Many have the misconception that Dora is Mexican. In fact, it is not clearly stated what race Dora actually is. Because she speaks Spanish, the typical American initial instinct is, "Oh she's Mexican." While it could be argued that Dora is promoting stereotypes due to the lack of explicit race identification, it could also be possible that Dora is defying racial stereotypes. Not classifying Dora as a specific race allows Dora to connect with all Hispanic cultures, not just the Mexican. Dora's generic clothing choice is another example of her not promoting one Hispanic culture over another. However, does representing Dora as a pan-Latino culture allow every Latino culture to be portrayed as they want?
Also up for controversy are the hidden, potentially unintentional messages delivered in Nickolodeon's episodes of Dora. For example, in the first six seasons of Dora, fourteen of the episodes contained Dora and her friends having a "fiesta". In the episode "Surprise," Dora and the rest of her friends throw a surprise party for Boots. This fiesta featured typical Latin music, lots of family/friends, and even maracas. To some, these festival episodes could be perceived as Hispanics embracing their culture and sharing it with Americans. On the other hand, this could be perceived as the stereotypical Mexican party with a kid friendly tone added on.
The same goes for Dora referring to her family as "mama" "papa" and "abuelita." The extent of racism here varies from culture to culture, angering some Latino cultures that don't always refer to their family using Hispanic terms, and praising other Latino cultures that embrace this language on a daily basis.
While the intent of Dora was a good one and seemed educational to young children, a deeper analyze surfaces the racism involved in a seemingly innocent TV show.
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