Carmen Miranda
Definition
Carmen Miranda was a Portuguese-Brazilian singer, dancer, and actress active in the 20th century. She is best known for her performances in Hollywood musicals in the 1940s, where she often portrayed a stereotypical Latin American woman.
Analogy
Think of Carmen Miranda as the Shakira of her time. Just like Shakira brought Latin music to mainstream pop culture today, Carmen Miranda introduced Brazilian samba and other Latin American music styles to Hollywood during the 1940s.
Related terms
Stereotype: A widely held but oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. In this case, Carmen Miranda often played into stereotypes about Latin American women.
Hollywood: The center of the American film industry located in Los Angeles, California. This is where Carmen Miranda made most of her films.
Samba: A Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in African religious traditions. This is one style of music that Carmen Miranda helped popularize in America.
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