The perception of beauty and forming of standards to judge what individuals fit within that arbitrary categorization of physical appearance in any context has always been one that is extremely subjective and open to a variety of differing viewpoints and opinions. With that being said however, an unfortunately inseparable part of that process has always been the generalization and objectification of certain ethnic groups according to those aforementioned standards. This digital project focuses on a group that has in particular faced the brunt of this issue, Latinx individuals, and analyzes how the fetishization of the "Latin Lover", a phenomenon that has a long history in the media in the US, has been continued since the turn of the 21st century. The project specifically seeks to explore how various media outlets and current-day social media platforms have exploited the popular portrayal of Latinx men as unfailingly suave, almost humorously macho, and always in the pursuit of a sexual encounter, and have portrayed Latinx women as "sexpots" who "make up" for their poor English and abrasive personalities with blatant sexuality.  

    The research question that serves as the foundational pillar for the premise of the entire project deeply inquires, "How have modern-day media outlets further perpetuated the fetishization of Latinx individuals in terms of gender and sexuality?" The initial hypothesis is that the nature of 21st-century pop culture (memes and social media sites like Twitter) and the overall representation of /roles held by some of the US's most recognizable and well-established Latinx celebrities in cinema (Hollywood) has not only reinforced a centuries-old patriarchal mentality regarding Latinx people, but has actually further exacerbated the sexualized objectification of them as well, especially that of women.

    One vital definition that will be made for purposes of clarification regarding the language used in this digital project is the relatively new term: "Latinx." A standard definition is that it is a term used to refer to individuals living in the United States with Latin American roots. The purpose of the x is to allow the word to be used as an umbrella term to be inclusive of individuals who identify as being of Latin American descent but don't necessarily fit within the gender binary of male or female.

    For this research project I analyzed three key pieces of evidence: memes that are among the top five search results (has the most likes and/or mentions and by extension exposure to the cyber world) when Latinx is typed in the search bar, a video that conducts analysis of the undermining representation of Latinx individuals in Hollywood, and the role Twitter has also held in sexualizing Latinx people. I also read scholarly articles to help give me background information and form my conclusion and argument/initial hypothesis. These articles are “Navigating Borders: Identity Formation and Latina Representation in Young Adult Literature” by Carol Isabella Padilla from Ohio State University and “I EXIST”: (TRANSCENDING) EMBODIMENTS AND EXPRESSIONS OF QUEER AND NON-BINARY IDENTITIES” by Alexis Hinojosa of Texas State University.

    The objectives of this project do not include explicitly prescribing a solution or a specific plan of action regarding the problems it explores. It purely attempts to shed light on how Latinx individuals are most commonly (and destructively) portrayed through the platforms provided by social media and cinema, and bring awareness to the current-day representation of Latinx individuals particularly with respect to subjectively imposed sexualized beauty standards and stereotypes.