Needs Help: Spicy Latina

Based on this discussion the description is confusing and splitting it into the angry vs the slutty can fix it.

Some of the recent discussion in the The Archer thread has soured me off these kinds of splits. The Spicy Latina trope involves latinas as temptresses with tempers. If we split the two, we'll have two pages with tremendous overlap. If a character largely fulfills the trope, list them, even if they aren't the absolute archetype. If they just barely fulfill one of the criteria, they may just be Angry And Latina or Sexy And Latina, rather than following any particular trope.

The only examples I recognize on the page are temptresses or have tempers or neither. (I guess Ria Torres from Lie To Me is there because she's commented to be attractive.) I've never seen a character where they overlap.

If there is any overlap out there it wouldn't hurt. It would be like how pretty much all examples of Academic Athlete are also examples of Passionate Sports Girl. (Making those two tropes was decided in the YKTTW.)

edited 4th Aug '12 8:18:37 PM by lexicon

There are a lot of stereotypes, cultural, and racial tropes associated with Spicy Latina. It's not just a tvtrope term, its a cultural trope about how people perceive hispanic women specifically as fiesty (usually in temperament or sexuality). As long as the examples are about people who show one, the other, or neither but have these qualities ascribed to them anyway, Perpetuating/Exemplifying these notions depending on your view of things, they count.

its in public consciousness and sometimes shows up in a variety of forms in the media. shouldn't be split.

King Keal in the trope talk said that the mandatory traits of a Spicy Latina are Latin heritage and a temper. That would be s simple definition. If the character can be sexual, angry, or neither, then how do we identify her?

edited 7th Aug '12 11:16:31 AM by lexicon

I'd say Latin Heritage and Fiestiness,

Fiestiness is a bit broader and allows for sexuality or anger or even boldness or independence stubbornness etc.

its more of a gut reaction to the way the person acts and how theyre perceived, not a strict academic definition of showed anger in x amount of scenes or x amount of characters commented on how attractive she is

I think that makes it confusing but if other people agree with it being that broad we can go with it. We would need to edit the description and make the trope a YMMV though.

Uh...not YMMV. You can see that someone is supposed to be Hispanic/Latino (skin, name, other characters saying MAN, SHE'S A MEXICAN SPITFIRE!) and her having a temper and/or being 'sexy'.

Race tropes arent always PC or cut and dry. But when its there you know it. I say we leave it as is. the most to change is to mention a broader term, such as fiesty. Tropes Are Flexible , Race is complicated. but both are parts of public consciousness that reflect in what creators choose to create, and how audiences respond to it.

edited 12th Aug '12 12:21:59 PM by acrobox

I'm not saying I like this stereotype, but it is a stereotype that occurs.

King Zeal and I say that it is a Latin character with a temper. You two say that it's much more than that. If a majority say that it's broad then it needs to specify that it can include any of the traits of sexuality or anger or even boldness or independence stubbornness etc. The first line makes it sound like she has to be both sexual and angry but no other trait is mentioned. Also the film examples shouldn't just be a list of actresses but characters in movies that says how she fits.

"Also the film examples shouldn't just be a list of actresses but characters in movies that says how she fits."

fixed that. Except for the Zero Content examples.

I think I agree with what acrobox has been saying. The trope isn't just "latina + temper." Maybe that's at the core, but there's more to it.

edited 12th Aug '12 6:29:26 PM by abk0100

This character is always a Latina. She is always temperamental. She tends to be sexy, but it's more 90% of the time. Sometimes she's a quick witted and fast talking lady. That's more of an option.

edited 12th Aug '12 8:09:22 PM by animeg3282

Being a Latina and temperamental sounds good to me since one of the definitions is moody, irritable, or sensitive but that's basically the opposite of the traits of boldness, independence, and stubbornness since they are about having a calm and confident determination about something. The only thing these all have in common is being strong emotions. Is that what this is, a Latin American character with strong emotions?

You can be bold or independent out of emotions. Like "I'LL SHOW YOU, MR. POPPER!" or "yes! I shall marry the Antonio Banderas character, and you can't stop me!"

I think the archetype here is basically, hotblooded, expressive and strong-willed. Quick to anger, quick to love, and not ashamed to show her emotions.

is there something wrong with the word Feisty? quick definitions from dictionary.com and thefreedictionary.com

1. full of animation, energy, or courage; spirited; spunky; plucky

2. ill-tempered; pugnacious.

3. troublesome; difficult:

4. feisty - quick to take offense

5. huffy, thin-skinned, touchy

6. sensitive - being susceptible to the attitudes, feelings, or circumstances of others;

7. lively, resilient, and self-reliant

so yes, a latina with strong emotions who is generally considered sexy / cute / attractive by her peers, (or by the way she is framed in story or to the audience for Fanservice)

someone who isnt known for being demure or polite or submissive or docile or any of those other meek character types. but is instead strong, or emotional, or angry, or hard to control, or hard to predict, or hard to keep down, or sexually aggressive

I think most of the trope description touches on all this stuff anyway. ( hotblooded, confrontational, tsundere, potentially has a soft side, tomboyish, flirty - not a brainless beauty or girl next door) If you just put a word...like 'feisty' in there towards the top since it encapsulates most of these things i think the trope is clear enough

edited 13th Aug '12 8:43:04 PM by acrobox

It's not about sexy/cute/attractive/fanservice, although that's a very common version.

Yes,she doesn't have to be hot, but she usually is.

There's nothing wrong with the word Feisty but most of your definitions are about anger. If it's not a requirement the discription should specifically say so. If sexuality isn't required either that should say so too.

"Feisty" is a nebulous term. It means angry, flirty, determined, difficult, and bitchy. It can also mean bubbly, energetic, worrisome, heroic, plucky, and naughty. It can also mean manic, loving, troublesome, etc.

In short, it's a word that anyone can stretch to fit any character they want.

For example:

• Wonder Woman is the feisty, amazonian member of the justice league.
• Bella Swan is the feisty teenage lead of the Twilight saga.
• Pocahontas is the feisty daughter of the village chief who dreams of a bette life.
• Willie Scott is the feisty love interest of Indiana Jones in his second film.
• Samus Aran, the protagonist of the Metroid series, proves much too feisty for the Space Pirates to handle.

edited 18th Aug '12 10:50:49 AM by KingZeal

"Feisty" is a nebulous term. It means angry, flirty, determined, difficult, and bitchy. It can also mean bubbly, energetic, worrisome, heroic, plucky, and naughty. It can also mean manic, loving, troublesome, etc.

most of which carry connotations of being hard to control(independent/tough), temperamental(angry), or sexual(flirtatious romantics).