Summary

A program like Ugly Betty reflects a tension within the media industries over representation and diversity, namely the tension between diversity as a social justice issue and diversity as a marketing strategy for the elusive Latino market.

Questions

  1. What was the purpose of Latinos (and other minorities) advocating for equal employment opportunity/affirmative action programs in the 1960s?
  2. Why did US television networks look to the telenovela for reaching a new audience?
  3. What are some primary motivating forces for corporations to embrace diversity programs?
  4. How has the meaning of diversity changed from the 1960s advocacy to the post–1980s liberalist, consumerist idea?
  5. Why are Latinos an important audience for US television networks to attract?
  6. How did Ugly Betty allow for ABC to both do something racially ethical and profitable?