Growing up I have always had mixed feelings about telenovelas. I was too embarrassed to admit that I enjoyed watching them, but it then became a fun weekday-watching activity with my mom. I remember being so young and learning the Teresa theme song by heart and being obsessed with Angelique Boyer and Sebastian Rulli. The truth is that I have always loved telenovelas because of the plot and how it brought me closer together with my mom, but the stigma behind telenovelas always pushed me away from them. As I grew older, I learned that stigmas behind telenovelas do not matter. The memories of me and my mom watching telenovelas are priceless and I feel deep regret because I should have never felt ashamed or embarrassed to watch telenovelas with my mom. I would have never thought that a Mexican telenovela would actually be able to reinforce my relationship with my mom. I am so excited to watch a telenovela again for the first time in years because I miss those fond memories with her. I'll probably force my mom to watch a telenovela with me for this class.
I think the topic that grabbed my attention the most, was the topic of despecho. Growing up, I loved a good romance story. If a telenovela does not have heartbreak between two likable characters I immediately do not like it. I have always gravitated towards telenovelas with crazy love triangles, and the crazier the love triangle the better.
To conclude, I am so excited to start my telenovela and write about it because I know I will have many different viewpoints that need to be talked about regarding telenovelas. For example, it is important to address colorism, racism, homophobia, etc. that are present in telenovelas.
Great post! I really love how you talk about your experience growing watching telenovelas. The thing that has fascinated me the most about telenovelas is how they can bring people together. Reading about how you discuss telenovelas and the way they allowed you to form a closer relationship with your mother provides me with further questions as to how telenovelas are able to effectively capture the attention of viewers of all different demographics in one show.
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Teresa. This is such a wholesome reflection and I am so glad telenovelas have brought you closer to your mom. I am also grateful that you pointed out the colorism within Telenovelas. Colorism is truly a disgrace to our communities. I am curious, is there darker skin complexion actor that you like as much as Angelique Boyer? I would say mine is Ana Martin but only because she's Nicaraguense!
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ReplyDeleteI also understand a little about this feeling of shame for liking to watch telenovela. Although it is very different in Brazil, nowadays, many people also see it as something outdated.
ReplyDeleteBut how beautiful to see your family relationship through telenovelas! And, I definitely think the experience will be much cooler if your mother watches it with you too hahaha!