Latino Representation and Stereotyping in U.S. Media

Introduction

Latinos make up a large portion of the population of the United States. According to Rodriguez (1997), the rapidly increasing Latino population accounts for not only 17% of the people in the U.S., but also 20% of the 18–34 demographic that is the primary focus of marketing, making this ethnic group a key target audience. This group's dedication to movies and radio has surpassed that of any other racial or ethnic group in America (Meehan & Riordan, 2002). In terms of economic contribution, the group's buying power was expected to reach $1.6 trillion by 2016, which would rank it fourteenth among the world's economies if it were a country of its own.

Nevertheless, as Disch (2009) and Robb (2014) note, the rate of Latino participation in the media has been minimal. Their roles in front of the camera — and behind it — across every genre have not grown proportionately with their population. Disch (2009) and Robb (2014) studied the period from 2000 to 2010, when the Latino population grew by 43%. In terms of character portrayals, Latinos have largely been confined to stereotypical roles: individuals involved in crime, oversexualized characters, menial laborers, and police officers.

Hollar (2012) notes that Latinos are not just great media consumers but also serious contributors. They have been known to create compelling content for films and television, and in the digital age they have extended those contributions online. This group is particularly sensitive to how it is portrayed, actively and successfully campaigning against negative imagery so that content seen as promoting sentiment against them is not released. Latinos are also notably loyal consumers of movies that feature their community and stories inspired by their experiences, pushing the ratings of such films to the top (Zamorano, 2014).

Unfortunately, when it comes to participation in widely consumed English-language films, television, and other media, Latinos are left behind. Hollar (2012) and Zamorano (2014) reveal the astonishing fact that Latino participation in lead roles — or even in Latino storylines — is lower than it was seventy years ago. Monk-Turner et al. (2010) provide statistics from the 1940s and 1950s to support this claim. In the 1950s, when Latinos made up just 2.8% of the population, 1.7% of total lead roles and 1.3% of lead appearances were by Latinos. In the 1940s, when they were under 2% of the population, their lead roles constituted 2% of the biggest movies of the time and 0.9% of lead appearances.

Given these facts, this paper evaluates the degree to which Latinos participate in media — whether mainstream or internet-based. The aim is to identify the setbacks as well as the avenues open for promoting a level playing field in media. The paper focuses specifically on Latino participation in television, the roles Latinos play on television, and the barriers they encounter when seeking to enter the industry.

Literature Review

Montilla (2013) notes that in terms of Latinos, male lead roles significantly outnumbered female lead roles in the 1990s. However, this dynamic experienced a reversal, especially between 2010 and 2013. Among the top ten movies and television programs of that period, there was no Latino male lead, and in supporting roles, Latinos accounted for less than 3%. During the same period, however, 4.6% of leads were Latina women, and in television supporting roles they made up 9.5%. In terms of all Latino supporting roles, females accounted for 67% of all appearances.

In 2013, Latinos — who by then constituted 17% of the U.S. population, or roughly 50 million people — held no lead roles in the top ten movies or scripted television shows. This is particularly striking given that when Latinos comprised just 2.8% of the U.S. population in the 1950s, they held 3.9% of lead actor roles; even in that decade, they still held 1.5% of all leading roles (Negron-Muntaner et al., 2014). That same study notes that with few exceptions, mainstream English-language media has very low Latino participation, and contrasts today's environment with that of seventy years ago, observing that the entertainment industry has crafted fewer roles and less accommodating storylines for Latinos over time — even as the Latino population has grown substantially.

Most major networks have made promises to increase the participation of minorities behind the camera (Deggans, 2005; Negron-Muntaner et al., 2014). Efforts to create jobs and executive roles that support diversity have been noted; however, the strategy has not proven effective in making room for diversity in terms of creativity and leadership. The composition of Latinos in these roles remains minimal: they made up 6% of writers, 2.3% of directors, and 2.2% of producers in the top ten ranking movies. Among the creators of the top ten television shows, no Latinos were found. In those same shows, Latinos made up 4.1% of directors, 2% of writers, and 1.1% of producers (Robb, 2014). These figures cover the period 2010–2013. Beyond poor on-screen representation, Latinos account for zero percent of the owners, chief executives, presidents, or heads of studios and networks. As Negron-Muntaner et al. (2014) state, across all English-language broadcasting and among the top 53 studio and network executives, only one Latina could be found.

The studies conducted by Deggans (2005) did not include Univision and Telemundo, which are Spanish-language broadcasters. In those networks, non-Hispanic individuals make up roughly the same proportion as Latinos do in English-language media.

Stereotyping has been a central issue raised by Negron-Muntaner et al. (2014) and Montilla (2013), who observe that English-language media consistently portrays Latinos in the roles of criminals, law enforcers, or menial workers. Comparing statistics from 2012–2014 with those from 1994, Montilla (2013) notes that 24.2% of television roles were linked to crime in 2012–2014, compared to just 6% in 1994. Additionally, 69% of maid characters in media — whether on television or in movies — are Latina.

Negron-Muntaner et al. (2014) also note that while male leading roles have been disappearing, female and Afro-Latino roles have been increasing. McKinley et al. (2014) highlight the low news coverage of Latinos, stating that they receive less than 1% of total news coverage, and that what coverage exists relates mostly to crime. At the same time, Latinos as news anchors and executive producers were essentially absent from the most highly rated news programs in 2013.

Thesis and Argument

In contrast with their exclusion from media representation, the purchasing power of Latinos has grown dramatically — expected to reach $1.6 trillion by 2016. They watch more movies and listen to the radio more than any other group in America. They are more loyal to their programs, stories, and actors than any other group, pushing the ratings of movies featuring them to the top. They make up 17% of the U.S. population and represent a significant marketing demographic (Negron-Muntaner et al., 2014).

However, the negative image of Latinos propagated by the media leads to negative perceptions of Latinos in the minds of others (Merskin, 2007; McKinley et al., 2014). This negative portrayal affects not only Latinos but also immigrants more broadly, and media has the power to either reinforce or diminish these stereotypical perceptions. Latinos tend to be viewed more positively by those who interact with them more closely. As Merskin (2007) and McKinley et al. (2014) note, networks that carry negative entertainment — including certain conservative radio programs and Fox News — promote negative views of Latinos. Even audience members interviewed in these studies identified the roles they most associated with Latinos as criminals, maids, and gardeners.

Conclusion and Further Research

The presence of Latinos in media — whether in front of or behind the camera, or in leadership positions — is wanting. It has experienced very little growth compared to the expansion of the Latino population over the years. Even with their significant presence in California — the home of the American movie and television industry — Latinos continue to be sidelined. Their purchasing power has grown even as their media presence has declined. They are effective advocates, using even the internet for this purpose. They are creative, as demonstrated by the content produced for Telemundo and Univision. The gap in media representation can be closed if this creativity receives proper support and if their reach is widened (Montilla, 2013; Valdivia, 2010; McKinley et al., 2014).

Further studies should be carried out to examine how the advocacy efforts and successes of the Latino community can be leveraged to increase their participation in media — both in front of and behind the cameras.

References

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