I hated. When I watch movies like this I don't look too deeply into it and I just watch it for the story. I beleive that if you sat down and watched every movie and picked out all the contraversal aspects of them you would probably hate all movies because there are not many with no contraversy.

Posted by Purple 30 at 3:32 PM | Permalink

I also am a fan of rags to riches stories, but this one was different. Marisa worked hard to become a manager at the hotel, but the "riches" that were emphasized was the wealth that Chris had. Once they were together she could really have it all, love and money. I thought this idea was problematic because her own personal success should have been more emphasized, rather than implying that this (white) man would be the one who could save her and make her happy. The idea that Marisa felt unworthy and that she only felt good enough when she was playing a role for Chris upset me but is pretty general in these types of movies. The fact that most of the maids were not white but most of the wealthy and successful women portrayed were white was frustrating. Would it be so hard to have a Latina play the role of a successful business woman and a white woman play a maid? I never thought of any of these issues the first time I watched this movie, but this class has opened by eyes to these portrayals of Latinas and of all women.

Posted by mccr0146 at 4:42 PM | Permalink

I must admit that I do like the story of rags to riches. That being said, there are many aspects of the movie that I believe are problematic. First, there is the beautiful Latina maid who is a single mother. She is portrayed as a hard working woman but she is too self conscious to advance in life. Unlike the typical cinderella, the Latina maid has a child. This to me seems to send the message of the importance of motherhood for Latinas. Then, we have the Prince charming, who is a white male. He of course is secure, powerful and rich. The one thing that bothers me the most with stories like this one is the importance that is placed in physical beauty. From this movie we can see the typical gender roles being played out. Women must be beautiful and men in return must be powerful and rich. The message this movie sends out to me is that the most important aspect in a woman is her beauty. There is also the message that people should be in a heterosexual relationship. Before taking this class I really enjoyed the movie and didn't find anything wrong with it. However, now that I have taken this class, I see the ways the media influences and reinforces our gender roles.

Posted by pati0025 at 9:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I hope you all are finding some ways to relax and be productive over this long holiday weekend. I just watched the lovely Jennifer Lopez in "Maid in Manhattan" and was thinking about the following questions that I promised to post as you watch her rags to riches story. So here they are - feel free to answer which questions move you to think the most or leave a comment on something I didn't mention here.

1. How does the movie represent/portray "the Latina woman"?

2. What type of relationship do we see between Marisa and Ty (her son). What is the message about Latina motherhood that the audience sees while watching the film?

3. How does the viewer see the relationship between Marisa and Stephanie (her friend) versus the relationship we see between Chris (the politician) and Jerry (his handler)? What are these differences saying about gender and class?

4. Would you say that Marisa experiences racism in her life? How/when do you think it occurs? Would you also say that she is exoticized? How does she deal with this?

5. What do you think (overall) about this rags (maid) to riches story? How did the movie play off your emotions to make you feel/believe certain social norms that we are expected to uphold? After recognizing this how did that make you feel?

We can have a lively discussion of these questions in class on Monday as well, but I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts on the movie!!

Posted by Kandace Creel Falcon at 5:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)