Univision, are you kidding me?

I am a Latina woman and I am proud when I say that and I claim it. My parent’s ethnic background is something I have managed to take ownership and it has become a part of my identity. Therefore, this weekend I came across in the Spanish viewing channel of Univision the most tasteless site to the image of Latin American women. The show is called Nuestra Belleza Latina translating to Our Latina Beauty. The show is a typical beauty pageant that portrays beautiful young girls, the winner gets $250,000 cash and a host position in one of the networks shows. I myself have always thought the show was just another pretty girl parading around asking for world peace, and this week as I sat down to drink a cup of coffee in my living room and my mom was watching the show I nearly froze when I saw the week’s challenge was for the girls to conduct a pole dancing routine. This was my breaking point towards the show, not only do the girls have to parade around in swimsuits every week at the end of the show in order to get viewers to call in for their favorite, but now they are making them pole dance? According to the host of the show the girls had to portray sassiness and sex appeal; however, there could have been multiple ways in which a woman can define her sex appeal. The approach that the network tried to make towards this concept was disgraceful.

This episode was an insult to every Latina woman, and it definitely sent the wrong message to many young girls watching this show. A woman can be sexy without having to dance around in a stripper pole. I was more shocked at the networks approval of the challenge. Univision represents itself as an empowering network for the Spanish speaking community in the United States. Many of their early morning shows advocate the education of young Latinos and how we can make a difference in our country. So now that I am getting my education, am I supposed to go out and dance around a pole? The network really needs to retrace their concepts of the show, if a girl is going to represent the Latina community; she shouldn’t be put to work a pole. This is something that children in a Sunday afternoon shouldn’t be put to watch while they are seating in front of their TVs with their families. I am completely disappointed with the network, and I can only hope that the show doesn’t come around for another season.