"An important aspect of both the “spicy Latina” trope and my zine is how Latina’s sexualities in media are commodified to conform to the white male gaze. Specifically, Latinas sexualities are seen as something to dominate and control. Something explored throughout the zine is Maddy’s relationship with Nate, her on-and-off again abusive boyfriend. Page two of the zine showcases how Maddy accepts that she needs darkness in her romantic relationships because that is just who she is. This page is meant to look like the inside of a magazine and I decided to use this style as a way to show how the creator of the show often depicts Maddy as more mature even though she is just a teenager. I make up a mock up interview with the character, and although the questions are fabricated, the responses are not. The responses are things the character has said herself or that other characters in the show have said about her. On the next page of the zine, I delve more into her feelings about the relationship she has with her boyfriend and with love."
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"I decided to make a digital zine exploring the “spicy Latina” trope using the character of Maddy Perez as the main subject. Maddy Perez is a character from the HBO show Euphoria and has often been referenced as both exhibiting the “spicy Latina” trope as well as subverting it. Page two of my zine delves into the ways that she is stereotypically depicted in the show and how this viewpoint comes from the straight cis white male gaze. Oftentimes, Latinas throughout TV and film are depicted as caricatures of themselves that have thick accents, are overlysexual, confrontational, and uncontrollable. These are qualities that Maddy Perez often embodies throughout the show."
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"This side of the zine is styled to look like a page from Maddy’s journal entry because here she is delving into her own personal feelings and thoughts, free of the white male gaze. I decided to go with this style choice because it is more intimate and the hearts doodled on her notebook and the picture of her friends reminds the audience how young the character really is. Though both sides of the zine seem to be opposites, they compliment each other. The “spicy Latina” trope doesn’t just come from anywhere but it is based in reality. Many Latinas are confrontational, sexual, have loud personalities, etc. But the trope just exaggerates these qualities and takes the personhood and agency away from Latinas. Maddy embodies many different qualities and shouldn’t be seen as just a caricature." |