My history with telenovelas is brief: The one and only time I ever watched a telenovela on TV, I didn't even wait to see the episode end before switching the channel. The show I caught seemed light enough, set in a mall and focusing on a few young women. And one man. Dressed to the nines in hot pink, frosty blond hair, and bedazzled accessories, he had the appearance to match his flamboyant attitude. The message carried through the language barrier. This was the Gay Best Friend!
Despite the questionable representation within the show, I did learn from it that melodramas for younger audiences existed. That wasn't enough to make me forgive what I didn't like about the genre, but it did expand my perception of it. I have watched plenty of formulaic television; it's fun to escape into the familiar patterns. Melodramas didn't click with me for many years because the formula was different. Over-the-top scenes and rude dialogue were, to me, comedic moments, and their serious tone in many adult telenovelas felt off.
It wasn't until middle school, when I started watching Korean romantic dramas, that the appeal set in. On its own, a scene or episode could appear ridiculous. I kept watching, though, because I was already hooked on the characters and their long-term arcs. I watched love stories dissolve, come back together, and then completely change course over multiple seasons. These dramas also, for lack of a better phrase, lowered my standards. I understand how a romance can be compelling and entertaining without being particularly realistic. I have enjoyed many stories that also have mediocre representation.
When we discussed reflections of real life within telenovelas in class, it reminded me how easy it is to set our standards and expectations low for serious topics within fun media. We know the issue, and we know some portion of how it affects us. But then, looking at a wall of telenovelas (de ruptura and rosa alike) with such similar heroines, what else could a telenovela possibly be?
Very different, as we know from the history of these series. The telenovelas of the 1950s have different standards than the ones of the 1990s or of the modern day. I'm finding it really interesting in class to learn about how screenwriters are producing stories within such strict molds, yet breaking them down bit by bit. It makes me wonder how the audience for these telenovelas may change over time. If queer people can see themselves as more than just a Gay Best Friend, maybe the world of telenovelas will be an appealing escape for more of us.
As we learned in class, telenovelas have classically been very stereotypical when it comes to LGBTQ representation. Over recent years it has been exciting to see how they world of telenovelas has expanded to be more inclusive to all sexualities across the spectrum. Brazil has led in the telenovela industry as a trailblazer for inclusivity, for it is more socially acceptable to be queer in that country. There is still a long way to go, but it is exciting to see more diverse love stories popping up in telenovelas across Latin America.
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