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Abstract

: Latin Americans in the United States are generally presented as a group of poor and un- educated immigrants that pose threat to other members of society. Yet, representatives of this minority recently have become profitable con-sumers and influential voters, which may indi- cate social and economic advancement. Thus re-searchers dealing with the issues of Latino inte- gration in the U.S. define this phenomenon as Latino paradox . Arlene Davila in her book Lati- no Spin: Public Image and the Whitewashing of Race presents its detailed analysis. This article is an attempt to discuss the main issues pertinent to Latino paradox . They encompass aspects of La- tino perception in the Unites States and their image created by institutions, marketers and the media. The discussed problems cover, among others, racialization, citizenship and identity choices, relations with African Americans, social status and class in relation to economic ad- vancement and the potential of this minority as consumers.