Understanding the ABC‘s of Ugly Betty: A Rhizomatic Analysis of the Illegal Immigrant Narrative in Ugly Betty, the Political Economy of Latino(a) Television Audiences, and Fan Engagement with Television Texts A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Scripps College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Cynara M. Medina March 2011 © 2011 Cynara M. Medina. All Rights Reserved This dissertation titled Understanding the ABC‘s of Ugly Betty: A Rhizomatic Analysis of the Illegal Immigrant Narrative in Ugly Betty, the Political Economy of Latino(a) Television Audiences, and Fan Engagement with Television Texts by CYNARA M. MEDINA has been approved for the School of Media Arts and Studies and the Scripps College of Communication by _______________________________ Mia L. Consalvo Associate Professor of Media Arts and Studies _______________________________ Gregory J. Shepherd Dean, Scripps College of Communication ii ABSTRACT MEDINA, CYNARA M. Ph.D. March 2011, Mass Communication Understanding the ABC‘s of Ugly Betty: A Rhizomatic Analysis of the Illegal Immigrant Narrative, the Political Economy of Latino(a) Television Audiences, and Fan Engagement with Television Texts. Director of Dissertation: Mia L. Consalvo From 2006 to 2010, ABC broadcast Ugly Betty, a one-hour dramedy based on one of the most popular telenovelas of all time. This dissertation examines at Ugly Betty from a rhizomatic perspective that brings together the areas of representation, political economy, and fandom studies. In this sense, Ugly Betty is considered as the jumping off point to examine contemporary television as complex system. It produces and circulates representations of social life, which are also industrial commodities in economic exchanges, and catalysts for fan activity and participation. A rhizomatic perspective would argue that all of these processes are intertwined, and that accounting for these connections acknowledges the complexity of social life. Textual analysis is the method used in this dissertation. In textual analysis, the goal is to uncover the most likely interpretation for a particular text, which is why emphasis is placed on understanding the context in which this text is produced, circulates, and is interpreted by its audiences. In this dissertation, the author conducted three such textual analyses. The first one looks Ugly Betty as an industrial commodity that came to iii the screen as the consciousness industries as a whole turned their attention to Latinos(as), and the television industry began producing more Latino(a) themed content. The chapter also looks at the challenges of producing and broadcasting television shows in a post- network era (Lotz, 2007), characterized by rapid technological change, audience erosion, and widespread fragmentation. The second analysis focus specifically on Ugly Betty as an example of Latino(a) representation, by looking at the illegal immigration storyline that aired during the first and second seasons of the show. This chapter utilizes the concept of the myth, and posits the melting pot as a myth that allows Ugly Betty to normalize illegal immigration, by incorporating illegal Latino(a) immigrants into a broader narrative of nationhood and identity. The final textual analysis addresses fan textual production, as present on the Television without Pity, a popular site for television fans. The concluding chapter of this dissertation presents the author‘s reflections about the process of writing from a rhizomatic perspective. As an approach, it supports the constant need to re-assess assumptions. Approved: ______________________________________________________________ Mia L. Consalvo Associate Professor of Media Arts and Studies iv To my grandmother, Elida Leiva de Matus. Mamita, I did become a doctor, just not the kind you thought I would. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS How can I even begin to thank all the people who have been involved in this project? I know I would have never completed it on my own, and I‘m ever so grateful to everyone for their support, comments, suggestions, inspiration, and for putting up with me for the past four years. My mother always encouraged me to learn and to think critically. She has always supported my academic endeavors, which have often led me far from the family home in Jinotepe. Mom has been with me the longest, and though she never would have guessed that I‘d end up as a television scholar, she has never made me feel that what I do now is less worthy than what I would be doing had I not dropped out of medical school. For that, I am eternally grateful. Ohio University has been my home away from home for six years now, and I have had the privilege of working and learning from a fantastic group of people, both faculty and staff, including Paula Carpenter, Janet Williams, Roger Cooper, Greg Newton, Karen Riggs, Beth Novak, Eric Williams, and the members of my committee, Dr. Brad Jokisch and Dr. Jerry Miller. I‘m especially grateful to Mia Consalvo, my advisor, and to Jenny Nelson. Mia took me on as a student, mentored me, read through multiple drafts of this dissertation, and reeled me in when I went overboard. Jenny introduced me to Deleuze and Guattari, vi and my last summer in Athens would have not been the same without her. I know that watching the World Cup would not have been nearly as fun. My time in Athens, Ohio would have been very different without all the friends who made this small Appalachian town feel like home. Thanks Todd Harper, Nate Dutton, Melissa Hendricks, Virginia Lacayo, and Tiffany Teofilo. Even more thanks to the gang at Smiling Skull Saloon. Only one word can describe the Smiling Skull crowd: You are family, and I will never forget any of you. I could never forget a bar where you can take your mother to hang out with bikers, celebrate your birthday, your graduation, and even host a baby shower. Finally, I am ever thankful for Sarah Harrelson. She changed my life for the better, and I am proud to call her my partner. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. VI CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 WATCHING UGLY BETTY: PRODUCTION, REPRESENTATIONS, AND FANS.....................4 ADDRESSING THE QUESTIONS: CHAPTER ORGANIZATION ..........................................8 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................13 RESEARCH DESIGN ..................................................................................................22 CHAPTER 3: THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF UGLY BETTY .................................31 THE COMMODITY AUDIENCE: A POLITICAL ECONOMY PERSPECTIVE ....................33 The Political Economy of the Latino(a) Audience .................................... 36 The Latino(a) Audience: Creating a Desirable Demographic. ................ 38 Refining the Latino(a) Commodity Audience: the Language Preference Debate ....................................................................................................... 40 Creating Latino(a) Content: the A.K.A Pablo Experience ....................... 44 BRINGING LATINO(A) CONTENT TO PRIMETIME: THE CASE OF UGLY BETTY ..........46 From YSBLF to Ugly Betty. ...................................................................... 51 The Narrative of Ugly Betty: an Experiment in Glocalization ................ 54 viii A RHETORIC OF AUTHENTICITY: UGLY BETTY AND THE US-LATINO(A) EXPERIENCE ............................................................................................................59 The Rhetoric of Beauty, and Ugly Betty’s General Audience Appeal. ..... 61 LIFE AFTER THE FIRST SEASON: UGLY RATINGS, SYNDICATION, AND CANCELLATION.......................................................................................................63 The End of the Cycle ................................................................................. 65 CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................................70 CHAPTER 4: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IN THE MELTING POT: A TEXTUAL ANALYSIS OF UGLY BETTY. ...................................................................73 MYTHS: CONSTRUCTING THE PAST AND PRESERVING THE FUTURE. ......................74 AMERICAN MYTHOLOGIES: WHAT THE MELTING POT TEACHES US ABOUT IMMIGRATION. ........................................................................................................77 The Melting Pot as a Recurrent Narrative in American history ............... 78 Critiquing the Melting Pot ........................................................................ 82 LEARNING FROM ―THE GOLDBERGS‖ AND ―THE COSBY SHOW‖.............................86 Latinos(as) in the Melting Pot: a Brief History of Representations ......... 87 Redefining Latinos(as) on Television: Creative Control and Storytelling ................................................................................................................... 90 ―OH MY GOD! WE HAVE AN ILLEGAL ALIEN! TURN THE TV OFF‖ ..........................93 “La Familia” in Ugly Betty ...................................................................... 99 ix Baseball, Oprah and Amnesty: The Immigrant Rite of Passage in Ugly Betty ........................................................................................................ 105 Into the “Labyrinth of Solitude”: Images of Mexico and Mexicans and Rites of Passage ...................................................................................... 112 “Sometimes, I miss my flan:” The Telenovela Connection .................... 117 Citizenship After the Writer’s Strike ....................................................... 120 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................123 CHAPTER 5: SAVVY FANDOM: CRITICAL VIEWING ON TELEVISION WITHOUT PITY, A CASE STUDY OF UGLY BETTY ..............................................127 SPARING THE SHARK: TWOP‘S BRAND IDENTITY AND SITE DESIGN ....................129 Savvy Fandom: Critical Engagement on TWoP ..................................... 134 THE TWOP EXPERIENCE: WATCHING UGLY BETTY WITH SAVVY FANS. .............137 “Will the Real Betty Please Stand Up” .................................................. 140 Spoiling Betty: “Collective Intelligence in Practice” ............................ 146 TWoP at the End of Ugly Betty. .............................................................. 151 CONCLUSIONS .......................................................................................................158 CHAPTER 6: FINAL THOUGHTS ................................................................................163 x