Telenovelas, Culture & Society - Fall 2022

As I tune in to my telenovela, “Maria La Del Barrio,” I’ve been keeping in mind its classic Cinderella structure as we learned in class, but what I’ve found is a quite unconventional prince. The pilot introduces Maria as the extremely poor, orphaned Cinderella who is living with her godmother. Upon her godmother’s passing, Maria is placed in a rich benefactor’s home by the local priest, as her last dying wish. It was a clever choice to incorporate the godmother granting a wish for Maria’s class elevation in this format. What breaks the mold of Cinderella though, is the introduction of her dashing, but cynical prince, Luis Fernando. Although handsome and rich, Luis Fernando is initially vicious and bratty. After being dumped, he vows to make every woman he crosses paths with miserable, and our heroine, poor, innocent Maria is no exception. In true Cinderella fashion, Maria is smitten with the tall and dashing Luis Fernando at first sight, but he takes no pity or compassion to her condit...

 Jazmin Garcia SPAN 4100 20 September 2022 Deja a Las Muejeres en Paz Como mujer, siempre hay muchas expectativas que tiene la gente sobre cómo tienes que ser, cuando hacerlo, con quién y mas. Si una mujer habla mucho con los hombres, se dice que ella es coqueta, pero si no habla tanto es reservada y amargada. No hay manera de que las mujeres se salvan de la vista y juicio de la gente, y por eso es importante que hagan lo que quieran para que ultimamente sean felices.  La idea que las mujeres deben ser privadas, amas de casa es una idea antigua que continúa por los siglos. Siempre hay una expectativa para las mujeres, incluso con las telenovelas. En clase, hablamos de los pilares del patriarcado y cómo las mujeres son parte de este construcción social. El machismo es muy prevalente en la cultura hispana y en telenovelas es muy aparente.  Los hombres son representados como mejor que las mujeres - más fuertes, mas inteligentes, más competentes.  Las mujeres se quedan e...

 "Tomasa Tequiero" is a Venezuelan telenovela that aired between 2009 and 2010. Tomasa Tequiero was a maid to a wealthy family who left the life insurance to her. She was responsible for caring for the couple's two daughters.  At the time of its release, it was seen as revolutionary and modern that Venevision had casted a person of color, Gledys Ibarra, as the protagonist. But Tomasa was a maid. It seems as if Venevision was on a mission to add a person of color into their telenovela and did not put the thought of having a person of color as a less demeaning role.  Maids are usually seen as not important in Latin America, so having a person of color as a maid as the protagonist can be seen as a micro-agression towards the community Venevision attempted to represent. Tomasa Tequiero is a Cinderella telenovela. Tomasa is a maid who overnight becomes a millionaire. She quite literally has a rags to riches story. She also goes through obstacles such as dealing with an evil gr...

While talking about representation and sexuality in class today, I thought a lot about what I was seeing in my own telenovela. Sin senos si hay paraíso has been super entertaining so far, but I can definitely see where stereotypes of gender, skin color, and sexuality fall in.  Starting with the most obvious one, the representation of men and women in this telenovela are sometimes very stereotypical. Some of the biggest characters in the show contribute to this. Yésica is characterized as a "she-devil" who is obsessed with money, power, and looks. Her conventionally attractive looks and big breasts allow her to get anything she wants, no matter what. She rubs this off on her daughter, Daniela, who is obsessed with the delivery boy Hernán, and is on a mission to have him for herself. Daniela takes on the stereotypical role of a spoiled little girl who is boy-crazy. One example is when she whines to her mom that she isn't pretty enough for Hernán, so Yésica allows her to get...

      As we have been discussing in class recently, a lot of telenovelas build on the cinderella archetype whether that be through a classic telenovela rosa where the poor girl falls in love with the rich boy or another that is de ruptura that breaks that narrative while still calling back on it to make their point. There are a lot of answers to the question "Why Cinderella?" from our love of underdogs, wanting the aspirational to be reality or the fact that reversals of fortune resonate with many who are used to economic uncertainty. But a point that was made that really intrigued me was the global feminization of poverty and all the ties it has that connect back to telenovelas and cultural values.     Statistically speaking, more women are impoverished than men. This index shows how many times the incidence of poverty is greater among women than men in 17 different Latin American countries and spoiler: women are poorer than men in every single one. One of the...

 A common theme as of our past few classes, diversity, has weighed heavily on my mind throughout watching my telenovela. Whether it be skin color, gender, wealth, or success; all sorts of people are represented in my telenovela, "La Selección." Two of the main characters have darker skin and one, Faustino, is even taunted for his skin color. While he lets this get to him in the moment, his friend insists he has to learn to not fall for people's taunts, regardless of cruelty. I recognized many of the problematic themes we have discussed in class for telenovelas, however, I have noticed mine has at least acknowledged them as problematic or jokes. Whether they be stereotypical views of crazy women, men required to be macho, or a certain color skin being superior; all of these views of been brought into the show, and then dismantled as irrational or inaccurate most often. Though it may not represent the issues severely enough, it shows Carlos Valderrama apologizing to his wif...

Aunque los conceptos de representación y identidad son muy complejos y largos para entender, he disfrutada nuestra discusión sobrelos en clase, y creo que es muy importante para aprender cómo ambos juegan un papel in las telenovelas y en el mundo en conjunto. Todo el mundo quiere sentirse visto y conocido y merece esas cosas, pero es una realidad dura para darse cuenta que el mundo, especialmente la industria del entretenimiento, ha hecho un mal trabajo en el pasado de incluir a todos.  En mi propia experiencia, cuando era joven viendo programas de televisión del canal Disney, estaba expuesto a puntos de vista muy limitadas de la representación y la identidad. Por ejemplo, hubo el programa "Buena Suerte Charlie," que representa una familia nuclear blanca que vive una feliz vida de clase media-alta. Aunque la estructura de mi propia familia no se ve exactamente igual que la de ellos, en mayor parte podría relacionar con la familia Duncan en el programa. Soy una estadounidense ...

  Recently, we have been studying how representation is displayed through the art of telenovelas. Historically most protagonists have been white in terms of Latin American labeling and have a very similar “look.” However, as the world becomes more progressive in terms of inclusivity, many telenovelas have made efforts to shift main characters from white to people of color.   One example discussed is Tomasa Tequiero, a woman played by actress Gledys Ibarra. The plot follows a maid who inherits millions of dollars following the death of the parents in the house she works for. With the millions, she is expected to raise their daughters. There are antagonists who are racist and who want her money, despite her inheritance coming the parents’ acknowledgment of the care and love she holds for their daughters. Ibarra is a woman of color, though she has green eyes, a reason many people suggest why she was cast. The writers of Tomasa Tequiero attempted to instate a woman of color as the...

  Al ver los primeros capítulos de mi telenovela, Celia, he comenzado a notar la presencia del machismo y el marianismo combinada con la tradición. El machismo y el marianismo comentan sobre el papel de la mujer en la sociedad y en la casa. El machismo dice que un hombre es superior a la mujer mientras que el marianismo dice que las mujeres son mejores que los hombres solo para cuidar a los hijos y sacrificarse por su familia. Las dos ideas trabajan juntas para resaltar la patriarquia presente hoy día, pero aún más en Cuba por los años 1950s, el tiempo de Celia Cruz. En la telenovela, Celia vive con su mamá, su media hermana, y su padre. Quiere perseguir su sueño de cantar, pero su padre es el jefe de la casa, así que ni ella ni su mamá tienen espacio para hablar e ir en su contra. Su padre quiere que Celia sacrifique sus sueños para hacer lo que él quiere para ella: ser maestra de niños más chicos. Aquí se puede notar el marianismo en cual su papá prohíbe que tenga relaciones con...

      This semester I've been watching the telenovela, Sin Senos Si Hay Paraíso. In the telenovela, one of the protagonists is Hilda, a mother who has lost two of her three children. The children she has lost were murdered as a result of drug lords running the city. Because of the losses she has faced, when her third child is born, Hilda vows to protect her newborn daughter and ensure that she lives a better life than her first two children. In their city, it's typical for girls to fall into the traps of prostitution and being swayed by drug lords. Hilda decides that the only way to ensure her daughter doesn't fall into one of these traps is to paint a yellow border outside their house that her daughter, Catalina, isn't allowed to cross without one of her parents with her.      In my opinion, this tactic actually sounds like a good idea for parents to use,  especially in a city ...

  I’m watching the Telenovela Rubí which is about a beautiful girl who wants to become rich. She attends university and befriends rich people hoping to one day become rich. Univision broadcast Rubí from 2004 to 2005 and named Rubí as a top telenovela of all time. It was written by a Mexican writer who originally wrote Rubí as a comic book. Like Professora A mentioned in class, Rubí is special because she is the villain as well as the protagonist. She is manipulative, selfish, and jealous of the rich. She believes that since she is beautiful, she deserves to be rich.  I was thinking about representation in Rubí and the traditional Cinderella telenovela. I think it can be argued that Rubí is a sort of Cinderella. She is stunning. She comes from a poor background and lives in a poor neighborhood. I’m only a few episodes in, but I can predict she will rise socioeconomically. However, she does not fit the Cinderella mold when it comes to personality. Instead of naive, she is manip...

Para empezar, cuando vi el primer episodio de El Clon , supe que estaría comprometida. El Clon es una historia contemporánea de amor y honor que trata temas como el narcotráfico, la clonación y las actitudes hacia el Islam - temas que son entretenidos y interesantes. ¿Por qué las telenovelas son tan adictivas? Inmediatamente, noté los personajes atractivos, los cliffhangers, un triángulo de amor, el amor prohibido, los secretos familiares y la muerte. TODAS estas cosas ocurren solo en el primer episodio. También me pareció muy interesante obtener una mezcla de múltiples culturas. Puedo aprender sobre las culturas española y islámica en este telenovela. No me sorprende que Telemundo se uniera con TV Globo para crear El Clon después de que O Clone tuviera un gran éxito en Brasil. Es la gran cantidad de drama intenso lo que hace que los espectadores quieren más. Aunque El Clon tiene 183 episodios, los espectadores siguen comprometidos y leales. Entonces, en un episodio de solo 45 minuto...

The first episode of a telenovela ( capítulo ‘chapter’ in Brazil) carries massive responsibility. It introduces characters, sets the foundation for story arcs, starts off the love story, and presents (or at least hints at) the first challenge lovers will face. In the case of Brazilian telenovelas and their realistic nature, it also introduces the one or several current societal issues that will be either central or of great importance for the plot. On top of all its responsibilities, the first episode of the telenovela also pre-defines what people will listen to in the upcoming months. Especially before the streaming era, it was the 9pm telenovela that defined which songs would chart #1 in the country – songs that would be played at wedding ceremonies, proms and birthday parties.           Episode 1 is a kaleidoscope of sounds. If you are somewhere else other than in the living room when it starts, you might think someone is changing radio stations. It...

Something I’ve noticed as I work my way through the first episodes of Telemundo’s El fantasma de Elena is the presence of Cinderella-esque qualities in the two protagonists: Elena and Eduardo. We have discussed in-depth the Cinderella archetype as it pertains to the female protagonists in many telenovelas around the world. We have also learned that there are variations in this archetype – specifically the type where the man is the Cinderella. My telenovela differs from these two journeys as both protagonists display qualities of the Cinderella archetype where both the male and the female protagonists have some Cinderella-like characteristics, but it could not be said that either character is a Cinderella through and through. The two main protagonists, Elena and Eduardo, having their first real conversation. (Image from Hulu ) Elena is a woman in her mid- to late twenties who had only ever been in one relationship prior to meeting Eduardo. One could say she is at least romantically n...

Al crecer en Miami, estaba constantemente rodeado por la cultura española. Vecinos, amigos y extraños me hablaron en español ya que era su idioma principal. Las escuelas empezaron a implementar el español en su plan de estudios a partir del jardín de niños, equipándome así con las capacidades lingüísticas que tengo hoy en día. Mi español ha sido influenciado por todos los diferentes dialectos que van desde los países de Cuba a Colombia a España a México a la región del Caribe como resultado de mi crianza y viajes. Siempre había visto el español como una combinación uniforme de vocabulario y gramática y no había considerado sus variaciones hasta después de mi estudio en el extranjero en Cádiz, España. Durante mi estancia en Cádiz, pasé mucho tiempo familiarizándome con la población local. Pasé horas todos los días hablando con ellos en español, ya que no sabían mucho inglés, y nunca olvidaré cuando durante una de nuestras conversaciones, uno de los chicos me dijo que sonaba como si ...

Yo crecí en una casa donde la tele siempre estaba prendida, viendo las noticias, el horóscopo, el chavo del ocho, La Familia P. Luché, todo mientras que mi mamá cocinaba o limpiaba y yo hacía mi tarea. No le prestamos mucha atención y hablábamos mientras que la tele estaba prendida - era más como música para el fondo. Pero, cuando eran las 8, 9, 10 de la noche, todo se paraba. Ya no podíamos hacer muchísimas cosas a la vez, porque este tiempo era especialmente para las telenovelas. Yo recuerdo que cuando era muy niña, mis padres me querían dormida a las 8 o 9 para que ellos pudieran ver la telenovela en paz. A veces se podían perder las telenovelas más tempranas, pero si es cierto que a las 10 la más buena, la más dramática, tenía que estrenarse y es verdad que reservan ese lugar para el “prime time”.               Cuando finalmente pude quedarme quieta para ver las telenovelas, los empecé a ver con mis padres. Recuerdo que yo ...

Growing up in a Latino household, Univision and Telemundo were on the TV at all times. This meant a constant rotation of telenovelas throughout the day, and although my young eyes paid them no mind, my young ears were drawn to the romantic and emblematic songs that lined their intros. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a hopeless romantic, but I could never pinpoint just where this came from, until I started to take a look into my spotify, and realized all of my favorite Latino songs are from Telenovelas. They encapsulate the essence of despecho , taking you and drawing you into the journey before it even begins.  One of my favorites is the intro used from Mis Tres Hermanas, “A Puro Dolor.” It is the most iconic novela song I can think of. When someone says novela, this is what plays in my head. The song details the sorrows of someone as their ex lover has moved on and the song literally states, “I feel empty, the afternoons are a labyrinth, my nights taste like pure pain...

Como otros hispanos, la telenovela fue una parte de mi crianza, pero no fue tan gran una parte de mi vida haste que mi mama dejó de trabajar y podía sentarse a ver la telenovela cada noche. Mi infancia la pase afuera con mis primos y mis padres con mis tíos así que no fui introducida a la telenovela hasta que tuve unos 13 o 14 años. La primera "telenovela," o lo que pensaba que era una telenovela que yo vi fue La Rosa de Guadalupe. Mi mamá siempre tenía un capitulo de la serie en la televisión así que eso fue mi primer vistazo al mundo de telenovelas aunque ahora sé que no es una telenovela.  Hasta este punto en mi vida, no sabía la definición de una telenovela. Pensaba que una telenovela solo era cualquier serie dramática que no seguía una linea derechita, si no una historia que mezclaba varios caracteres, intereses amorosos complicados, ladrones, mentirosos, y mucho más. Ahora sé que una telenovela se distingue de otras series y las soap operas con el formato de cuando sale...

     The concept and popularity of telenovelas has always intrigued me. Though not all telenovelas are the "rosa," romance and feel-good type, they do all have one thing in common: heartbreak. At some point in every telenovela, at least one character gets their heart broken, and usually, it's multiple characters going through heartbreak. Why, as viewers, are we so drawn to watching such plots?       It's entertaining, yes, to form an attachment to a character and root for their relationship during the lifecycle of a show, but why is it that telenovelas are so successful because of the heartbreak aspect of their plots? What does that say about everyone that looks forward to watching a girl or boy get their heart broken or go through a turbulent relationship?! It kind of makes us look crazy.     When I was going through my break-up with my ex-boyfriend, I wanted to...