this is such a coincidence that we are reading this piece for class this week. when we were doing the SCWAAMP group exercise last week, one of my classmates had mentioned how the new latina princess on disney does not look latina at all. i mean I do not buy into stereotypes and all, BUT ..... it is somewhat rare to see a latina with blonde (natural that is) hair, "good hair" at that, blue eyes (there are some but rare), pale pale skin complexion (again there are some latinas with light skin, BUT not many).
not saying that every latina is dark, kinky haired, dark eyed, and dark skinned, but when majority of the people think of a latina women, they think these features, not the one being presented as a "princess". which then brings me to question the validity of her latina roots.
and if i as a latina woman do not identify with this so called latina princess, does this then mean that i could never be a princess, because i am latina but I do not fit this societal image of what i should look like.
here is a picture of the cute yet NOT LATINA looking "latina" princess:
i totally agree with the reading that we are feed ideas and ways of living all of our lives and when we make a decision we don't really know if we really wanted to make that decision or if it was already decided for us.
i also agree with one of the students quoted in the reading when she says that dissecting the dreams can sometimes be more painful than just letting them be and going on with life life nothings happened.
i think the problem comes in when you know there's something wrong but do nothing about it.
the trick is knowing the difference of what you as a person and human being really want or if this so called "want" is constructed by media and society.
most minority come to the United States in search of the "American dream" that is feed to them via the media, and since the media makes it look so easy and very accessible and obtainable, many people migrate here in search of it, not only for them but for their children. when they reach the reality they struggle not only with language and cultural differences, but also get discourage because they've realized that American dream is not real.
not sure if that last paragraph had anything to do with the reading, I feel like I went left field with it there. ha!
my question for the class this week is:
right now in you life, in the direction is going. do you feel/know/think that it is going the way YOU wanted to go? or do you think or feel that something else has pushed you to this point? whether that is something physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, it can also be society, media, family, friends, etc.
just wonder what people might say.
smile :)
kt
Oh wow! I have had to watch this show before with me 2 year old nephew, and I had no idea that she was supposed to be Latina!! I can only imagine how offensive this may comee across as.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked your comment about it being okay to hold onto dreams that fit into the messages of the media, because it fits in with the class discussion last week. The issue of consent. Because what you suggest is informed consent. I completely agree. Because knowing where your expectations come from, gives one the option (choice!!) to either agree or disagree.
My point exactly!!!
DeleteNot only does she NOT resemble what or whom she is supposed to portray, which is the Latina community but people watching it are getting the wrong message.
If the latin community wanted to be represented on the Disney channel, I am sure they did not consent for it to be in this form, specially since she does not represent anything about the culture.
The other part of this is that Disney does have another preschool age show thatt represents the latina community called Handy Manny, who is a man. This is far more successful is portraying that community but it also perpetuates a malecentric idea, as he is man who has a 'manly' job, and the only women in the show have very feminine careers.
DeleteAs we get older I think we start to realize what some of these shows cartoons, etc are about. I think if we try to educate more and try to put the truth out there more we will have better images to follow learn from. If people were more educated and didn't have to follow/fit stereotypes we as adults would have learned better as children.
ReplyDeleteYes, I also agree that as adults we tend to see what these shows are really about.
DeleteBut do you think is too late at that point in time?
love the picture and analysis you gave here .. I agree with all of the points you brought up also. The picture of the non-Latina princess has been brought up many different times and it is a discussion I have had many times. Yes, Disney decided to put a different type of girl as the princess calls her Latina, but makes her look so American it isn't even funny. Is this Disney mocking the people who asked for a different ethnicity? This goes along with what Christensen is saying completely. And I didn't even think of this example until I saw it here. Great job:)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteI mean just imagine a latina child watching this show, and the first thought is: oh I/m latina too and so I can be her (identifying herself with this so called latina princess), then when she sees her (the way she looks), the little girls says: "oh wait, but she looks nothing like me".
What then is this young child supposed to do?
I can't get over how white washed that "Latina" princess is! It certainly shows how this culture values "whiteness" above all else. The message in the undercurrent of this film: "only the lightest Latina can be a princess."
ReplyDeleteAnd people still try to say that racism doesn't exist.
To address your question, I lean toward thinking that all of our thoughts/ideas/etc is heavily influenced by the dominant ideology that exists everywhere, not just in the media. Because it is so difficult to get away from this dominant ideology, I am not going to pretend that I am not heavily influenced by it--I would not be who I am today without it. Which brings me to the question of "what is the self?" Is the self a collection of ideas that are impressed into the blank canvas that is the child's mind? Is there an inner-self beyond how we have learned to interact with the world (through dominant ideology)?
Hah, I'll leave my thoughts there or I'm going to write a really long comment (again).
Thanks for the post! Your question definitely had me thinking.
Yes I agree!!!
DeleteAmerica obviously values whiteness, and therefore this so called "latina princess" must be white because she is after all in america.
A lot of people not just here in america but all around the world are not really sure they can answer that with a straight face "what is the self?" .... some might think they know the answer but in reality is all based on ideologies feed to us from when we were little, and by us watching and feeding into it without knowing, I think thats where the consent part came into play.