From Cuba with Love

This article raised some really interesting question about the idea of consuming bodies, particularly in the context of sexual relations between Cubans and foreigners. For me the most compelling aspect of the introduction to this book is the idea that one’s body is a commodity that they can sell in an economic context. Daigle emphasizes that bodies being involved in the economy creates an economic environment that is “not purely economic but deals also in affect, love, and solidarity” (Daigle). When an emotionally charged act or feeling like sex or love becomes involved in the economy it adds a layer of complexity that isn’t present when the economy is simply buying and selling goods. Once you add the idea of buying and selling feelings, bodies, and actions the economy because a much more personal and cultural entity.

The concept of Cuban women selling their bodies through the action of sex to foreign tourists reinforces the power dynamic between the USA as the superior and Latin America as the inferior. Cubans have been portrayed in the United States media in a way that encourages the stereotype of Cubans as hyper-sexualized beings. As we discussed in class, the publication of over-sexualized portrayals of Cubans in various USA magazines including National Geographic, Playboy, Glamour, and The New York Times spreads the stereotype throughout the mass media. As these magazines appeal to different demographics of the United States population the stereotype of sexualized Cubans is one that is acquired by many different and overlapping sections of the public. These stereotypes cause tourists to go into their experience with the preconceived notion that Cubans are all looking for sex. This mentality partially allows jintereismo to thrive because tourists want their assumptions to be lived up to in real life and so they actively seek out sex with Cubans.

Through the lens of consuming Latin American the production of Cuban identity around sexuality and sexual desire frames sex and beauty as a commodity that can be bought and sold. To quote Daigle, “It erases the desire and consent of individual women, reducing their motivations to the transactional” (Daigle). I believe that when sex becomes a transaction to forces Cubans, particularly Cuban women to create their identity in a way to allows them to benefit economically from their bodies. This takes away their autonomy over the creation of their identity and forces them into a very specific role which hinders the development of an authentic Cuban identity separate from the impact of stereotypes.