The documentary Maid in America is an examination of the challenges that Latina immigrant women face

Maid in America is an examination of the challenges that Latina immigrant women face

The documentary Maid in America is an examination of the challenges that Latina immigrant women face in the pursuit of the American Dream and the significant role they play in American households today as nannies and housekeepers. The documentary provides us with an example of an oppositional cultural text that challenges the invisibility of Latina domestic workers. Maid in America typifies films that emphasize transnational stories of gender empowerment in the face of separation from loved ones, long working hours, non-citizenship, and complex emotional relationships with employers.The film portrays the work conditions and affective responses of Telma, Judith, and Eva, three Latina domestic workers in Los Angeles.

For your essay consider the following questions and ideas:

-What is the nature and meaning of “American Dream” relative to issues of marginalization and privilege?

– Latina bodies as the embodiment of motherhood, care, "ideal maternal bodies"

-How are the women in the film represented? How are their experiences as immigrants portrayed in the documentary?

-How do emotions, intimacy and care function in domestic work?

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Within the political discourse, the American dream functions as a myth that aims at providing materialistic hope to the citizens thus reinforcing the belief on meritocracy and day to day work. In pursuit of the American dream, the Latin house help find their way into the United States where they encounter vast problems and challenges (Wyatt-Nichol, 2011). Despite the existence of structural inequality and declining mobility, citizens can still be identified to be clinging to the notion of the American dream.

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