Lupita Nyong’o
Carolina González of NPR writes a thoughtful piece on something we argue about here at Se Fija! all the time: what exactly is “Latino” these days?
It’s become more and more difficult to create a reliable definition of “Latino” these days.
There are “obvious” Latinos in TV and movies all the times–you know, the ones that look like the common, almost stereotypical Latino with the brown skin and the black hair and the dark eyes and the clearly Spanish surname.
Louis C.K.
Then there are the “Latinos of color”–a term that our Panamanian-American really hates–like Zoë Saldaña and Laz Alonso–who are often cast in African-American roles because of their looks. And more: light-skinned or mixed-race Latinos like Sara Paxton and JoAnna Garcia Swisher and Alexis Bledel have a hard time even being considered for Latino roles because of their “white” looks.
And now you’ve got folks like Lupita N’yong’o who break all sorts of unspoken rules about what “Latino” means…and why it matters.
Carolina González of NPR has written a really terrific piece about this whole issue, you can read it all right here, and you should. Among the gems:
“Wanting to claim someone as part of your ethnic or racial group may seem like a strange exercise, more than a little self-involved and even downright narcissistic. But it is a compulsion born of a desire to see oneself reflected in media and popular culture. Like it or not, that’s what sets many of our expectations about what’s beautiful, what’s desirable, what’s “normal.” And not seeing yourself conveys a message that you are none of these things.”
“The best part about “claiming” Louis C.K. or Lupita Nyong’o as part of the Latino extended family is how sharing their stories helps us better understand and explain ourselves. It helps Latinos better connect with one another. Sharing how we ended up with our names, our manner of speech and our view of the world makes us dynamic, fully human and more than just a label.”
Read the whole thing. It’s well worth it.
