Abstract
Popular culture can be seen, and has been interpreted by some, as a structure of dominance that perpetuates and enhances a dominant ideology invested with the social construction of whiteness, and correspondingly with capitalist cultural commodification. When we examine the representation of Latina bodies in mainstream popular culture, or even in Latina/o popular culture that crosses over or that is produced by the mainstream culture industry, this interpretation becomes an accurate and problematic statement about the abject state of the female body in the popular imagination. This essay will examine hegemonic social constructions of “beauty” in juxtaposition with portrayals of Latina bodies in three kinds of texts: Latina magazine, the cultural icon of Selena, and Jose-fina Lopez’s play, Real Women Have Curves.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
