Mainstreaming Latina Identity
Mainstreaming Latina Identity
Culture-Blind and Colorblind Themes in Viewer Interpretations of Ugly Betty
This chapter uses audience studies and focus groups to examine viewers' ability and willingness to decode racial subtexts in Ugly Betty. The findings suggest that while audiences do react positively to the Latino/a main characters, they were unable or unwilling to recognize disparities between lighter- and darker-skinned Latina/o characters. It bears noting, however, that media constructions of white (or near-white) Latina/os sit alongside another history of media stereotypes that depict Latina/os as dangerous, hypersexualized, and buffoonish racial minorities. These stereotypes resonate with the Latino threat narrative that has been documented. The chapter's analysis uses the colorblind racial ideologies that have been documented by other race scholars as a starting point for conceptualizing the interpretations of the research participants. It looks at how a multiracial and multiethnic sample of television viewers talked about Latina/o culture and identity.
Keywords: audience studies, racial subtexts, Ugly Betty, Latino/a characters, media constructions, hypersexualized, racial minorities, stereotypes, colorblind racial ideologies, Latina/o culture and identity
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