How Amy Santiago Goes Agains Stereotypes
"Yous're all…articulate. And smart."
"Then are you! Wait, why does that sound like an insult?"
~ Rosa Diaz and Amy Santiago, Brooklyn Nine-Ix
A couple weeks ago I delivered a rant about how almost Latina characters on Television tend to fall into a few basic stereotypes: maids, immigrants or the daughters of immigrants, from the ghetto, thickly accented even when the actresses playing them aren't, and hypersexualized in dissimilarity to the prim and proper WASPs around them.
Most of the Latina characters I like fall into at least one of these. Fifty-fifty the ones that, overall, are unique and well-rounded. I can't overstate my dearest for Betty Suarez fromUgly Betty. Betty is Jess from New Daughter before Zooey Deschanel made that kind of grapheme cool. But a major plotline in that series is the discovery that Betty's immigrant father is undocumented. Carla Espinoza Turk fromScrubs is serious, responsible, a leader in a professional career, and attractive without being overtly sexualized. Merely, again, immigrant backstory, though at least her family is legal. Santana Lopez, one of my favorite characters on Glee, starts out overtly hypersexual in dissimilarity with good blonde suburban Evangelical Quinn, whose sexuality is safely hidden under a facade of guiltlessness clubs and purity assurance. Santana's arc is somewhat salvaged when it turns out that her earlier promiscuity was her attempt to convince herself she wasn't a lesbian. She's actually been pretty restrained in that regard since coming out. Just, even though early episodes established that her begetter is a well-off dr., in later episodes Santana claims residence in seedy, fierce "Lima Heights Side by side." Yes, even small rural towns have a ghetto, considering where else are the Latin@s supposed to alive? Gloria Pritchett fromModern Family is funny, likable, and to exist honest, a character I identify with in some ways. But she is pretty much the embodiment of every Latina stereotype in the history of tv set.
I'g throwing pinches of forest and knocking on table salt as I write this, because fifty-fifty after an awesome first flavour, I'm notwithstanding afraid Brooklyn Nine-9 is going to to make a liar out of me in Flavor 2. But so far, Detective Amy Santiago is possibly the least stereotypical Latina graphic symbol I've ever seen on TV. Like, ever.
Amy has way more in common with "adorkable" she-nerd characters similar Felicity Smoak, Jess 24-hour interval, Amy Farrah Fowler, and Leslie Knope than with Latina stereotypes. She'south brainy, aggressive, and studious to a mistake. She's great at her job, but often clueless about social interactions. She spends the first one-half of the season striking out on dates constantly, when she gets them at all. She gets makeup tips from hookers she's helped arrest because, although she wants to be perceived equally bonny as much equally any other woman, the smokey eye isn't in her skill prepare. She sucks at salsa dancing and needs a Jewish guy to prove her how it'due south done. She'south super quiet, except when she's seizing a legitimate opportunity for advocacy or calling attention to an equally legitimate achievement. She "talks like a white girl" (and if you've never heard anyone say this irl, you are probably white). Her shy, staid demeanor is in directly contrast to the other Latina member of Brooklyn Nine-9'southward ensemble, Detective Rosa Diaz.
And so let's talk nearly Rosa.
Rosa is definitely the less surprising of Brooklyn Nine-9'south two Latina characters. At first glance, Rosa is as much of a stereotype as Amy is an anti-stereotype. The third episode indicates that, while Amy didn't abound up in the inner urban center, Rosa did. Nosotros've seen the angry Latina (in space, even!), the spicy Latina (she made the TV Tropes list), the fierce Latina (every Michelle Rodriguez graphic symbol ever), etc.
But does this mean Rosa isn't a distinct, well-rounded character? While Rosa's acrimony management issues are comically over-the-elevation, she can be pretty diplomatic in dealing with sensitive situations like a co-worker'due south unrequited beat out. Her backstory hints at some complexity – she was a model pupil in Catholic schoolhouse, got transferred to an elite ballet academy, then got expelled for "beating up ballerinas." Peradventure she started out not so different from Amy, and snapped under the force per unit area of constant microagressions from snobby rich girls. (Or possibly she's only a bitch. Who knows.) And every bit for the "spicy Latina" matter, Rosa really isn't that sexualized. Sure, she has corking curves and full features. She lives in leather jackets. She carries herself with an irresistible swagger. Just you never get the sense that she's deliberately presenting herself in a sexual mode, and you lot rarely see or hear nearly her being in sexual situations. Personally, I relate to Rosa almost equally much equally I relate to Amy.
Let'southward talk almost Kara Thrace.
Say what, at present? What does a space opera that'south been off the air for almost a decade have to practise with an SNL-alumni-led sitcom? Well, think near it. Kara and Rosa are pretty similar characters, except that Rosa's way more functional. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace is the ultimate Space Marine archetype. She's a brash, trigger-happy, cigar-chomping flyboy with an set on record a mile long. She tin drinkable any of her male colleagues under the tabular array. She doesn't nowadays herself in a sexualized mode, and notwithstanding most of the male person cast wants her. She also has an unexpected interest and aptitude in the arts. Now, imagine if Starbuck had been played past Michelle Rodriguez instead of uber-white Katee Sackhoff. M-Rod, imo, would take washed at to the lowest degree as well with the function. Only we'd be discussing whether Starbuck was a Latina stereotype to this solar day. Every bit played by a white actress, Starbuck wasn't "a white character." She was simply Starbuck.
"Well, apparently white people just aren't as sensitive about stuff like that. Y'all should exist more like usa and quit overthinking everything." Nope. Effort over again. Starbuck isn't a white stereotype because there is such a wide range of white characters that it's a lot harder to smash "white women in TV" downwards to a few basic stereotypes than "Latinas in TV." According to this study, 3.eight% of American prime time Television roles in 2013 were "Asian or Latina women". Compared to 34% of characters being white women and fifty% being white men.
Why does this matter? Considering when characters of a certain demographic are few and far between, they go the sole representative of their demographic. Gloria Pritchett being strange, accented, and sexualized wouldn't be such a big bargain if she weren't the only Latina grapheme on Modernistic Family. As is, she's non "just Gloria." She'southward the way Modern Family is portraying Latinas. Same with Santana on Glee until Demi Lovato joined the cast.If Rosa Diaz were the only Latina graphic symbol on Brooklyn Nine-Ix, if she were show'due south sole representation of Latinas, it would be very piece of cake to dismiss her every bit simply another stereotype. Just she isn't, so nosotros don't. Rosa works because she has Amy. I can appreciate seeing some of my own traits reflected in Rosa without stereotype threat because I'1000 also seeing some of my completely opposite traits reflected in Amy. Traits I usually only encounter reflected in white characters. Traits for which girls who wait similar me are told they're "acting similar a white girl." Not that at that place's anything wrong with existence a white girl, but it'southward frustrating to exist told that being yourself ways you're trying to be something you're not.
In conclusion, it's worth pointing out that Amy and Rosa are simply function ofBrooklyn Nine-9'southward various representation. Captain Ray Holt and Sergeant Terry Jeffords are black. These men are both happily married, Jeffords to the mother of his adored twin daughters, and Holt to the homo who'south been by his side for decades. Gina, the precinct'south administrative assistant, is even more of a goofy, quirky slacker than Andy Samberg'southward Detective Jake Peralta, a rarity for women in modernistic Television.
Actually, though, while I'yard watching the evidence, I'grand not actively thinking about any of this. I'm but having a not bad time watching great comedy writing brought to life past a great bandage. Hither's hoping Brooklyn 9-Nine's second flavour is as much fun as its first!
Source: https://amethystmarie.com/2014/03/31/why-amy-santiago-is-my-favorite-latina-character-on-tv/
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