Powerful Role of Telenovelas in Latino Culture
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Telenovelas were a part of many households through the 90s into the early 2000s.

According to an article by American Magazine, telenovelas began on the radio, with 30-minute daytime segments geared toward housewives in Latin America and made the jump to prime-time television by the 1950s. While some telenovelas revolve around different themes like murder, incest and adultery, some are Cinderella stories, each featuring a female protagonist from a poor family who met and fell in love with a wealthy man.

The earliest telenovelas included Peru's "Simplemente María," that revolves around a single poor mother who becomes a seamstress and launches a successful fashion business. Another one was Mexico's "Los Ricos También Lloran" ("Rich People Cry, Too"), about a homeless woman who moves to Mexico City and eventually falls in love with a wealthy man.

Majority of telenovelas come from Mexico with markets in 125 countries outside of Latin America including the Caribbean, United States, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, France, and Sweden, as well as eastern Europe, Russia, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China.

Telenovelas like "María Mercedes," "Esmeralda," "El Privilegio de Amar" and "Lazos de Amor" were the backdrop of many Latino's childhood. While American kids knew much about "Sesame Street" or "Mister Rogers," young Latinos watched these shows with their tia or abuela, gushing over the lead characters at an early age.

Many kids and teenagers would ask their parents to buy them telenovela merchandise, from pens, to posters, to CDs to bags printed with the lead characters'iconic pose.

For many immigrants who arrived in the United States with nothing, telenovelas allowed them to feel connected to the countries and cultures they had left behind. Telenovelas allowed them to escape and see what economic mobility and success could look like for Latinos.

That is why many fans found themselves relating to Thaila's character who was very pueblo (of the people), very raza (the common race) and see themselves attaining the same success her characters did.

Telenovelas have become one of the most successful forms of entertainment in the world since 1950s. According to Ilan Stavans, the editor of a book of essays called Telenovelas and son of the well-known telenovela actor Abraham Stavans, the genre has experienced significant changes since it was first created which paved the way for different genres of telenovelas.

"There are telenovelas that make fun of telenovelas," said Stavans. "There are novels written by prominent writers that are in the form of telenovelas, there are video games that use telenovelas."

Telenovelas have also influenced the American television. According to Oxford Bibliographies, there has been diminished interest in soap operas in the United States with the tremendous rise in popularity of telenovelas. Meanwhile, American companies began adopting telenovelas. For instance, "Yo Soy Betty, la Fea," one of the most successful telenovelas of all-time which aired in Colombia from 1999 to 2001, was adapted by ABC in 2006 as "Ugly Betty." Another example is Telemundo's "La Reina del Sur," a series that has drawn in millions of viewers since its premiere in 2011, has been adapted for English-language viewers by the USA Network as "Queen of the South."

While telenovelas are loved by some, they are hated by others. To avid fans, they represent a passion comparable to soccer; to others, they are pure, fun Latin kitsch. To activists, telenovelas represent the racism, classism and sexism - issues which are rampant in Latin culture.