Almost a century later, as Latinas continue to remain underrepresented in Hollywood, we still see glimmers of these tropes played out. As children, we might have seen it in María la del Barrio’s fictional character Soraya Montenegro, the quintessential Latina villain who is jealous, violent, and emotionally unstable. In English-language entertainment, we also see it in Alexa Demie’s role in “Euphoria” as Maddy Perez, a confrontational teen who will physically harm people who have either hurt her or her friends; Sofía Vergara’s 11-season stint in “Modern Family” as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, the feisty wife and mother whose protectiveness often borderlines jealousy; and Salma Hayek’s brief role in “Ugly Betty” as Sofia Reyes, an editor who used her power and sex appeal to manipulate one of the other main characters on the show. While these actors play bold and empowered women, they share similar character flaws that are usually used for comedic effect and are implicitly attributed to their characters’ Latina identities and backgrounds.
