The Prevalence of Sexism in La Reina del Sur

While I am only on episode 7 of La Reina del Sur, I have seen countless examples of sexism throughout the show. As Teresa begins her life in Spain, she meets new people and becomes popularly known as "La Mexicana" who is stunning, interesting and abrasive. However, not everyone seems to be taking to her too well. Sheila, as well as many others, consistently calls her derogatory terms like "beaner" (that is the English translation in the subtitles) and Teresa has come to accept it probably because with everything else going on in her life it's simply not worth it. Others, such as her boss, male coworker and really any man that comes to her job at Yamila, refer to her as a "whore" and a "slut," despite the fact that she clearly works as an accountant in the back.

This has all been accepted as the norm in the show, but also represents the patriarchy in society. Women who are prostitutes are constantly shamed, yet men who have many partners are praised for their sexual prowess and accomplishments. Why are the men, who are the ones paying to be with these women, still allowed to treat them so poorly as if they are less than? I personally think it is utterly ridiculous to not allow a woman to use her own body to make a living. Especially when for a lot of them, they have no other option. Dris, who is a rich and powerful guy, currently is forcing one of his prostitutes to continue working for him and do as he says for an extra year so that she can get her son into the country. And as the conversation ends, he yells: "Prove that you are a good mother!" But how is it that working as a prostitute under blackmail from your boss, for an extended period of time, is a defining aspect of how she is as a mother? This would never, EVER happen for a man.

As we discussed in class, the line for women is either being a virgin or a prostitute, and there is no in-between. Given the representation of women in La Reina del Sur up to this point, that firmly holds true. Teresa is the only primary female character who doesn't seem to be judged quite as harshly as the other women, yet those hateful words are still thrown at her nonstop. Further, these men still see her as something she's not. No one respects her for earning her role as an accountant because she is smart and good with numbers. Marcelo, who is old, fat and not good-looking, has an interaction with Teresa in which she very maturely tells him that they would never get together. He smugly accepts that response claiming that one day she will need him, and when that day comes, she will think of him as Brad Pitt. Unfortunately, that day did come, and it was as hard to watch as you can imagine. Again, this is just a prime example of our patriarchal society. A man with power forces a woman into sexual favors she clearly abhors.