From Bananas to Buttocks: The Latina Body in Popular Film and Culture

by Myra Mendible (Editor)

From the exuberant excesses of Carmen Miranda in the "tutti frutti hat" to the curvaceous posterior of Jennifer Lopez, the Latina body has long been a signifier of Latina/o identity in U.S. popular culture. But how does this stereotype of the exotic, erotic Latina "bombshell" relate, if at all, to real Latina women who represent a wide spectrum of ethnicities, national origins, cultures, and physical appearances? How are ideas about "Latinidad" imagined, challenged, and inscribed on Latina bodies? What racial, class, and other markers of identity do representations of the Latina body signal or reject? In this broadly interdisciplinary book, experts from the fields of Latina/o studies, media studies, communication, comparative literature, women's studies, and sociology come together to offer the first wide-ranging look at the construction and representation of Latina identity in U.S. popular culture. The authors consider such popular figures as actresses Lupe Vélez, Salma Hayek, and Jennifer Lopez; singers Shakira and Celia Cruz; and even the Hispanic Barbie doll in her many guises. They investigate the media discourses surrounding controversial Latinas such as Lorena Bobbitt and Marisleysis González. And they discuss Latina representations in Lupe Solano's series of mystery books and in the popular TV shows El Show de Cristina and Laura en América . This extensive treatment of Latina representation in popular culture not only sheds new light on how meaning is produced through images of the Latina body, but also on how these representations of Latinas are received, revised, and challenged.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Politics, Feminism

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Naomi]

I was really excited about this book originally, and came out feeling mixed, as I suppose is often the case with a collection of essays. Part of the problem was my unfamiliarity with certain of the topics, as I'm not much of a TV enthusiast. I kept hoping for more photos/stills/"media" for a book that was investigating visual consumption. A lot of the arguments seemed fairly straightforward, as analysis of prevailing stereotypes often are, but it's still valuable to have academic discourse and research on issues that impact a growing portion of our population in their self-identification and valoration and the assumptions made about them by others. As many of our beliefs about others are formed by popular media (film, music, ads, toys, news) it is critical to consider the way such media represents people, and in comparison to the lived reality.

[Celia Lisset Alvarez]

A real eye-opener. The Elian Gonzalez chapter is amazing.

[Silvia]

Learned a lot though it's not easy reading cause it is a textbook. But I liked the variety of info and film background of Hispanic actresses.