First off, I have to follow the trend and talk about how excited I was when I saw Marisa Roman come through the doors! It was a great surprise...and a great set-up! I even asked Dr. A about two minutes before Marisa walked in, "So she is in Venezuela right now?" Also, the second we left Grady that day, every single one of us was on our cell phones telling someone about the exciting news! Claire and I bragged in our next class about it, even though no one had ever even seen a telenovela before!
I have really enjoyed listening to the reasons behind the Cinderella Story trend in telenovelas this week. Whenever we watch a clip of a typical telenovela rosa, (especially everyday with Valeria)I feel like I am being hit in the face with machismo. Men are macho, women are scantily dressed. I like how Padron takes these typical rosa scenarios and puts a twist on them. I feel like in the United States we have come a long way from the typical Cinderella Story of the poor, naive girl which seemed to be typical of decades passed. Although men and women both watch telenovelas, I am guessing that the majority of viewers. How do you think women feel when they see themselves with sexy clothes at the will of macho men on telenovelas? Do you think that the women of Latin America in general disapprove of this stereotype, enjoy the stereotype, or have no opinion? Gender relations in pop culture has really been on my mind this week when talking about these Cinderella Stories.
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I am becoming very aware of the reigning machismo in the telenovela I am watching, and apparently this polarized representation of the macho man and the beautiful woman is common in telenovelas, and I cannot omit saying it is often present in U.S. chick flicks and popular tv shows. However,I think the U.S. has advanced further in finding a median for female and male roles, a reflection of our society's advancement in this area. Women have come a long way in gaining political rights and a feminist movement is still growing as women become more respected in social settings. Dr. A's quotes from her mother support the idea that it is still uncommon for Venezuelan women to work in the professional world, and Venezuela is known for its obsession with beauty. I am sure latinos are often critical of gender representations in telenovelas, but as long as more progressive writers such as Leonardo Padron, continue to produce, these stereotypes should begin to disperse.
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