Stereotypes In Media

Stereotypes in Media It seems that just about anything is a stereotype from gender, sexuality, race, class, disability, religion and even appearance. From racist cult classics like Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Scarface, to sexist movie Her, and ableist Me Before You. Stereotypes in mass media have been around for ages and span generations. The most common and prevalent stereotypes, unfortunately, revolve around Hispanics. A presidential candidate is making waves across the country on the backs of such stereotype like, The Domestic, The Latin Lover, The Spicy Sassy Latina (Sexpot), and The Criminal is like what Amy Stretten describes in “Appropriating Native American Imagery Honors No One but the Prejudice,” stereotypes that help no one but those

This is your foreign maid, nanny, gardener seen in shows like Family Guy, TV shows like The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and movies like Spanglish. The portrayal of the Domestic is demeaning. She/he hardly speaks any English, takes care of white children, lives in a rundown neighborhood, and has a comically long name. Cake, starring Jennifer Aniston, has Mexican actress Adriana Barraza playing a maid in the home of a white, middle class woman for whom she helps buy illegal drugs for in Tijuana. This stereotype has also been played by megastar Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan in 2002. Late actress Lupe Ontiveros has estimated that she played a maid as many as 150 times on screen. In 2009, Ontoveros told National Public Radio, “I long to play a judge. I long to play a lesbian woman. I long to play a councilman, someone with some chutzpah.” This type of role limits Hispanic actors with accents and “indigenous” looks to the miniscule box this type of stereotype

Those with more direct interaction with or knowledge of Hispanics hold more positive views of the group and its members. Those holding very negative views are often those with little direct exposure to Hispanic Americans. Negative portrayals of Latinos and immigrants are pervasive in news and entertainment media. Consequently, non-Latinos commonly believe that many media-promoted negative stereotypes about these groups are true. People exposed to negative entertainment or news narratives about Latinos hold the most unfavorable and hostile views about Latinos.” Some people’s only experience with Hispanics are through these kinds of stereotypes seen in entertainment, and to be frank, these stereotypes are