Blog Post #2 - The Mirror to Prostitution in Spain
Following Teresa Mendoza through La Reina del Sur has already been so difficult to keep up with. She has been through so much so quickly - from losing a loved one, to running from drug cartel violence, to fleeing to Spain and working in a bar for hookers. Teresa is a classic beauty in my opinion, but her character is resistant to selling herself as a prostitute. The men in the bar she works at prefer Teresa over the hired women, and that has led Teresa into some trouble with her coworkers. Prostitution is legal in Spain, but not as blantantly as shown in the film. Even though Teresa wants nothing to do with selling her body, especially after being raped in an earlier episode, she still gets tangled in a terrible mess. What’s even worse than women making money for sex is women being forced into sex as a form of blackmail. La Reina del Sur has done a good job of displaying both sides to prostitution in Spain so far, so I would consider the telenovela to show this through somewhat of a mirror. Unfortunately because of prostitution being legal in Spain, Teresa has been blackmailed into sleeping with a man to avoid being deported, and she has no way to get out of it. This is terrible and disgusting, and hopefully she finds a way to use this to gain power instead of let it hold her back from becoming a stronger female lead.
I totally agree with you on how horrible this situation is. La Reina del Sur definitely doesn't stray away from the controversial subject of the objectification of women in Spanish culture. There was a vicious rape in the very first episode. While we are both not yet at the episodes to see it prominently, I think her underdog story will make it all the more satisfying when Teresa gets to best all the men around her and be a powerful female. I can't help but think about how good it is for female audiences around our age and above to be seeing messages like this, showing us that these problems ARE real in Spanish countries (and many other countries) but that there are still opportunities to have a power role. We already get to see bits and pieces of Teresa being more independent, such as when she shot her rapist or made the decision to leave her money at the government building rather than risk being caught.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that this was disgusting to watch and makes you think about the many situations women are probably dragged into everyday through blackmail in which they are forced to do unspeakable sexual acts. However, as hard as it was to see Theresa go through this, I feel like it was important for the telenovela to include such an element into the show because it forces us as an audience to face such a harsh truth of reality and the consequences of power. It was refreshing to watch as Theresa was able to evolve and bounce back from such a situation to become the even more head strong woman she is now.
ReplyDeleteWatching Teresa struggle with the nature of men in this telenovela is heartbreaking. I completely agree that seeing the acceptability of prostitution and taking advantage of women in Spanish culture and as portrayed in "La Reina del Sur" is disgusting and should not be tolerated. However, I see Teresa Mendoza as an advocate for women who have unfortunately had to live through similar sexual experience of being blackmailed, raped, and taken advantage of. Teresa is able to be an icon for these women because despite all her hardships with terrible men she is able to rise and become stronger and channel her anger into making herself stronger and not cowering away to living in a life dictated by fear. Relating to the loose dictations on sexual assault and harassment of women in Spanish culture, I think this plays a major role in the importance of physique in these countries, as the pressure of the importance of a man leads women to be very conscious of their appearance.
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