Rant against racist chick flicks (aka: why the hell is Jennifer Lopez white in Back Up Plan?)

[calmenda]

I’m going to use the R word. Yes, that freakin’ R word; a distant cousin of the race card. If there was ever a way to make mainstream America roll their eyes at you it’s by pointing out a very obvious truth: Hollywood seems to hate latinos. There, I said it.

Clearly, I’m being dramatic with my statement but let me elaborate.

Comments

[wendye]

I actually think it's pretty open-minded of Hollywood to cast a Latina in a non-Latina role. I imagine actors jump at the chance to be cast in a role in which their ethnicity isn't a consideration, rather than constantly be pigeon-holed into the same characters again and again.

[calmenda]

There are two ways of interpreting this as I see it:

1) Hollywood is open minded in casting a latina in a non-latina world
2) Hollywood makes a latina white because doing otherwise the audienece is threatened somehow and will be less likely to see the film.

I don't know that we can truly prove either but given my skepticism with Hollywood I went with the latter option.

[donchep]

I think if you knew the history of Holly wood you should be more upset with what I call "Lupe Ontiveros" factor where that good actress couldn't get a role as anything other than a maid for almost 20 years until Ugly Betty and Real Women have Curves. I applaud the decision to allow actors to play something beyond what's proscribed. More opportunities for actors.

Your beef that because J-Lo is brown she needs to always play brown is the problem latinos and latinas in the arts have been arguing AGAINST for so many years. you want to limit their choices based on how they look? Typecasting is the problem not the other way around, friend.

[distort_alex]

THIS

[calmenda]

@Donchep - Thank you for taking the time to reply. I am very familiar with the history of Hollywood. I actually grew up in Hollywood 18 years and am an avid movie-goer. I am familiar with the Lupe Ontiveros factor. I recently saw her talk about her hundreds of roles as a maid but I can't recall where it was

[thisfalseart]

I agree with donchep about the typecasting. If what you're proposing was actually the case then typecasting would inevitably be the result and I personally would hate for that to happen to all the actors and actresses of color that could pass as white. I get what you're saying about whitewashing actors for them to be enjoyable to mainstream America - most of that is directly the fault of studios who have little faith in the America public being able to receive obviously "ethnic" films. Truth of the matter is that J. Lo is easily recognizable, as you said, as brown. She is Latina. Alllll of America knows this. It is undoubtedly due to her widespread appeal that she has even got to the point that she has in notoriety and fame, and I believe this is for the better for the rest of us. Otherwise none of us would know who the hell she was. And let's not forget that she catapulted to fame by playing an up and coming Latina - Selena. It certainly is a shame that she can't reproduce that same success in her current endeavors but she has never

[calmenda]

Donchep wrote: "I applaud the decision to allow actors to play something beyond what's proscribed." I applaud this is as well. Whether J-Lo plays a maid or billionaire. Neither truly bother me. I am not pushing for J-Lo to be a maid. I want her to be latina. I obviously like seeing her in a non-service industry role but the reality is some latinos are maids so there is nothing inherently wrong with that. My mother is a housekeeper as are many of my relatives. It certainly does happen

[angelly_bean]

ps: i look white too and get mistaken for one all the time. it's the mestizo blood! i also speak fluent spanish, none of that spanglish shit. my daughter is going to be born in July and i insisted on a Latino name since her last name will be Reedy. i used ot have a problem with being so light-skinned, but like you said, Latinos come in all flavors!

[angelly_bean]

very good points made here! i also have objected to her whitification in movies to my husband. (he is white) it's because Latino/as are still seen as "the other" and are either exoticized or white washed to make them more palatable. it's racism cos America will only accept a stereotypical Latina or a white washed one. there's no in between.