Latino Stereotypes In Latin American Culture

Those of Spanish-speaking descent have all experienced one of the following at least once in their lives: “Did you make those tacos yourself?”, “Are you Mexican?” When realization hits that this individual speaks a second language they ask, “So you speak Spanish?” or, “Say something in Spanish for me.” Followed by an awkward response of something that hardly skates passed a mere “Hola.” A rather important misconception coincides with the idea that all “Latinos” derive from Mexico, a colossal assumption that unfortunately stands as the most common perception. Essentially the word “Latino” is a diverse word applied to persons deriving from the numerous countries located in Central and South America, along with Mexico. Both words “Latino” and

For instance, picture a “Latina” woman. Immediately society has struck the idea of an olive skinned, dark-haired and curvy woman with an attitude. An overly-sexualized image, that unfortunately, Hollywood commonly portrays. According to Caroline Grell, focusing on the Latino stereotypes shown in Jane the Virgin, she gives a scene example from the “mock” telenovela stating, “the Xiomara is introduced, the scene shows her painting her nails and wearing a low-cut denim romper. The screen always shows her wearing something short, low cut, or tight, and uses that to her advantage” (Grell, 2017). This exemplifies the constant perception and stereotypes depicted in the media. Think back to the last time a Latina character played on the screen, and realize the rather obvious theme coming to play here. “Latinos” can be of any skin-tone, hair color, or body-type, and that, establishes an important fact to

Latin America consists of primarily three distinct regions: Mexico, Central America, and South America; including Caribbean countries as well. As mentioned before, all countries maintain their own distinguishable cultural attributes. For example, Mexico traditionally plays Mariachi music, an ensemble containing soulful vocalization along with accompaniment consisting of mainly string instruments and trumpets (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016). While a form of traditional music in Brazil, samba, exemplifies a more vigorous dancing beat more associated with Carnival in Rio and “emphasized by the polyrhythmic sounds of multiple percussion instruments” (History of Samba, 2017). Both forms of music embody tradition emanating from their countries, distinguishing them among other countries within Latin