In Negron-Muntaner’s article “Jennifer’s Butt,” the author
describes the experience of watching Jennifer Lopez act in the film Selena.
She points out that during the film, she never saw Lopez as Selena, but was aware throughout that
it was Jennifer Lopez taking on the role.
This seems interesting to me because it depicts the ways in which star
persona can often be an obstacle in onscreen persona. In a postmodern society, we are so used to recognizing
celebrity and obsessing over their personal lives that it can often get in the
way of suspending belief during a film.
Further, the author discusses the fact that Jennifer Lopez, an American
actress of Puerto Rican descent, playing Selena, a Mexican-American singer/songwriter,
caused controversy. There are different
sides to this argument. One could say
that it is indeed important to pay attention to ethnic background when casting
to not further perpetuate the false stereotype that people who speak Spanish are
all “the same.” But, as the author also
states, there was not much Puerto Rican representation in Hollywood at the
time, and Lopez playing Selena marked a shift in the portrayal of Puerto Ricans
as “secondary roles.”
It is interesting that Lopez’s body practically became a
marketing point for the film. As the
author describes, during promotion for the movie, Lopez was asked “’Todo es
tuyo?’ (Is that body for real?)” (Negron-Muntaner 186). Personally, even reading the question made me
feel uncomfortable, and I would be offended if anyone asked me that in any
circumstance. But, as the author
describes, Lopez “stood up, gave a 360 degree turn, patted her butt and
triumphantly sat down: ‘Todo es mio.’” (Negron-Muntaner 186). It is fair for Lopez to be proud of her “big
bottom” as she describes it, but it just seems like the media is objectifying
her body in the name of film promotion.
It reminded me of what Roberts describes of Carmen Miranda in her
article “The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat.”
Miranda’s “exoticness” as dubbed by Hollywood, was used to promote
films. Her ethnicity changed from film
to film depending on what the studio wanted, and her body became the focus of
any character she portrayed.
I agree that the question about her body is very uncomfortable, but the fact that she ran with it shows her savvy in how to use her body to further her image/ career. It seems that Jennifer Lopez has made a conscious effort over the years to identify herself with her body and especially her butt. I remember seeing shows about how her butt was insured for a large sum of money, and reading articles where she would talk about taking on a new personal trainer but admonishing him not to dare make her butt go away. And of course the most remembered instance of Lopez consciously flaunting her body is the red carpet moment when she worse the infamous green dress with the plunging neckline down to her belly button.
ReplyDeleteI think this actually dovetails into what we've discussed with Madonna taking control of her own objectification. Lopez seems to accept that she will be objectified and then uses that inevitability to her advantage, making it a power move. And now she's a huge star associated with glamour, sexiness, and style, so it seems to have worked out. And I do love that she takes ownership of her own body and sex appeal--it makes it feel like no one else can try to own her or take advantage. But I guess that's part of her star image, too.
Some quotes from Lopez about her body:
"I could serve coffee using my rear as a ledge."
"People equate sexy with promiscuous. They think that because I'm shaped this way, I must be scandalous - like running around and bringing men into my hotel room. But it's just the opposite."
In every movie, they want you to look as thin as you can look. In "Selena", it was the other way around: "How can we shoot her butt so it looks like Selena's?"