Does Jane the Virgin break stereotypes, or perpetrate them?
It's no surprise that I watch a lot of shows on Netflix. One of my latest obsessions is Jane the Virgin, a show about a latinX woman (Jane) who, while still a virgin, gets accidentally artificially inseminated. That's just the first line in a long list of crazy and unpredictable events that ensue.
The show follows Jane, her mom, her grandmother, her dad (spoiler alert...sort of), her boyfriend, Michael, and her baby daddy Rafael and his family. The telenovela inspired drama is suspenseful and anxiety-inducing, constantly leaving watchers on the edge of their seats, desperately clicking the "next episode" button to find out exactly what happens next. However, this suspense can often be overdone and the show occasionally plays into stereotypes about latinX women that still permeate popular TV.
Janes mom, Gloria, for example, is portrayed as a promiscuous singer who puts a lot of weight onto her appearance and sexual prowess. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't at forefront of her identity. Gloria, who got pregnant with Jane at 16 and never graduated high school, is often seen dating men, wearing promiscuous clothing, and singing at different clubs/bars. This plays into popular and toxic stereotypes about Latina women. Jane, by contrast, is almost the exact opposite of her mother. She is in graduate school to be a teacher, has never had sex (obviously), is driven academically, and has an overwhelming air of innocence and naivety that can, at times, fall a little flat.
However, as the show progresses, every character grows in different ways, and the show manages to break many of these cliches in its later seasons. Despite its shortcomings, Jane the Virgin is an incredible show with a diverse cast, hilarious writing, and a thrilling plot that always leaves me wanting more.
The show follows Jane, her mom, her grandmother, her dad (spoiler alert...sort of), her boyfriend, Michael, and her baby daddy Rafael and his family. The telenovela inspired drama is suspenseful and anxiety-inducing, constantly leaving watchers on the edge of their seats, desperately clicking the "next episode" button to find out exactly what happens next. However, this suspense can often be overdone and the show occasionally plays into stereotypes about latinX women that still permeate popular TV.
Janes mom, Gloria, for example, is portrayed as a promiscuous singer who puts a lot of weight onto her appearance and sexual prowess. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't at forefront of her identity. Gloria, who got pregnant with Jane at 16 and never graduated high school, is often seen dating men, wearing promiscuous clothing, and singing at different clubs/bars. This plays into popular and toxic stereotypes about Latina women. Jane, by contrast, is almost the exact opposite of her mother. She is in graduate school to be a teacher, has never had sex (obviously), is driven academically, and has an overwhelming air of innocence and naivety that can, at times, fall a little flat.
However, as the show progresses, every character grows in different ways, and the show manages to break many of these cliches in its later seasons. Despite its shortcomings, Jane the Virgin is an incredible show with a diverse cast, hilarious writing, and a thrilling plot that always leaves me wanting more.
Thank you for sharing this article. This point I didn't see when I first started watching the show, I saw it as more satire, poking fun of the ridiculous portrayal of Latinas in the media. I think what's nice is we see how the media is constantly sexualizing women, while simultaneously stressing their need to remain virgins to protect their "purity." While the show uses stereotypes, it debunks them at the same time because a virgin got pregnant. Therefore, to answer your questions, Jane the Virgin both perpetuates and breaks stereotypes.
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