Video: “The Tyra Banks Show” Takes On Self-Hate And Stereotypes Among Latinas

Tyra Banks, who is, perhaps appropriately, the host of “The Tyra Banks Show,” recently hosted an episode about biracial and multi-racial women who hate an aspect of their race, ethnicity or cultural heritage.

Among her guests were “Tabitha” and “Jeselle,” women from different, “mixed” cultures that claim one while putting down the other. The fact that one can be both Black and Puerto Rican is never addressed, nor does anyone take a quick moment that they’re referring to White as a generalized, stereotyped, culture specific to the U.S. than as a race. Then there are “Yolanis” and “Mercedes.” One is Nicaraguan and constantly mistaken for Mexican (nevermind that at point in the show, Tyra refers to all Latinas as “Spanish girls.”) the other is Mexican and always assumed to be anything but. Both are unhappy about it. Neither call out Tyra for saying that Yolanis’ pronunciation of “Nicaragua” as “sexy.” Check out clips from the show, after the jump:

Oh, Tyra. Sweet, tyradin’ Tyra. Your special brand of armchair psychology is made all the more poignant given your are not, in fact, in an armchair, but standing on a stage! With a microphone! Like someone who knows things, maybe!

See, while we commend Tyra for attempting to bring attention to issues like racism, xenohobia, stereotyping and self-hate, we would politely ask that she maybe … bring in a professional? Someone with a degree or career in “ethnic” studies or race relations, who can, perhaps, comment in an articulate manner on these issues? No? Haha. Fine, you win.

We’ll even stop short at asking you to look out your own stereotyped thinking in calling a Latina’s accent “sexy” or your inability to take conversation about race and ethnicity once step further by asking, “Is not ‘feeling’ Latina (or White Trash or Black or Arfican-American or Fresa or Azn or Ghetto or any other category society uses) a problem within an individual, or does it point to society’s need to place people into easily identifiable categories?” We ask because this is a question we’ve had to deal with personally. We know from constant (pleasantly surprised?) exclamations of “But you don’t look Latina!” that we’re not going to face the same experience as other Latinas in the United States and Latin America. We’re not going to be bonded by prejudice - not in the same way, at least. But accusations of being a “coconut” don’t work to make us feel any less Latina. We get to define what that means for us because we’re in a position to claim that category. If we act like X, Y, Z and we’re Latina, then. Well. Latinas do act this way.

But back to Tyra. At least she gets people talking. Right?

ON TYRA: BIRACIAL WOMEN WHO HATE THEIR OTHER SIDE [Racialicious]