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Jennifer Lopez has been busy. In case you missed it, the Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actor launched not one however three complementary initiatives to kick off the 12 months. There’s her “This Is Me . . . Now” album; a video companion/musical to mentioned album, “This Is Me . . . Now: A Love Story”; and a documentary that dives into mentioned love story, “The Best Love Story By no means Informed.” It was an bold enterprise, little question. And one which has her being dragged throughout TikTok, Instagram, and X (previously Twitter).
A part of the controversy lies in how Lopez represents herself and her native borough of the Bronx. In a single scene from the documentary, Lopez tussles her curly hair whereas wanting within the mirror and says, “It jogs my memory, like, after I was 16 within the Bronx, working up and down the block. Loopy little lady who used to fucking be wild and no limits, all goals.” TikTok rapidly jumped on this small clip, with many customers commenting on how contrived the scene felt. One person famous it allegedly took quite a few takes to get the completed shot. From there, it wasn’t lengthy earlier than social media began to mine Lopez’s outdated interviews for any trace of inauthenticity.
In a resurfaced clip from Vogue’s “73 Questions” sequence, Lopez shares her childhood bodega order of “ham and cheese on a roll with an orange drink . . . and a small bag of chips.” This clip, too, has been flamed on social media as New Yorkers demand to know precisely what orange drink Lopez is referring to. Others have remarked it is such a generic order that Lopez cannot be as bodega-bred as she claims.
After which, in fact, there’s the nail within the coffin: an outdated clip from 2014 making the rounds on social media that exhibits Lopez pulling as much as her outdated home in Citadel Hill, and the present resident having completely no concept who she is.
It isn’t that Lopez is not from the Bronx — in fact, she is. Nobody can take that away from her. It is that the picture she portrays, one in all a tried-and-true Bronx lady who made it to Hollywood whereas staying true to her roots, comes off as disingenuous. Many suppose she’s utilizing the borough for relevance in an age that values authenticity greater than something. However how did she turn out to be so seemingly disconnected from the folks she supposedly represents?
Rising up in a Puerto Rican family meant Lopez might do no improper. She was the Fly Woman who made it large. She was Selena. And when her debut album, “On the 6,” dropped, my mother had it on repeat, singing alongside to each phrase. For my mother, Lopez symbolized success. For a lot of heads from that technology, that is what success was — not a lot repping your hood, however representing the truth that you made it out of your hood.
In the present day, nevertheless, that is not sufficient. That is why Lopez’s actions are sometimes perceived as self-serving. Partially, it is a generational distinction. That is evidenced by the truth that so few of her latest critics knew what she meant by “orange drink.” For the document, I am fairly certain she was referencing the 25-cent “quarter waters” that had been a staple of bodegas again within the ’90s (you would be hard-pressed to search out them now). They did not have a correct title; you simply requested for the colour. However, bodega order apart, the truth that Lopez needed to rebrand her tour amid slowing ticket gross sales exhibits how a lot public opinion has waned for a star who as soon as bought out Vegas residencies with frequency.
On this gentle, it is unsurprising that individuals from the group and even her followers are skeptical of how she reps the Bronx — an try and delay the solar setting on an unbelievable 30-year profession and energize the lots. However it’s not sufficient to say NYC as your birthright and count on New Yorkers to point out up. Right here, belief and loyalty are received the exhausting approach. You must put the town in your again, elevate it, and actively take part within the tradition.
Cardi B made headlines when she donated $100,000 to her outdated center faculty within the Bronx. Fats Joe helped set up a fundraiser for households affected by the 2022 Twin Parks fireplace, and he is well-known for routinely giving again to the group. And J Lo? Nicely, that is the factor. She has. In 2014, she introduced a partnership with Montefiore Medical Middle within the Bronx to determine The Middle for a Wholesome Childhood, which aimed to enhance youngsters’s well being and general vitamin within the surrounding communities.
However for many people, the occasional philanthropic stint is not sufficient. And the truth that it has been 10 years since her final main contribution to the borough does not assist Lopez’s case. Neither does the truth that she danced her technique to an appearing profession, singing profession, and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} alongside the best way, however she hasn’t opened a single dance academy to assist others do the identical. I believe a Jennifer Lopez-branded dance academy within the coronary heart of Citadel Hill can be a no brainer and would assist her enhance her present standing in the neighborhood.
That being mentioned, Lopez is not obligated to fulfill anybody’s expectations however her personal. And there are many A-list New Yorkers who do much less for his or her respective boroughs and are topic to far much less criticism. On the finish of the day, nevertheless, Lopez is exclusive in that she understands and cashes in on the social clout that comes with being from the Bronx. She understands that it distinguishes her from nearly all of the Hollywood elite — she’s somebody who is not speculated to have a seat on the desk, but now enjoys the identical privileges as her silver-spoon counterparts.
I as soon as had a buddy inform me that the hood is one thing nobody can take from you. It is hardwired into you, no matter what you obtain. The teachings the streets educate are classes for all times. I actually consider that. And I am certain Lopez does, too. In her eyes, she’ll all the time be Jenny from the block, no matter what any of us need to say.
However I additionally consider there is not any such factor as enjoying either side. As somebody who has slowly watched their neighborhood disappear due to gentrification and has had the panorama of his recollections shift with every passing day, I want I had the cash to do one thing about it. And if I ever discovered myself in that place, ready to present again, I might.
Johanna Ferreira is the content material director for POPSUGAR Juntos. With greater than 10 years of expertise, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central a part of Latine tradition. Beforehand, she spent shut to 3 years because the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she or he has freelanced for quite a few retailers together with Refinery29, Oprah journal, Attract, InStyle, and Nicely+Good. She has additionally moderated and spoken on quite a few panels on Latine identification. .
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