Obviously this continues to be true for Vergara in this movie with her curves the focus of the marketing and the word "Hot" from the film's title literally emblazoned over her body.
This inspired me to look and see how often Vergara is described in the "climate-confused" terms associated with Latina stars. The answer: an awful lot. For example, these three magazines annoit her with descriptions as diverse as "Hot and Hilarious," "Caliente," and "Caliente caliente."
Even when Vanity Fair seemingly focuses on her success and business acumen, they link it to her body: "TV's Top-Paid Actress Is Building Her Own Bombshell Empire. Va-va-Vergara!"
Obviously the spicy latin trope continues to thrive in our modern media. For Sofia Vergara, whether the topic is her newest film, her style, her place among Latina actresses, her TV work, or her business, it is important to also mention that she is sexy.
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ReplyDeleteHey Joseph!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this post. I was watching The Ellen Show the other day and Sofia, Reese Witherspoon and Ellen did a skit called "The Three Sofias" where Ellen and Resse but on body suits to look like Sofia Vergara. The suits had big boobs, a big butt, then they wore a wig and red lipstick. They would talk in her accent as well. While it was funny, it was also a tired skit that's been done before a million times. We get it. Sofia is hot and has a funny accent.
I think that Sofia's bombshell look with her accent is great, however it's gotten to the point where America doesn't see anything but that. As a country we've completely turned her into a caricature and aren't respecting her comedic genius. She has great talent, great comedic timing, and in general has a great sense of humor. I think it's problematic that people often don't even treat her like a real person but just as a Latino Prop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NPy6eOYDMc
Joseph and Talia, I totally agree with what both of you are saying. I was thinking about who Sofia Vergara is in the US media outside of her Latina identity, and I realized I have absolutely no idea. Maybe this is because I didn't actively do any research, but maybe it's because the prevailing media-sculpted image of her is so dominant that any other identities she has are necessarily pushed aside or ignored.I wonder if this treatment of her body and image - the tenets of her American Identity - will problematize her evolution as an actress. Will she be able to (or even allowed to) age gracefully on screen? Can we even manage to see a Sofia Vergara that is not the "bombshell" image we literally imported? Indeed, is she too necessarily tied to the Latina "bombshell" image that it'll be really difficult, if not impossible, for her to represent (or, probably more accurately for us to allow her to represent) anything else?
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