Consumption and Identity in My Telenovela

It's human nature. We love to pick and prod and pit one against the other. Conflict fascinates us. So, it only makes sense that as consumers of pop culture we'd gravitate towards programs that do the same thing. In America, we're no strangers to the cat-fight culture. Here, we're either "Pro-Jennifer" or " Team Angelina" in the battle for Brad. And for avid Grey's fans everywhere, there's not a single viewer that didn't pledge their allegiance to either Dr.McDreamy or the endearing George in the quest for Meredith's love and affection. 

Today, in class we learned how the same type of fascination exists in the telenovela world. For one, in the telenovela adaptation of Doña Barbara we discussed the vast distinction between those viewers who were "Barbaritas" and those who were "Mariselistas." The fans, much like here in the states, take an almost quasi-political view in favor of whom ever they side with. For example, as we saw today, those who are " Barbaritas" take offense to those who favor the "manipulative" Marisela. Likewise, those who favor Marisela don't understand the mentality of someone on the "Barbarita" side. Afterall, in their eyes, Barbara was a cruel, murderous person. 

At first thought, it seems that my telenovela has no such tryst. Afterall, in "La Fea Más Bella", Lety, the show's protagonist (or the adaptation of Colombia's "Betty") is the only female to root for. We can't pit Lety against the fiance of her lover, Marcia. Marcia is not relatable and an overall evil character. We also can't pit Lety against Alicia, her competitor as secretary at the PR firm Conceptos because likewise, Alicia is mean and conniving. 

However, after thinking it through, I realized that "La Fea Más Bella" didn't altogether steer away from the love games that the telenovela adaptation of "Doña Barbara" exhibited. In Lety's story, two lovers constantly vie for the ugly duckling's attention with equal sincerity and affection for Lety. Here, I can see where the viewer distinctions may be made into two groups; one group rooting for the lovesick chairman Don Fernañdo who once betrayed Lety but now holds undying love, and the other advocating the triumph of Aldo Domenzain, Lety's sweet and generous fiance. Watching " La Fea", I found myself torn between choosing the two characters, but my choice was Aldo. I chose Aldo, even knowingly, that he would likely not be with Lety in the end. However, because of his initial sincerity and genuine love for Lety right from the get-go, he became the character I saw most deserving of her love. 

By the end of the Tele, we find out that Aldo is in fact a saint brought from the heavens to save Lety and ensure that she ends up with the true love of her life, Don Fernando. Nonetheless, I still remain apart of "Team Aldo" in my tele's audience.