Intergenerational Mujerista Latinidad: a comparative media analysis of One Day at a Time and Jane the Virgin

Abstract

ABSTRACT Jane the Virgin (JTV) and One Day at a Time (ODAAT) are contemporary U.S. American shows that intervene in a traditional media landscape that has largely ignored Latinas/os/x and allow for a re-envisioning of Latina women as substantive characters. Both shows focus on three generations of Latinas and present a matriarchy of characters that expand our understanding of a mujerista Latinidad. In this essay, we analyze the intergenerational representations of these two series to illustrate how gender roles, sexuality, and the Latina body are portrayed through media messages that take up socially progressive themes in refreshing ways. Our analysis highlights a significant disruption of the conventional tropes that stereotype Latinas as maids, mothers, and housewives, deviating from the hypersexual and virginal dichotomy. Jointly, these two shows add new dimensions to televised depictions of Latinas; as such, our critique tracks the evolution of Latina tropes.