Hotties Fueling Appetite
One of the things that has encouraged the explosion of Latin-themed erotica in the U.S., Kulkis said, is the visibility of Latinas in the mainstream media.
“All of these mainstream Latina hotties like Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek and Shakira are kind of fueling an appetite for Latin girls,” Kulkis noted. “So when guys go to the porn store, they’re thinking that they’d like to find something with a girl who looks like Jennifer or Salma or Shakira — and when they see ‘Chica Boom,’ they’re like, ‘Oh, this is close enough. I can get off on this.’”
It’s important to note that the words Latino and Hispanic — although often used interchangeably — don’t have the exact same meaning. The word Hispanic refers to people with Spanish-speaking heritage, and not all Latinos fit that description. Brazilians, for example, are considered Latinos or Latin Americans, but in Brazil (the largest country in Latin America), the official language is Portuguese.
Hispanics are Latinos, but not all Latinos are Hispanic — and the Latin-themed erotica that is so prevalent in 2006 doesn’t always involve Hispanic themes.
There also are plenty of English-language, Brazilian-themed adult sites coming from the U.S. Some of the better-known sites include BrazilBang.com, BigButtBrazil.com, AdultRio.com, TeenBrazil.com and NastyDollars’ MikeInBrazil.com.
One fact that may be influencing the abundance of Latin-themed erotica is the fact that Los Angeles — the adult entertainment capital of the world and the second-largest city in the U.S. — is so heavily Latino.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s website, Los Angeles County now has a Latino population of 4.6 million, which is an impressive figure when you consider that Guadalajara — Mexico’s second-largest city — has a population of 3.9 million and Madrid, Spain, has a population of around 4 million.
There are a few cities that are way ahead of Los Angeles in the number of Latinos — for example, Buenos Aires, Argentina, with 12.4 million residents and Mexico City with a staggering 18 million — although not many others. But one thing separating Latinos who grow up in Los Angeles from Latinos who grow up in Spain or Mexico is the fact that Latinos who are born and raised in the U.S. are much more likely to be fluent in English — even if they’re totally fluent in Spanish as well — and Kulkis noted that having an abundance of English-speaking Latin women in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities is a major advantage for American adult entrepreneurs.
Language Not a Barrier
Kulkis, who doesn’t speak Spanish, said that the language barrier is not an issue for him because he has no problem finding Latina adult actresses who speak fluent English.
“Some of the Latin girls who are working in the porn industry in the Valley don’t even speak Spanish,” Kulkis explained. “They have the sort of barrio accent but don’t speak Spanish.”
Kulkis added, however, that he believes the language barrier can be a big problem in adult films in which non-Spanish-speaking American male actors are united with South American women who don’t speak English. He finds the sexual chemistry to be lacking in such productions.
“If you have Latin American guys with Latin American girls and they both speak the same language, that can be hot,” Kulkis said. “But the stuff I’ve seen where you have American guys who only speak English working in South America with Latin girls who don’t speak English is pretty lame. There’s always something lacking; there’s just no communication between the two. And the girls have that look on their face like they’re thinking, ‘Are we done now? Can I get my money?’”
American webmaster/photographer Pacino, who founded LatinTeenCash in 2005, explained that total fluency in Spanish isn’t necessary if an adult entrepreneur is making Latin-themed erotica in the U.S. However, he encourages anyone who plans to work with erotic talent in Central or South America to at least know some basic Spanish or Portuguese.
Although Pacino is from the Philadelphia/Southern New Jersey area, all of LatinTeenCash’s content has been made in South American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, and he has found that Latin America’s erotic models definitely appreciate it when American entrepreneurs show some knowledge of their language and culture.
“Before you head to Latin America with all your high-tech equipment, at least get some conversational Spanish down, or some Portuguese if you are headed to Brazil,” Pacino advised.
“Also, having a contact from the area where you plan to shoot would be a great asset,” Pachino said. “Show them respect, and you will see results. I spent more than three years on the street learning the language and getting to know their culture. Now it’s paying off for me. Unlike not too long ago, today, you can find tons of Latin-themed productions and websites. Latin hotties are everywhere, and I love it.”
