Understanding the ABC's of Ugly Betty

256 Pages·2010·1.22 MB·English

by  Cynara M. Medina

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
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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
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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

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To my grandmother, Elida Leiva de Matus.
Mamita, I did become a doctor,
just not the kind you thought I would.
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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,
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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.

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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
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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
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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
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