9
The Evolution of Hollywood Latinidad
Latina/o Representation and Stardom in US Entertainment Media
Mary C. Beltrán
ABSTRACT
This essay explores the evolution of Latina/o representation in Hollywood film and US television by reviewing the scholarship on Latina/o representation and stardom. The essay is structured in relation to methodological approaches and tropes that have emerged and become fundamental to the field of study as it has evolved. The sections below are organized to hone in on the themes of (1) Latina/o visibility and stereotypes; (2) racialization and the privileging of particular “Latin looks”; (3) constructions of Latinidad and related questions of authenticity; (4) hybridity and transnationalism; (5) self-representation and Latina/o participation within the mainstream media industries; and (6) recent hypervisibility and other contemporary trends. It concludes by addressing the multiple implications of today's hypervisibility of Latina/o actors and calls for further in-depth study of such multivalent representation and its impact.
Scholars have explored Latina and Latino (hereafter, Latina/o) media representation and stardom in US film and television from a variety of disciplinary and methodological approaches. This chapter explores the evolution of this scholarship, some of the major research questions and themes that have arisen, and the concerns central to present-day studies. In illustration of these themes it also surveys key historical eras of Latina/o ...
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