Latina geniuses have graced the world with their contributions and powerful minds for centuries. We have Ellen Ochoa, the first Latina astronaut in space; Gabriela Mistral, the first Latina author to win the Nobel Prize in literature; Eulalia Guzmán, the first Mexican female archeologist; Sonia Sotomayor the first Latina U.S. Supreme Court Justice, and many more Latina pioneers that have impacted society. However, rarely are these women acknowledged to the extent they deserve and rarely are young Latina’s influenced or given the opportunity to pursue STEM-related careers. Despite fast-growing STEM fields, only 3% of Latina’s are represented within them. Negative stereotypes that down-play or ridicule Latina’s abilities and harmful rhetoric that claims that children of minorities are less intelligent than their white counterparts, as stated in the 1994 book “The Bell Curve”, discourage and restrict any opportunities for young women to see themselves as capable of being geniuses. However, that may all change due to the rise of the “Latina Genius” in the entertainment industry.
Recently, there has been a spiking increase of representation for Latina’s who display intellectual versatility; an ability that is vastly underrepresented in the media. Previously, Latina’s have been portrayed as hyper-sexual, ditzy, or unbearable thanks to the “Hot Cheeto Girl” and “Spicy Latina” trope. However, a new wave of young Latina’s in media is about to change that.
On January 17, Disney+ premiered “Diary of a Future President”: a comedy about Elena Cañero-Reed, a 12-year-old Cuban American in Miami who will grow up to become president. On February 17, Netflix premiered “The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia”: a comedy about a Mexican American genius who, at 15, is a robotics engineer and rocket scientist with PhDs in Robotics and Applied Mathematics.
“On My Block”, streamed on Netflix, stars Monse Finnie, a headstrong Afro-Latina who is portrayed as studious, such as attending a prestigious writing camp.
“One Day at a Time”, also streamed on Netflix, stars Elena Alvarez, a Cuban American who ranks top in her classes, is an excellent debater, and an outspoken activist.
As a first-generation Latina student, education has always been on the top of my priority list and is probably the same for other Hispanic girls. However, stories about intelligent and determined Latina geniuses are often not explored to the extent it deserves, especially since it is an experience many girls can relate to. It is exciting to see Latina characters being developed to inspire other young audiences to recognize that their strength can be found in their smarts, in ways that Latina’s have not been portrayed before.