Final Thoughts, Questions, Concerns

 It has been a tumultuous ride trying to get through Juana La Virgen, I am still not quite done with the series but am almost there, I only have about 10 or so episodes left. What I can't quite get over is the slow pace of the program, which is perhaps more of a reflection on me vs. the quality of the show. Maybe my Gen Z brain has been too conditioned to instant gratification and I just can't appreciate a good slow burn. In spite of the length of the show, I've actually found myself enjoying the overall program and the plot. I've come to love Juana, in many ways, she reminds me of myself. She's very headstrong and confident, while also being kind of vulnerable and feminine, which is something I really appreciate. I find that in telenovelas, women are either portrayed as super cold-hearted and unfeeling or as blathering, crying, hyper-emotional, and impulsive. However, I was never mad at Juana when she got upset or I never felt like she was upset for no reason.  Juana somehow manages to be just a regular girl. She gets nervous sometimes and word vomits to Mauricio, she cries with her mom when she feels bad, she mediates amongst her family, and does her best to succeed in school. Huge parts of her everyday life are a struggle but she figures it out, that's something that I'm still trying to do. 

I also found myself comparing her Abuelita to my Abuelita, as they have very similar characteristics and personality quirks. Much like Juana's "Abi," my "Abue" somehow always finds a way to see the worst of a situation. Though I love her dearly, I feel that over the course of her life, she has become a bit bitter and jaded. Like Juana, my Abuelita puts a lot of pressure on me to be successful and do all the things my family couldn't do. When I graduated high school, right after the ceremony in the parking lot, she pulled me aside and said "Good job graduating, make sure it's not the last time."My Abuelita had my Tia at 16, and my Tia had my cousin in her early twenties, while she was not married. In the show, Abi's shame at Juana getting pregnant is very reminiscent of my own Abuelita's reaction when my aunt got pregnant, at least from what I've heard. Details like this make me relate a lot to Juana, which made me more invested in her story and the outcome. Even though I don't like how the female role models are portrayed in the show, because I think it makes women seem hysterical, unreasonable, and immature, I find that the characteristics they show are things I see every day in my own home.

I was also really interested in the other love stories in the show, like Brandi and David. I wanted them to get together SO BAD, literally from the beginning. However, I was concerned about David's unhealthy obsession with Juana. In my opinion, the worst kind of romances are based on an infatuation of appearance. David was in love with Juana... but also didn't really know her? He was never in love with her, he was in love with who he thought she could be. I found his relationship and actions regarding her to be more concerning than the large age gap between her and Mauricio. Mauricio respected her boundaries, treated her with dignity, and never tried to give himself a place of importance in her life without her consent. All David did was railroad through Juana's desires and her wishes. He claimed that he would back off and that he would respect that she wasn't interested in him, then he went through multiple people trying to find her when she left home. He was constantly fighting for her honor with Mauricio, confronting him at the office, and letting his jealousy get the best of him, but Juana was never his. He had no right to go about the situation like he did. For me, it was reminiscent of a scene from Swan Lake, where the male protagonist tells the female protagonist how he loves her beauty. She asks, "What else do you love about me?" and he responds, "What else is there?" 

I really wanted Juana to be happy, I wanted her to have a happily ever after. It was like she constantly got the short end of the stick, be it with her family, her school, her friends, everything. Her life and circumstances were never fair, but it just made me like her more. Even if the overall show had its flaws with pacing and certain characters, I think I would watch it all again just to see Juana and Mauricio together, and to see Juana happy. They were my favorite part of the show and really were what drew me in in the first place when we watched the short clip in class.

It's been such a pleasure taking this class, I'd like to bestow good luck with all your future endeavors to whoever is reading this, and remember kids, SI SE PUEDE! Regardless of how telenovelas portray women, how society looks at us, and how we're treated in the world, we are strong, capable, leaders. You are capable of great things, not in spite of being a woman, but because of it. 

Much Love, 

                        Malena