Dora the Explorer, Your “Average” Latina

            So, I literally do not watch TV, or TV shows that I could talk about with my friends. I do occasionally tune in to “Friday- Bride-day” on TLC, “Toddlers and Tiaras,” or the Kardashians...but I do not keep up with them. I do though think that people compare their lives to many of the television shows they watch when overhearing conversations. I always hear my friends say, “OMG, I AM SO BLAIR.” I assume that they want to live vicariously through this person on TV because they have a fun and dramatic live. What really interest me are the television shows whose actual goal is to teach people how to be the character. Dora the Explorer is supposed to teach kids a different language, which is Spanish, and learn a different culture. It is obvious that the culture that is trying to be portrayed is a Latino culture, but it is unclear to what culture. With an unspecified Latino culture can be beneficial and detrimental to the way the Hispanic community might be viewed as.

            Dora the Explorer is a character that represents a Latino child that travels and adventures through the world. This television show was originally designed to teach American children Spanish, and teach them about teamwork, ethics, and culture. Dora Marquez is seen as a big Hispanic icon. Everyone knows the theme song with a couple of Spanish words that make you feel bilingual. When watching the show, you assume that the show is about a Hispanic (Mexican) little girl with her friend who tries to find things that have been stolen from her. But when does the show mention she is Mexican? Is it because of her accent? Or is it because of the cultural references that they make. In fact, the show never mentions anything about race. In many pages like Wikipedia, Dora is just mentioned as a Hispanic/Latina girl. I have googled what ethnicity and nationality Dora is, and the only answer I can find is Latina or Hispanic. But the truth is that being Hispanic does not narrow down what country she is from, what her culture is like, or what the different customs and traditions are.

            The most obvious thing that tells us that shows she is Latina, is the skin color. She has a dark/medium skin tone, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. Her name is Latina and she speaks Spanish fluently. She calls her parents “mama” and “papa.” She also calls her grandmother “abuelita.” So what kind of Latina is she? The answer is; all of them. Notice how her clothes are very generic like any other Nickelodeon cartoon. She is well educated and independent which indicate she is in the middle class.

In an article by Guidotti- Hernandez, she believes that Dora does not represent any particular culture from Latin America, but represents a pan-Latino culture. This portrays the image of the Latino as one very generic group. We can see this by the way that the culture is never specified and is given various mixtures of different cultures. There is different music, traditions, clothing, accents, and ways of acting among society. All of these different things are a mixture of many Latino countries. When analyzing this, I can find both a positive and negative side to having Dora Portray a pan-Latino culture.

            Since the Latino population is a minority in the United States, it is good that the culture is being introduced in a positive way. It is also important that the children get exposed to something different than the standard American culture. This cartoon shows the children that there is a different language and that there is a positive tide with the Spanish language. The Spanish language is one of the major languages that are spoken by the majority of the Latin American countries, which makes a positive impact. Also, by representing the Latino community as a whole, it allows for less discrimination to some of the Latino groups within the Latino community. But is the Latino community actually being represented, as they want to be represented?

            Guidotti-Hernandez says no. He believes that the Latino culture does not have the power to change and create this stereotype being created by Dora. He believes that Nickelodeon is the one that is setting the standards for all the cultures and making it into one. This is conflicting because the cultures aren’t accepted as they specifically are because there is a norm that people expect all Hispanics to follow. I believe otherwise with he statement because of the positive teaching that is done through this kids’ television show.

            I personally believe that by showing different minorities in popular television shows, with a positive stigma, people will actually take a positive view of the culture. Dora is a neutral character that represents any Latino child in someone’s classroom. I think in this instance, Dora is not being detrimental to the stereotypes put on Latinos because it is a show that is mostly viewed by other children. If this were an adult show, I do believe that many people would have Dora as a standard for every Latino, and maybe feel negativity towards any Latino who didn’t meet Dora’s expectations. Since it is a fun cartoon that tries to involve and teach children, I’d say it’s harmless.

"Dora the Explorer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Sept. 2013. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

Guidotti-Hernández, Nicole M. "Dora The Explorer, Constructing “LATINIDADES” and The Politics of Global Citizenship." Latino Studies 5.2 (2007): 209-32. Print.

"What Is Dora the Explorer's Ethnicity?" Yahoo! Answers. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.