Representation Matters: 15 Latinxs I Saw on TV While Growing Up

I didn’t care much for having Barbie dolls when I was little. I had her Latinx friend Teresa (I still have to find out who bought this doll for me and thank them). Maybe it’s because Teresa looked more like me, with dark hair and dark eyes. The point is that it’s imperative that little girls and boys see people who look like them, everywhere — and this includes television and film. On the small screen, among the sea of human Barbies, with blonde hair, blue eyes, no accents, and European names, I felt empowered and seen to witness the presence of a doll such as Teresa. Here are those Latinx actors and actresses whom I saw on television, while growing up in the eighties and nineties. Because representation matters.

6Thalia in a Variety of Novelas

Thalia Novelas Representation

Thalia was one of the Latinx stars in many a Latinx childhood. She starred in a trifecta of popular Maria-themed novelas in the nineties: Maria Mercedes, Marimar, and Maria la del Barrio. Personally, I watched Marimar as a 13-year-old and loved it. Thalia’s beauty and style in the telenovela served as inspiration for teens like me across the country.