A new study conducted by the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism found that Latinos comprise just 4.9 percent of actors in Hollywood’s top grossing films, making Latinos the most underrepresented group in the industry. This number stands in stark contrast to the number of Hispanic moviegoers who account for roughly a quarter of movie ticket sales in the U.S.
Although Latinos are among one of the fastest-growing populations in the U.S., their abysmally low representation in movies is alarming according to Marc Choueiti, one of the authors of the study. Choueiti noted that “If popular films were the only way to gauge diversity, viewers would be completely unaware of this. Individuals from this group are almost invisible on screen.”
Another troubling conclusion in the study found that Latina actors were more likely to appear partially or fully naked on screen. Latinas have largely been typecast into roles that hinge on their sexuality, which is reflected in the study’s statistics that found that almost 38 percent of Latina actresses appeared partially or fully nude compared to 24 percent of Black actresses and 32 percent of White females.
Stacy L. Smith, director of USC Annenberg’s Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative and co-author of the study attributed this lack of diversity in film to a lack of diversity off-screen. “What we’re seeing in the aggregate is very few folks not white and male being able to participate behind the camera.” Smith continued, “so the (on-screen) landscape remains primarily white and male. When you do have diversity behind the camera, things start to shift.”
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