Here is an excerpt from an excellent opinion piece by Yarimar Bonilla (Hunter College), who writes, “Jennifer Lopez may currently be in a period of failure, but she once inspired us to embrace our roots, our curves, and our blatant ambition. Yet her success, as remarkable as it is, has not assuaged society’s anxieties about loud, ambitious Latinas.” Read the full article here. The New York Times.
Jennifer Lopez has been hailed as a trailblazer, a Latina woman from the Bronx who overcame poverty to become a global superstar. Green Dress The dress she wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards became so famous that it inspired Google to create another image search feature, Google Images.
Jennifer Lopez’s love life has received just as much attention as her artistic life: She and Ben Affleck were engaged in 2002 and later split, but got back together in 2021. Their marriage the following year was her fourth and his second.
In February, she released “This Is Me … Now.” Self-funded multimedia project Their love story inspired an album, a movie, and a behind-the-scenes documentary called “The Greatest Untold Love Story.” The internet wasn’t kind. The film was described as nonsensical, corny, and It was hard The documentary is so disturbing that it’s hard to believe she approved it. Narcissist and Falseetc. A tour announced by Lopez shortly after the album’s release was subsequently canceled.
Throughout the documentary, friends and family questioned whether her new marriage needed to be in the spotlight, but she insisted she wanted to share her journey to self-acceptance and true love.
This may make sense for someone who’s reached the heights of fame and fortune but still struggles with love. But for the rest of us, in the midst of war, post-pandemic inequality, inflation, the erosion of civil rights, and a horrific election, a personal quest to find billionaire love is just not inspiring. This is especially true for young people of color. The idea that you, too, can make it from the ghetto to Hollywood through sheer grit doesn’t resonate with a generation disillusioned by the myth of meritocracy.
Despite my fascination with telenovelas depicting Jennifer Lopez’s life, as a Gen-X Latino, it’s hard to rejoice in her failure. After all, when Ms. Lopez rose to fame in the late 1990s, debut Fly Girl in the sketch comedy series “In Living Color” play Though singer Selena has made her way onto the big screen, Latina women have rarely seen themselves reflected in pop culture.
I was in my early twenties and had just moved from Puerto Rico to Charlottesville, Virginia to do my thesis. My curly hair, curvy body, and strong accent made it hard for me to fit in. I remember sitting in my tiny student apartment leafing through a copy of Vanity Fair when she appeared in high heels, peering defiantly over my shoulder. pantiesDiet culture was at its height when magazines were glorifying Kate Moss’s “heroin chic.” size Number 6 was truly revolutionary: she flaunted the same traits I struggled to accept.
Her success was rebellious and hopeful. Underrated In network and cable television and in film, Ms. Lopez played Italian-American, mixed-race, Apache and characters of non-specific racial or ethnic backgrounds. She played maids and immigrants who showed us that Latinas could be the girls next door.
She proudly claimed her Nuyorican identity, which made sense at a time when U.S.-born Latinos were often discriminated against for their English-leaning Spanish and urban roots. Her second-generation Latina status was as groundbreaking at the time as Bad Bunny’s so-called “Latino.” Non-English Now she’s making the same amount of money. Sure, her music and movies were middle-of-the-road, but that was the point. She was strategic. have priority Emphasis on broad appeal over indie credibility.
Lopez’s distinctive urban Latin style has enabled her to top the charts in multiple categories, including Latin, pop, dance, hip hop and R&B. Tilt Focusing on the voices and talents of black artists package She felt safe as a non-black person, and that seemed to be enough to sustain her success for a while, but the tides are turning.
a clip Her recollection of running around the block with messy hair in “The Greatest Untold Love Story” irritated some Bronx residents. “Stop using us to get sympathy,” one woman fired back. TikTok user. Others Accused She denounced cultural appropriation and the use of uncredited ghost singers on songs.
The debate speaks to the shifting nature of Latino identity in the United States. Historically, Latinos have occupied a vague middle ground in the American racial hierarchy, imagined as neither black nor white, but there is now a collective movement toward recognizing a broader Latino identity. Diversity Within the Latino community, this new landscape requires Latino artists to acknowledge not only their challenges but also their privilege.
But in the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd, instead of reflecting on her long and complicated relationship with black culture, Ms. Lopez released a song in which she refers to herself using a phrase that roughly translates to “black girl from the Bronx” in Spanish, a term sometimes used as a nickname among Puerto Ricans. Some people had doubts Her decision to use it.
Our generation may have turned a blind eye as we were proud of her breaking boundaries and challenging stereotypes, but today we expect more from artists than just expression. [. . .]
Read the full article below https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/12/opinion/jennifer-lopez-this-is-me-now.html
