Top stories written by Latinas delivered to you each month in partnership with #WeAllGrow Latina
ESPOOKY SEASON
The creators intentionally destigmatize the fear of connecting with the dead through its playful storytelling, normalizing the idea that connecting with the dead doesn’t make us crazy and it’s also not a demonic act.
Jasmin (Esoteric Esa) Alejandrez-Prasad
TRICKS & TREATS WE’RE CONSUMING THIS SEASON
As we enter the last week of espooky season, we want to take a minute to highlight our favorite TV shows and movies to enjoy long after we finish the last piece of Halloween candy.
The brainchild of comedians Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega, Los Espookys is a sweet mix of a scary sensibility and irreverent comedy as it follows a group of friends servicing their clients’ ridiculous spooky but most often hilarious requests. Unafraid to play with realism, gender, and even the idea of spookiness itself, this show is a must-see this season.
And, of course, this week is Día de Los Muertos. Esoteric Esa wrote about how Disney’s Coco helped destigmatize this Mexican holiday. “Coco became a trigger of inspiration for Mexican Americans and Latine/xs as we navigate intergenerational healing.” As some of us take this week to celebrate and remember those who are no longer with us, Coco is a welcome reminder of the beauty in life and in death.
A NEW, POST-PANDEMIC NORMAL
Though people of color were approaching proportionate representation among cable and digital scripted leads, cable episodes directed, and credited cable writers, they remained underrepresented on every industry employment front during the 2020-21 television season.
Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón
REPRESENTATION MATTERS – NOW WHAT?
This month UCLA released its Hollywood Diversity Report, which examines relationships between diversity and the bottom line in the Hollywood entertainment industry, specifically television.
The study looked at over 407 shows from the 2020 to 2021 season to see the number of women and people of color present both in front of and behind the camera. While we see shows like Bridgerton, Abbott Elementary, and On My Block, research shows that white men continue to get more opportunities with larger budgets.
Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón, director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at UCLA said, “We saw an uptick in opportunity for people of color and women having their shows greenlit, which should be a marker of progress… However, when we examined the episodic budgets of all the TV series, we see a strong pattern indicating that shows created by people of color and women tended to receive smaller budgets than those created by white men, particularly in the digital arena.”
Cristina Escobar wrote for TODAY about the emotions that arise as we see show after show created and featuring Latine stories canceled in the headlines. Shows like Gordita Chronicles, One Day At a Time, and Gentefied allowed us and stories made for us to move beyond the stereotypes written by white men in the past. The truth is we are a leading economic and political block, and it’s time folks start paying attention.
FAMILIA MATTERS
We are strong, powerful, magical, and mystical creatures, and our strength and our loudness is not something that should ever be brought down.
Mayan Lopez
HOW WE TALK ABOUT LATINE FAMILIES ON SCREEN & OFF
Family is our first connection to community. Whether it’s joy, love, sadness, or anger, family is often where we first learn how to express or even suppress our emotions. Latine families have served as the backdrop to many films and tv shows, from the latest Father of the Bride remake to George Lopez’s newest show Lopez vs. Lopez.
Mayan Lopez talked with Popsugar about the inspiration for the show and working with her real-life father, comedian George Lopez and the power of Latine representation. However, family is also not always a safe place. Nicole Froio wrote about her complicated feelings about This Fool for Remezcla and how it represents the toxic yet relatable sides of Latine families, including religion, gender, and race. For HipLatina, Dr. Lisette Sanchez, a bilingual licensed psychologist and founder of Calathea Wellness, talks about generational trauma and the power of self-compassion when dealing with your mental health.
LATINAS ON THE BYLINES 💬
🧠 Think About It
Ghost Hunting Has Always Been Part of Black & Latine Culture — We’re Proof
📰 In the News
Opinion: After Her Anti-Black Comments, Nury Martinez’s Resignation Letter Is A Slap To The Face
🤩 We’re Here for This
INTERVIEW: Belissa Escobedo Talks ‘Hocus Pocus 2,’ Joining ‘Blue Beetle,’ & Loving America Ferrera
