I had a vague idea of what telenovelas were before entering this course. My mom and grandma both watched telenovelas, but I hadn't really talked about it to them. Just never really sparked my interest. I took this course as a way to feel more connected to my culture, since my culture is a pretty big source of comfort for me.
The first in person class session I went to, I learned so much about the types of telenovelas, whether it was traditional or realistic. I had mostly seen more of the realistic ones, mostly memories from when I was younger. But then I learned about the "rosa" type of telenovelas, and I have a somewhat weird relationship with rosa telenovelas.
I think the whole idea of "Cinderella" somewhat leaves a bad taste in my mouth. That there's some rich, upper class man here to save the girl from her rural, poor life. I understand that it's traditional, but there's a part of me that is almost bored of that storyline. Maybe that's because it's stereotypical, but I just don't see how much story you can explore with the traditional method...
Oh but the one that interested me was when it was the role reversal. Just seeing that...it feels like they are actually into the other person? It seems a lot more sweet and magical to me that this rich girl is falling in love with a man who works with telephones... more sweet and wholesome. Like, rich girl can see him for how he is and not try to save him. They can just appreciate each other. Again, maybe I'm wrong with the direction of the show, but I really enjoyed seeing it.
Another interesting telenovela was the focus on the girl's autism. The exploration of autism is something I don't see too often, especially in women. And they didn't paint her as some weirdo, or someone who is fragile. She's just being herself, not needing to be saved.
Finally, as someone who considers herself to be part of the Latino community, the whole "ethnicity" thing is super true. For example, my grandma has blonde hair, green eyes and is pale. Whereas myself I have dark hair, brown eyes, and I'm usually more tan. It's wonderful that my culture is so mixed- and I wish more people understood that.
I totally agree with you when it comes to the original Cinderella storyline. Just the fact that these poor girls are almost only recognized for their looks and never for their brains is demeaning and annoying. When the characters are flipped, I do agree that the storyline is easier to swallow but I also think it's annoying how the guy version of Cinderella is not simple and naive like the girl version is but independent, smart and charming. In general, the cinderella storyline is tiresome and borderline offensive. I do like how it seems that telenovelas are branching out especially with the one about autism as you said as well as the most recent Betty in New York where she does not slowly become beautiful throughout the show and the love interest learns to love her as she is which is both sweet and sends a good message.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed following along on your "thought process" journey. It was good to read about your opinion and see how we agree and disagree. I do agree when you say you had a vague idea of what telenovelas really were before this course. I had been exposed to them just like you but didn't know how complex they could be analyzed until this course. Where we disagree is when it comes to Cinderella. I think because it is a classic, it gets the boring reputation when it can be quite entertaining. However, it is very predictable and stereotypical.
I would be interested in knowing more about the autism factor of this telenovela. I have a special place in my heart for kids with disabilities and think I would really enjoy digging deeper into that part of the show!