The Invention of Dolores Del Rio

Book excerpt: Dolores del Rio challenged Hollywood's - and the public's - prevailing views on race and gender from the 1920s through the 1960s. Her roles, costumes, and makeup, along with the advertising, publicity, and reviews of her films, reveal the influence of her ethnicity and her construction as an exotic commodity: her sexual image ran counter to the dominant social standards for femininity and against miscegenation, but her exoticism - and the promotion of it - contributed to her renown as one of Hollywood's most enduring stars.