Dear Micaela

Abstract

“Micaela” is the first telenovela protagonist with Asperger’s Syndrome. This article reports a multimethod study of her production, representation, and consumption. My examination underscores (a) the tensions of creating/consuming a protagonist intended to deliver a message of nonexclusion, who is bound by the telenovela genre’s codes and (b) the strains between television’s commercial and social responsibility facets. Written as a letter to the character, the article is intimate and reflexive in tone. It is a format that underscores the depth of my engagement with the study and the inside access I was privileged to have.