Jaslene is America's Next Top Model

Watching this season again, I realized why I did not really like Jaslene during the competition. It mostly has to do with her personality, and she herself seemed to embrace many of the stereotypes of the Latina woman, but it was not really this that made me dislike her as a contestant I think that it had more to do with the fact that she was exaggerating these qualities in order to stand out amongst the rest of the contestants, and I was not entirely convinced that what she presented in front of the camera was who she really was. But I understand why it was so important for her to distinguish herself from the other models and I think that her Latinidad is what made her stand out amongst the contestants. She used many Latino stereotypes, and on many occasions throughout the season and especially in the final episode, we see that she described herself as the Latin spice and the girl with the attitude and fierceness of a Latina. I think these are characteristics that most of the viewers of America's Next Top Model already associate with Latinas. I understand that in terms of marketing herself this was a good strategy because it sets her apart, but at the same I think that it contributes to the overall idea that people have of Latinas, and one which does not apply to many of them. Jaslene in embracing these associations manages to present the persona that makes her unique from the rest because of her culture and in the end most people remember because of her Latinidad. She even spoke Spanish on many occasions as a way to reaffirm this image.