Staff Writer
Eva Longoria has stepped behind the camera for the new Lifetime drama Devious Maids. She will be collaborating with the twisted genius behind Desperate Housewives, Marc Cherry.
But, being behind the camera brings on a whole new set of issues, which Longoria is now all-too-familiar with.
Critics and viewers are claiming that Maids offers an unfavorable portrayal of Latina women and that it promotes negative stereotypes, as 10News reports.
While the series only premiered last night (June 23rd), some are claiming that the plot is degrading and offensive to the Latino demographic.
The Los Angeles Times even goes so far as to claim that the show is “cliché-ridden” and “unfortunate.”
Longoria has answered these claims in the form of a promotional video: “When we get any backlash for playing the stereotypical maids, my immediate response is, ‘So you’re telling me those stories aren’t worth telling? That those people are lesser than?’”
The show focuses on five Latina servants who work for Hollywood big-hitters, and stars Roselyn Sanchez and Ana Ortiz.
“We don’t think that [by] playing maids we’re being demeaning to the Latino culture,” Sanchez mused.
Ortiz stated: “The more that we talk about it, the more people are aware of it, the better.”
I asked a friend of mine, who watched the early pilot of Lifetimetv.com, if she felt that these claims were accurate. She said that while there are certainly stereotypes present in most shows on TV these days, she did not feel that Maids showed Latina women in an unfavorable light. When I asked her if she felt the stereotyping was overt she simply said: “no more than other shows.” Perhaps, like so many other things, the media is taking this one too far.
Will you be tuning into Devious Maids, or will these claims of negative stereotypes and clichés deter you from watching?
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