Constructions of Latinidad in Jane the Virgin
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RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY: CONSTRUCTIONS OF LATINIDAD IN JANE THE VIRGIN _______________________________________ A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts _____________________________________________________ by LITZY GALARZA Dr. Cristina Mislán, Thesis Supervisor MAY 2016 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY: CONSTRUCTIONS OF LATINIDAD IN JANE THE VIRGIN presented by Litzy Galarza, a candidate for the degree of master of arts, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. Professor Cristina Mislán Professor Alexis A. Callender Professor Cynthia M. Frisby Professor Keith Greenwood DEDICATION Dedico mi tesis a los mios, a mi familia. A todas las personas que amo y siempre me han dado aliento. A mi madre. A mi abuelo Rosendo. A mis dos hermanas que siempre han aguantado my lengua. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge this work would not be possible without the patience, guidance, and unyielding support of my thesis chair and academic mentor Dr. Cristina Mislán. She has been invested in my work and development as a scholar since the infancy of this project and I will be forever grateful for her encouragement. I would also like to thank Dr. Melissa A. Click for her expertise in television studies, her feedback in identifying weaknesses of my study in its early stages, and her guidance in helping me find useful literature for my analysis. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Dr. Callender, Dr. Frisby, and Dr. Greenwood for serving on my thesis committee and providing feedback to strengthen the final product for publication. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements .................................................................................... ii Abstract ..................................................................................................... iv Chapter 1. Introduction ....................................................................................1 2. Background on Jane The Virgin .................................................... 6 3. Literature Review ......................................................................... 12 a. Historical Context of Pan-Latinidad ............................... 12 b. Historical Representations in Film & Television ............. 17 c. Representational Intersectionality .................................... 21 4. Data Analysis ............................................................................... 36 5. Analysis........................................................................................ 43 a. Complicating Latin@ Authenticity .................................. 43 b. Upholding the Virgin/Whore Dichotomy ........................ 64 c. Reinforcing Masculinity and Gender Norms ................... 86 i. Masculinities ........................................................87 ii. Gender Norms ......................................................97 6. Conclusion ................................................................................. 104 References ............................................................................................... 112 Vita .......................................................................................................... 121 iii RACE, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY: CONSTRUCTIONS OF LATINIDAD IN JANE THE VIRGIN Litzy Galarza Dr. Cristina Mislán, Thesis Supervisor ABSTRACT Jane The Virgin debuted on the CW in fall 2014 at a time when anti-immigrant, particularly anti-Mexican and anti-Latin@, sentiment in the U.S. was reaching an all-time high. This TV show was the latest to offer representations of Latin@s at the forefront and advanced a distinct political stance on immigration by calling for #immigrationreform. Through a critical and intertextual analysis of the first season, this study sought to complicate existing critiques of the show by addressing the ways in which race/ethnicity and gender were utilized to construct pan-Latinidad identities. Findings indicate the show deserves praise for serving as an educational agent in exposing audiences to telenovela tropes, presenting hybrid identities, and complicating pan-Latinidad identities. Consistent with previous literature on Latin@ representation in film/television, this study finds the show’s narratives racialize and sexualize Latin@s and falls short of its potential to shatter virgin/whore dichotomous discourses. Only when compared to white masculinities, are Latinos portrayed as sexual deviants lacking self-discipline but are given more sexual agency than their female counterparts. Findings suggest Jane The Virgin superficially celebrates the independence and family unity of the Villanueva women but reinforces and advances traditional gender norms where women are expected to be caretakers and deferential to men. The show should be criticized for its negative portrayals of women who exercise sexual agency, which is labeled and linked to deviant spirituality. Ultimately, the show’s representations are significant in educating audiences about the assimilation of Latin@s, now the nation’s largest ethnic group, into the U.S. iv INTRODUCTION In 2010, the population of Hispanics1 in the United States totaled 50.5 million according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Between 2000 and 2010, the Latin@2 population grew by 43 percent and now represents 16 percent of the nation’s total population (Humes, Jones, & Ramirez, 2011). Since government data identified the Latin@ population as the fastest growing minority in America, accounting for 56 percent of the net population growth between 2000 and 2010 (Dreas & Pardo, 2011), the media industry has sought to create and harness the marketing power of Hispanics for sources of revenue (Dávila, 2002). However, this growth in population size has not translated to greater representation of Latin@s in the media (Negrón-Muntaner, Abbas, and Robson, 2014; Mastro & Behm-Morawitz, 2005). As the population of Latin@s, now the largest ethnic group in the United States, continues to rise, so does the significance of studying, interpreting, and challenging contemporary representations of Latin@s in U.S. popular culture. One of the latest television shows to feature representations of Latin@s is Jane The Virgin3 (Snyder Urman, Silverman4, Pearl, Granier, & Silverling, 2014). The show has been largely 1 To this day both terms, ‘Hispanic or Latino,’ refer to “person[s] of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race” (Humes, Jones & Ramirez, 2011). Though most academic literature on representation of minorities utilize the terms Hispanic and Latin@ interchangeably, this study will emphasize the latter. Both terms refer to ethnic and not racial backgrounds as explained by Luther, Leper & Clark (2012). However, the term Latin@ is the preferred term for this study because the term is more socially acceptable and is a visible reminder of multiple, including gendered, identities. 2 This term is preferred to symbolize Latina/o because it does not textually privilege the masculine or feminine. 3 Referred to as JTV interchangeably throughout this text. 4 As a reminder, Ben Silverman was also a producer of the show Ugly Betty. 1 successful in attracting a portion of America’s mainstream viewers, averaging slightly under two million per week (Ryan, 2015), and is also broadcast in a handful of other countries.5 A minority of the show’s viewership in the United States, 21 percent, is Latin@ (Ryan, 2015). Nevertheless, developing a critical understanding of representations of Latin@s on this and other television shows can help audiences better understand the narratives and images being constructed about Latin@s. Because journalists and TV commentators have identified a number of ways in which Jane The Virgin’s portrayals of Latin@s stand apart from previous television shows featuring Latin@s, it is important to critically examine how the show deepens societal understanding of Latinidad representations. This study focuses on contributing critical understandings of intersectional representations of race/ethnicity and gender in Jane The Virgin. More specifically, this study focuses on the construction and representation of femininity. There is great significance in analyzing new shows that offer representations of minority groups because they can help track progress or regression in terms of relying on or defying racial and gendered stereotypes. Though causal links cannot be established, research indicates these representations can have real- life implications, as “white viewers are more likely to report a belief in the veracity and evenhandedness of these portrayals” (Mastro & Behm-Morawitz, 2005, p. 111). Stereotypes become effective because “learning occurs not just from a single show, but from content implied in a pattern of television messages such as racial and ethnic stereotypes, or the presence or absence of characters from a particular group” (Katzew, 5 JTV is also broadcast in Australia (Idato, 2014), Canada (Vlessing, 2014), the UK (Munn, 2014), New Zealand (“Quirky new comedy”, 2015), and Southeast Asia (http://www.sonychannelasia.com/programs/jane-virgin, N.D.) 2 2011, p. 303). Furthermore, television shows and other popular cultural productions are significant because they contribute