The most universally - relevant topic covered in class this week was the glorification of external female beauty in Latin American culture, specifically in telenovelas. It is unfortunate and shameful that the prioritization of women's sensuality over their intellect and uniqueness has lasted the ages and overflowed into every culture. Just today, my friend and I were discussing the fact that women who have large followings on Instagram are often beautiful, featured posing seductively inexpensive clothes with little to say, while men who are deemed worthy of following feature exploration, leadership, and innovation. This is the key issue that I have seen in American culture and in the telenovelas we have watched: it is not the appreciation of the incredible beauty of women that is degrading, but the emphasis solely on physical appearance and the latest version of "sexiness, removing importance from who they are. Women can be both beautiful AND smart...beautiful AND kind. Or not externally beautiful, but a million other incredible things, making them worthwhile.
Something interesting about telenovelas that I have noticed is that men are also cast highly based on looks. When I researched "beauty in telenovelas," I found so many fan pages ranking the hottest male and female Telemundo characters. Even the men's desirability is determined by the size of their muscles and the depth of their tan. On the one hand, it is good that both male and female are assessed on the same scale, but do these series teach young Latin American men and women that their worth is determined by the way they look?
An interesting class discussion would be what the solution to this predicament is. Should directors cast purposefully less attractive people? Should appearance not play into casting decisions? Would simply having a more physically diverse cast make a difference? I am curious to see what others think.
I am reminded of the novela we were exposed to the novela Ciudad Bendita. The female love interest is very pretty, but the male lead Roque Valero to me, is not very attractive. He is not your typical William Levy, Aarón Díaz or David Zepeda who for the most part create the standard for what you expect the male love interest to look like. It’s undeniable that most of the time the main cast have to bring to the table above than average looks because the audience will judge them based on that first. Before the show might even start, if the audience is exposed to a poster of the cast, they will impose their opinion on the success of the show. I, myself, am a victim of this. The example of Roque Valero though, shows that perhaps there is a barrier that the audience must transcend to be able to enjoy a novela not only based on looks, but on the talents and chemistry that will be projected. In looking beyond the physical, the audience might internalize that, sure, there might’ve been a candidate that aesthetically went better with the female protagonist, but the male character’s personality is able to make you forget that detail.
ReplyDeleteI feel that a large problem, especially within telenovelas, is the lack of diversity within casting. Most actors and actresses that are casted are people who possess Euro-centric physical characteristics, when in reality, we know that the Latinx community is extremely diverse and consists of a multitude of cultures and skin tones. In all honesty, I feel that talent should be prioritized over beauty. With times changing, more actors and actresses are being criticized more on their acting than their beauty. If an actor is emotionless, the show is almost unbearable to watch and people are quick to point it out. I know that people are initially attracted to the superficial, especially in media, but it's something that we as a society must change.
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