On November 23, 2022 Netflix released its new show, Wednesday. The first season of the show was released all at once in a series of eight episodes. The show has been praised for its great casting and comic accuracy to the original Addams Family. A standout from this diverse and outstanding cast is latina actress, Jenna Ortega. This casting decision solidifies the long-lived speculation that Wednesday is, in fact, of latin descent considering her father’s name (Gomez) has roots in Spain.

“I’ve been compared to Wednesday my entire life. I think that it’s because I tend to be very dry and monotone,” said Ortega in an interview with the TV Times. “But I was so nervous about playing her because I wanted to do her justice. She’s also a Latina character and that’s never been represented, so I had an opportunity to give other girls that look like me some relatability.”

Immediately after its release, Wednesday gained incredible traction on popular social media sites like TikTok, and has inspired many latin girls to proudly show off their alternative fashion choices in response to the positive talk around Wednesday´s style showcased in the show. 

“It was a nice bit of representation, because me, personally, sometimes I do dress more punk or alternative,”explains junior Angela Rivera. “…And so having that kind of representation that somebody else of Latin descent could be like that and could express that about themselves is really important. I know a lot of people who are from latin families have more conservative families. And so, having that kind of representation that there are people out there who come from that kind of upbringing but who can express themselves in that way can be really helpful.”

Up until this show, latinas did not really have representation outside of a few overused and outdated tropes. Now, with this new alternative look on a heavily stereotyped culture, alternative fashion among the latin community may be more accepted.

“Especially for younger people, if they see someone that looks like them they’ll think they can achieve those dreams that they have and they feel like they´re included in society,” junior Jathziry Hernandez said. 

Seeing a gothic latin girl on the screens is a breath of fresh air from the “spicy” latinas and cleaning ladies that are constantly pushed to the forefront of latin representation.