ABSTRACT
Scholars in various fields, including Latina/o studies, tend to view stereotypes as equally problematic in their effects since they produce criminalized and/or sexualized others. Talent is hired to shuffle and organize “free” stereotyped knowledge into new combinations rather than to invest time and resources in creating unfamiliar storylines and characters whose market value is uncertain and not easily recognizable by audiences, distributors, and executives. Stereotypes then persist not only because they help maintain the political status quo or simply make money. Ultimately, stereotypes are a political economy, which remits us to why although they produce value, this value is never set and is subject to change. Standards of valorization include hierarchies of ethnicity, race, class, and gender as well as the relations between racial, ethnic, and national groups in the global system. Rita Hayworth was highly visible for seven years and Miranda for five, although both were well compensated while they were in demand.
