This page is referenced by:

• 1 media/big family.jpg media/big family.jpg 2017-11-20T10:43:23-08:00 Extended Family 26 Exploring dinnertime at Latinx homes image_header 2017-12-20T10:38:11-08:00

  In this short Target commercial, the clear audience is Latinx families since the term "sobremesa" does not translate well into English. Although the word itself translates to "desktop", its cultural definition is “table talks”. It is usually a time in which Latinx families remain at the dinner table and discuss their days, catching up in order to reconnect.
  
  The video shows the passage of time as the father turns the light on, kids run around, and someone stirs the coffee. Those are signs that the long conversations are starting. The atmosphere of the commercial is lighthearted through the usage of vivid colors and happy expressions on everyone's faces, which can suggest the stereotype of the Latinx people being vibrant and colorful. In an effort to connect to its Latinx niche audience, Target chose something that they thought was something the Latinx population could relate to. These table talks demonstrate an effort to connect with the family using food as a bonding experience. The fact that this term cannot be translated literally into English creates a sense of exclusivity because it is a custom of Latin America. As in the first commercial analyzed, language is used as a very strong form of bond.
  
  When studying this commercial through the lens of the extended family, the abundance of people at the dinner table becomes more apparent. Since this is a regular dinner, it demonstrates how normal it is to have extended family over on regular days. In an American household, a regular dinner would consist of  immediate family only. But in this case, and through the previous pictures and commercials, grandparents are almost always there. They represent the maintenance of tradition, while the newer generations begin to shift it.
  
  The conflicts between the traditional values and the new generation’s adaptation to new forms and customs is represented in the moment in which the mother takes her son's electronic device—an attempt to keep the traditional “sobremesa” conversation intact—and near the end, another member of the family hands it back to him, allowing new behaviours be part of the family. This could be Target's effort to show that the traditional Latinx family is ever evolving¹. It is embracing the change in generations through the symbolism of the device. Thus, when that electronic device is featured in the commercial, it is a way to show that change is happening and although there are some aspects of the Latinx family that stay the same, there will be shifts in customs throughout time.
  
  Overall, the initial artistic approach at maintaining cultural ties with one's background shines through. The usage of colors and blend of two cultures demonstrates Target's aesthetic as well as the way in which they want to portray Latinx families--in a very colorful way. Although Target makes an effort to demonstrate the shift away from conservative values, it still basks its commercial in other stereotypes about the Latinx culture.
  
  
  
  
  
  1. In a research article by Nancy S. Landale and R.S. Oropesa, titled "Hispanic Families: Stability and Change," both authors showed statistics that among Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Ricans from 1980 to 2000, there was a decline in marriage, incline in birth rate to unmarried mothers. It also shows an increase in single parent households for Mexican women, a slight decrease for Puerto Rican women, and an undetermined percentage for Cuban mothers (388). This signifies a huge transformation in what a typical Latinx household may look like now in comparison to a few decades ago.