Representation in the media[edit] White Hispanics by State, 2007 ACS[16] State Population % of State % of Hispanics California 6,503,487 18 49 Texas 5,398,738 23 63 Florida 2,867,365 16 76 New York 1,161,663 7 37 Arizona 1,113,398 18 59 Illinois 715,315 6 37 New Jersey 660,649 8 48 Colorado 601,488 12 62 New Mexico 530,612 27 61 Nevada 412,985 16 64 Regional Distribution of White Hispanics, 2000[27] Region of the U.S West 37.7% South 40.8% Midwest 8.4% Northeast 13% In popular use, Hispanic and Latino are often mistakenly given racial values, usually non-white and mixed race, such as half-caste or mulatto, in spite of the racial diversity of Hispanic and Latino Americans. Hispanics commonly draw ancestry from European, African, and Native American populations in different proportions; some Hispanics are entirely of European ancestry, some are of African ancestry, and some are predominantly of Native Central or South American Indian origin; but a large number of Hispanics are descended from an admixture of two, three or more origins. Paradoxically, it is common for them to be stereotyped as being exclusively non-white due merely to their Spanish-speaking country of origin, regardless of whether their ancestry is European or not.[28][29][30][31] Judith Ortiz Cofer notes that appellation varies according to geographical location, observing that in Puerto Rico she is considered white, but in the United States she is considered a brown person.[32] On the other hand, since the early days of the movie industry in the U.S., when White Hispanic actors are given roles, they are frequently cast in non-Hispanic white roles.[30][33] Hispanic and Latino Americans began to appear in the US movie industry in the 1910s, and the leading players among them were generally light skinned and Caucasian.[33] Myrtle Gonzalez was one such American actress in the silent film era; she starred in at least 78 motion pictures from 1913 to 1917.[34] Anita Page was an American actress of Salvadoran descent who reached stardom in 1928, during the last years of the silent film.[35] Page was referred to as a blond, blue-eyed Latin and the girl with the most beautiful face in Hollywood.[36][37] Even today, because Americans associate Hispanic origin with brown skin, Hollywood typically casts Hispanics with conventionally Caucasian features as non-Hispanic white — as in the case of Cameron Díaz, Emilio Estévez, and Charlie Sheen. Most Americans may not be aware that the actress who played all-American Gilmore Girl Lorelai Leigh Rory Gilmore — Alexis Bledel — is Hispanic, with a mother from Mexico and father from Argentina.[38] The White Hispanics who are perceived as Hispanic by Americans usually have a typical Southern European pigmentation, with olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. The U.S. Hispanic media and the Latin American media are commonly represented by White Hispanic and Latino Americans and White Latin Americans (very often blond and blue-eyed or green-eyed), particularly in telenovelas (soap operas). There tends to be an under-representation of non-white Hispanic and Latino Americans and non-white Latin Americans, amid claims that telenovelas, in particular, do not fully reflect the racial diversity of Hispanic and Latino Americans.[39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47] [48] For example, in the 2005 U.S. Hispanic telenovela Olvidarte Jamas, white, blond, and blue-eyed Venezuelan American actress Sonya Smith portrayed Luisa Dominguez who is a poor mestiza woman; the actress had to wear a black wig to hide her obvious Caucasian appearance.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 00:35:57 +0000
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