I am Colombian, we get excited.
My country is covered in coffee. The Spicy Latina. For nearly a century now,
she has been the sultry face of Latina representation.
"And for the men, there was a new, sexy Latina
nurse: Nurse Martinez." The trope of portraying Latin women
as exotic and hot-blooded passionate in both love and
in warâarose before the advent of cinema. And itâs stubbornly persisted
on screen well into the 21st century, creating a lasting
impression of Latina women as volatile, combative, and
hypersexual that has bled over into real-world attitudes.
But who is she, really? The Spicy Latina is, first
and foremost, a fantasyâa blend of the sinister and the sensual. My body's talking to me
It says, "Time for danger"â¨Â She is beautiful and exotic,
usually seen with tan skin, brunette hair, and pouty lips.â¨Â Her body is voluptuous and
usually on full display And has she got
Thereâs a good chance sheâll appear in some state of
undressâor at least in something tight and revealing. "I can't afford any
tempta-uh, distractions." â¨Â She always speaks her mind.
She has no filterâand sheâs often loud. The Spicy Latina
has a temper thatâs barely under control, and sheâs often
violent and destructive when sheâs angry. You had a razor and you were drunk
with a razor and raging!â¨Â Thereâs a high likelihood
she will steal your man, because one is never enough
for herâand her power over them is too strong
Crystal: I do know that a woman never steals
another woman's husband. They usually go willingly.
Well, it sounds like you have a lot of experience in that area. â¨
Even as weâve progressed toward more enlightened, more diverse characters in general,
the Spicy Latina has remained a stock Hollywood figureâa go-to
source for laughter and lust in everything from action movies
to sitcoms. Are you watching Gloria in my sunglasses?
Is she moving in slow motion, or is my brain doing that?
Hereâs our Take on where these fiery Latinas came from, the
misconceptions theyâve created, and why they should
likely be extinguished âThey call me Cha Cha, 'cause
I'm the best dancer at Saint Bernadette's. With the worst reputation". Thank you to skill share for
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shelf before their gone. â¨Â The classic stereotype of the
lusty, dark-haired, olive-skinned woman can be found in Georges Bizetâs
19th-century opera Carmen, which depicts an upstanding soldier
whose life is upended by a fiery gypsy who inflames his passions,
toys with his emotions, and even drives him to murder. Carmen is wild and freeâand
ultimately, she is treacherous Itâs a characterization that has
dogged Latin women throughout history. In the days of vaudeville and dance halls, Latina performers
were often billed as Spicy Senoritas and Hot Tamalesâimplying that loving
them was painful, yet pleasurable, like eating a chilli pepper. In the earliest days of cinema,
all Latinx characters were seen as inherently dangerous. While
the men were usually Mexican greasers, the women were seductive
cantina girlsâimmoral, lustful, and sexually aggressive,
existing as an object of forbidden temptation for
white American cowboys and male moviegoers alike.
"She sounds enchanting.Enchanting? Bewildering! Bewitching!
Intoxicating! Devastating!" Like Carmen, they were
exciting but untrustworthyâfalling in love with them was usually
a mistake âMy fiancee.â "Your fiancee?!â âThatâs going to
be just too bad. For one of us". Hollywoodâs perception of Latinx
people changed with Rudolph Valentino, the silent film star who
introduced the idea of the Latin loverâeven though
Valentino himself was Italian. Valentino was dark and handsome,
albeit no less dangerous, considering his ability to seduce
and conquer women, luring them into often-doomed affairs.
Valentinoâs performances in films like The Sheik and Blood and
Sand made him one of Hollywoodâs earliest sex symbols, and it
created a craze for other so-called âhot-bloodedâ Latins.
Among them was Dolores del Rio, who was brought to America with the explicit aim to make her
a female Valentino. Although projecting a greater sense of
refinement than those early cantina girls, Del Rio still
largely played beautiful, exotic dancers and singers who seduced
the white menâwho then usually had to liberate her
from her Latin fiancee. âDonât tell me anything so
18th century as a family arrangement.â âWe do things so in my country.â
âThen Iâm going to institute some radical changes in your country."
 While Del Rio became the
first Mexican woman to achieve Hollywood stardom, it was her
rival, Lupe Velez, who truly cemented how they would be
portrayed. Playing exotic, hot-tempered women on screen,
Velez earned a reputation for being just as volatile off it. She became a tabloid staple
for getting into fistfights with other actresses, and
for punching, stabbing, and even shooting at her lovers
Gary Cooper and Johnny Weissmuller. The press dubbed her
âThe Mexican Hurricane,â and studios soon took advantage of her persona with movies like
Hot Pepper and Strictly Dynamite that capitalized on her
tempestuous persona. In her popular series
of Mexican Spitfire films, Velez portrayed Carmelita Lindsay, a hot-headed Mexican singer who marries an American businessman
and returns home with him. "Everything we do, every place
we go, it's always business, business, business! You never
do anything to please me." Carmelita proves to be a
feisty troublemaker, speaking in fractured English while having
fiery emotional outbursts in Spanishâbringing color and
excitement to the life of her white American spouse. "Carmelita,
what are you doing? Why don't you ask yourself some question like that, eh?
[starts speaking angrily in Spanish]. Itâs a dynamic that would
echo through decades of onscreen romances. "Why can't we mix a couple
of Colombian traditions in? - Like what? - Like fireworks."
In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt adopted the Good Neighbor Policy, an accord
toward Latin America that spurred the film industry to hire more
Latin Americans, and to create films that portrayed them more
positively than those early greaser caricatures. But it ended up trading one stereotype
for another: the Latina temptress quickly became a fixture of
Golden Age Hollywood, with Velezâs Mexican Spitfire quickly
answered by the âCuban Fireball, âEstelita Rodriguez, the âCaribbean Cyclone,â
Maria Montez, and the âBrazilian Bombshellâ Carmen Miranda. Although the Latin craze ruled the 1940s,
it began to wane toward the 1950s. Latin films and portrayals
descended into parody. "Mama mama yo querido,
mama yo queiro mama." Since these Latin actresses had
few other roles to play besides exotic beauties, they found
themselves increasingly marginalized. Many of them descended into
alcoholism and drug abuse: Rodriguez, Montez, and Miranda
all died tragically young. Velezâs death at age 36
was ruled a suicide, and as noted in Daniel Bernardi
and Michael Greenâs book Race In American Film,
the legend around it âunderscored her perceived
impulsiveness and easy sexuality, which in turn gave credence
to the stereotypical image of Latinas as being loose,
impulsive, and self-destructive.â âyouâre under arrest.â
âwhy?â âyouâre too hotâ But as the authors note,
this ignores the way Hollywood treated all of these Latina
actresses as âcommodities to be discarded once they were no
longer useful.â With their worth so intrinsically tied to being
exotic sex objects, their stars burned brightly, but briefly.
With Rita Morenoâs turn in 1961âs West Side Story, a new spin on the
Spicy Latina emerged."We won't bite not till we know you better." Morenoâs Anita is scrappy
and headstrong, an independent woman who speaks her mind
and stands up to her man. âI think I to go back to San Juanâ
âI know a boat you can get onâ Her role earned widespread
accolades and even an Oscar for Best Supporting Actressâbut
as Moreno herself noted, it gave her the confidence to turn
down more stereotypical Latina rolesâwhich led to a seven-year
lull in her career. "I had played the ultimate
Hispanic character, and itâs all I was offered after t
he movie, which is all Iâd been offered before the movie." Anita offered a version
of the Spicy Latina who was defined by her sharp tongue,
rather than her sexuality. âIf one of you was lying
in the street bleeding, I'd walk by and spit on youâ
âand who refused to be pinned down by her race. "I'm an American girl
now, I don't wait." But throughout the â60s and â70s,
the Spicy Latina continued to be a foreign stereotype: a figure of
lust or comedyâor both. "Ay, mama, it is time you learn to
trust me! Trust you?? When? When? When?" In the 1980s, another facet
of the Spicy Latina emerged: the tough Latin woman
whose hot-blooded temper can turn downright deadly. "Look, man. I only need to
know one thing: where they are." "Go, Vasquez. Kick ass."
"Any time anywhere man." Although she was played by the
Jewish actress Jenette Goldstein, Vasquez in 1984âs Aliens became
the archetypal tough Latina: fearless and smart-assed
and a bit of a tomboy. "Have you ever been mistaken
for a man? No. Have you?" The tough Latin woman was
increasingly called upon to play cops, soldiers, and assassins their implicit spiciness making
them all the more fearsome. "You try that cowboy shit with me,
fucker, you can kiss these goodbye." But even in positions of power
and authority, their back stories were every bit as reductive:
The Spicy Latina usually hailed from a rough neighborhoodâan
impoverished, working class background that toughened her up, forcing
her to learn how to defend herself. Still, this didnât make her
any less sexy. In fact, it made her even more of a prize,
her fiery nature just waiting to be tamed by an alpha man. "what do you got a death wish or
something? Dom: If thatâs what it takes." With the Spicy Latina, there is
always an element of explosivenessâ but itâs usually about
keeping her contained "ÂĄCĂłmo lo sabĂa,
cĂłmo lo sabĂa, cĂłmo lo sabĂa!"
The Spicy Latina is often described
by other characters as uninhibited. Liberated from the strictures
of polite, white society, she moves, acts, and speaks freely. "You put egg on my house,
I kill what you love!" We often see her using her
uninhibited tongue to inspire or invigorate others, pushing them
to let go, shape up, and stick up for themselves, with the kind
of passion only they can muster âForget regret, or
life is yours to missâ In High Noon, itâs Helen Ramirez, the half-Mexican saloon
owner played by Katy Jurado, who convinces the timid Quaker
Amy to go take up arms and stand by Gary Cooperâs marshal in his
standoff with a criminal gang. âIf Kane was my man,
I'd never leave him like this. I'd get a gun. I'd fightâ Helen is the rare Mexican
woman in a Western whoâs more than just a temptress: Sheâs a strong,
complex character who romances several men on her own terms, including
the town deputy, yet she remains fiercely independent. "It take more than big broad shoulders to
make a man Harry. Still, her role is largely to act as the conscience to another
character, something the Spicy Latina is frequently
called upon to do. "What kind of woman are you?
How can you leave him like this?"
 Rosie Perezâs Tina in Do the Right Thing
is another archetypal Spicy Latina: "sexy, sassy, and quick to insult
her boyfriend, Mookie." âBe a man.â âI am a man.â
âAct like one then. Be a man.â As with the many Spicy Latinas
who came before her, the film largely reduces Tina to her body,
which is ogled in the opening credits, and again in a scene where director
Spike Lee rubs Perezâs breasts with an ice cube. But sheâs also a mouthâthere
to set Mookie on his path, one verbal jab at a time.
You need to get a fucking life, Mookie. All right? Because the one
you got, baby, is not working. Okay! When sheâs not setting people straight,
the Spicy Latina is also helping them escape. Her beguiling figure,
colorful personality, and zeal for living out loud is portrayed
as just the thing to shake up a white manâs bland, vanilla life.
âDid you decorate the house yourself?â âYes Laney I realize it is a little dull.â "I don't know you got that cozy
little institutional thing going on." âNot after I spice it up.â The trope hasnât changed
much since Lupe Velezâs Mexican Spitfire: The white
man who marries the Spicy Latina sees his boring world upended
transformed into something freer and more fun. In 1997âs Fools Rush In,
Matthew Perryâs straitlaced architect Alex falls for the free-spirited
artist Isabel played by Salma Hayek, impulsively marrying her after
a one-night stand leaves her pregnant. Isabel teaches Alex about
salsa music and how to season his food, while her family
gets him drunk on tequila "And now I'm with you,
and I don't know what happened. But somewhere between the
tuna melt and your aunt's tamales." Ultimately, the film sees
Alex abandoning his stifling career just to be with her "You are everything I never
knew I always wanted. Yet while his love for Isabel
may be sincere, itâs clear that both the film and Alex
compartmentalize her. "Why are you afraid of me?
Why do you alienate me from your life?" I don't, I don't know!" He hides her from his parents,
even allowing them to think sheâs his housekeeper She is wonderful. Of course there must be a lot of good
help here, being so close to Mexico. Itâs a relationship thatâs built
on Alex exoticizing her, rather than fully embracing her as a person. Fools Rush In is an example of what
Vice writer Alex Zaragoza calls âthe life-changing
Latina bombshell trope.â She is fiery and sexy and,
for some reason, loves boring white guys; and she stands in
contrast to a more âsuitableâ white partner as proof that
the more âdifficultâ road leads to greater happiness and seeing
the world with new eyes. Are you kidding? They're great. I had no idea that families
actually talked at dinner. The life-changing Latina can also
be found in 2002âs Maid in Manhattan, where a white politician played by
Ralph Fiennes falls for Jennifer Lopezâs hotel maid, Marisa. Marisa isnât
spicy, per seâespecially compared to her coworker Stephanie. "It's complicated"? What kind
of answer is that?" "Honest." "The only thing complicated between me
and him would be unhooking my bra strap." But Marisa represents another
common aspect of the spicy Latina trope, which finds white male
characters gushing about how real the Latina is, compared to
the fake, usually white women in his life.âWho is she?â âIâll tell you who she isnât,
she isnât a phony!â Paz Vegaâs Flor in 2004âs
Spanglish likewise isnât the loud, lusty stereotype of the Spicy Latina.
Sheâs a hardworking, self-sacrificing immigrant housekeeper whoâs just
trying to provide for her daughter There are some mistakes you cannot
risk when you have children. But her white boss, played by
Adam Sandler, finds himself falling for her neverthelessânot just
for her obvious beauty âWould you get out of
the damn wind? Sit down!â but because she represents the
opposite of his cold, deceitful wife "Are you really that much nicer than me?
"You don't set the bar real high." In both cases, the Latina woman
is a projection of the white manâs desires. In these films, the Latina is
inherently subjugated by her profession still relying on the white man
to elevate and rescue them, just like all those irresistible
Latin singers and dancers from decades earlier. Or, like the
housekeepers in Lifetimeâs Devious Maids, they scheme to use their spiciness
to rise above their station "We're maids and we
are not messing around. Writing for Refinery29,
Sesali Bowen suggests that this reflects how we see
these women in real life: âThey are most useful when
they are invisible. And if maids arenât acquiescing to
the desires and ambitions of those who do have to interact
with them, theyâre villinized.â The Spicy Latina is defined by the role
she plays in other charactersâ lives. And itâs often the only role sheâs given. "Half the time, l'm a stereotype
they make fun of. The other half of the time, l'm invisible. Maybe that's the point.
The first time you saw me, I was cleaning your bathroom,
only you didn't see me." The persistence of the Spicy Latina
trope dovetails with an overall lack of Latinx representation on screen. A study of the 100 top-grossing
films from 2007 to 2018 found that a mere three percent featured
Latinos in lead or co-lead rolesâand at least five of those went to
Cameron Diaz alone. Of the women in that group, 35.5 percent
of those characters were found to be hyper-sexualized. But of course, you donât need
statistics to tell you that. In movies and on TV, in music in commercials, even while reporting
the weather, the Latina has long been objectified and fetishized,
her worth reduced to her sex appeal. Our Academy is more diverse
than ever before, both in front of and behind the camera, resulting
in a greater diversity in storytelling.
 For all its negative connotations,
this has opened some doors. Jennifer Lopez built her
career on being sexy, and sheâs leveraged it into a
wildly successful empire that encompasses acting, music,
fashion, and political activism. Still, that hasnât stopped her
from being reduced to a âSpicy Latinaâ in articles and interviewsâor
critics from deriding her Super Bowl halftime show with
Colombian singer Shakira as âporn.â Salma Hayek has faced similarly
demeaning attitudes, telling the London Times in 1999, âI should be flattered when
people say Iâm sexy or beautiful. But it would make me even happier
if people could see beyond sexy because there is a lot
more to me than that.â She went on to prove it
by launching a career as a director and producer,
including developing the TV series Ugly Betty,
which challenged those sexy Latina stereotypesâeven as it
occasionally leaned into them. Isnât this place hot? Daniel: Oh yeah Yet on screen, sheâs often still reduced
to playing the exotic Latina bombshell. This stupid machine, that doesn't work
for anything, gets stuck, stuck, stuck! That's so sexy. What are you saying?
Oh, I think that she said (speaks mock Spanish) Milan! This limiting representation
of the Spicy Latina has real-world repercussions, as the
hyper-sexualization of Latina women by
the media directly influences how they see themselves. âI want to put on a tight skirt
and flirt with a stranger" the sexualixation of Latinas
can lead to internalized ideas about the need to dress in
revealing clothing and focus on their appearance, which is often
associated with anxiety and reduced academic performance
in young women. Thanks to the mediaâs emphasis
on their figures, Latina women have become especially vulnerable to eating disorders
and body dissatisfaction. The two of you should lose weight. You would look beautiful
without all that fat. The trope has also fostered
the widespread sexual harassment of Latinas in the workplace.
As Waleska Suero documented in the Chicano Law Review, the stereotype of the hypersexual
Latina pushes the boundary of what constitutes offensive remarks or behavior. And as a result,
77 percent of Latina women have said that workplace sexual harassment
is a âserious problemââprevalent especially among immigrants
who are viewed as weak or vulnerable, and who fear being deported
if they report the crime. Latinas already make 67 cents
to every white man's dollar, regardless of education and experience. Being stereotyped as volatile
or a spicy, sexy temptation only reduces their mobility, and
leaves them lagging further behind. Overall, it perpetuates a general
lack of respect toward Latinas. And in front of reporters
Representative Yoho called me, and I quote, "a fucking bitch." It reduces them to something to be
objectified, consumedâand conquered. Arguably the biggest problem with the
Spicy Latinaâas with most stereotypes is that it ignores the many
other shades of Latinx identity. Latinx people represent a wide
variety of cultures and colors that canât be reduced to the a
single sassy, heterosexual bombshell. "you'll need your rest,
we're going again in 15." In recent years, weâve seen
the emergence of more nuanced, complex Latinas, from
Parks and Recreationâs decidedly un-spicy April Ludgate "My mom's Puerto Rican. That's
why I'm so lively and colorful." to Crazy Ex-Girlfriendâs
weird, messy Valencia. "If peeing together is fun, I
can't wait for the next activities." Brooklyn 99 has given us
both the neurotic, sensible Amy Santiago and Rosa Diaz,
whoâs as thoughtful as she is tough, and whose bisexuality
is just part of who she is. âIâm bisexual. And I donât
care what you think about it.â These are examples of
characters whose Latin identity isnât completely
snuffed out, yet it doesnât entirely engulf them either. They have spark and they have passionâbut thatâs just
one of their many flavors. you actually look like your photo. "Oh, well, which one? Calendar, About Me, FAQs, Upcoming Events,
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Really interesting. I'd never given the subject much thought, but this analysis shows just how much this trope has been used, again and again, in TV and movies. As the narrator notes, the problem with ethic and racial tropes like this is they tend to exoticize the person and use them as accessories to white lives as opposed to fully embracing them as human beings.
What you mean tropes?
These are 100% accurate.
I would have said 110% but as a norwegian I'm not comfortable with inaccuracies.