J.Lo + Jessica Alba: Latina Upward Mobility

First and foremost, what I find most interesting in Ovalle's article for this week is that she concentrates on "brown-ness" and "Latina-ness" as an in-between for the traditional racial binary of blackness and whiteness. There is no argument that most prevalent issues and problems concerning race relations in the U.S. primarily involve whites and blacks. Moreover, Ovalle writes that not only is race defined beyond polarized images and preconceived notions of black/white opposites but she also reminds readers of the misconception that whiteness is not perceived as colored or characterized, but humanized and normal- the default. She further illustrates her claim of brown-ness as an in-between by using Jennifer Lopez in Money Train as an example of the type of (racialized) woman who can be romantically linked with both white male (Woody Harrelson) and black male (Wesley Snipes) characters on screen. Another point that she made later on in her article in her section about 'the dancing body' got me to thinking about the upward mobility of today's aspiring Latina actresses. She notes that both Rita Hayworth and Jennifer Lopez captured the attention of and were subsequently accepted into Hollywood and general consciousness through their naturally voluptuous and rhythmic bodies.

I couldn't help but be reminded of a certain aspiring (Latina) actress who has seemed to become a household name recently since her fledgling actor days in teen movies like Idle Hands and Never Been Kissed: Jessica Alba. The reason I parenthesized her ethnicity as Latina is because I wanted to bring into light the fact that just as J.Lo before her, Jessica has cosmetically transformed herself over the years into the idealized version of western beauty (lightness of skin and straightened/nearly blonde hair). Although she doesn't necessarily identify herself as a "Latina" actress, she certainly is one based solely on her Mexican ancestry. Though formerly a "Dark Angel" in James Cameron's foray into TV with the creation of another beautiful brunette heroine (note the play on preconceived notions of color and good and evil in the title's name), Jessica in her most recent films has manifested to a T the kind of hair and cosmetic transformation necessary for upward mobility of an Other in Hollywood. Not to mention the 2003 and 2005 movies, Honey and Sin City, which clearly focus and play off of Jessica's natural ability to move(/dance) both rhythmically and sexually for the audience.

I may be wrong, but it seems to me that it wasn't until after Jessica fulfilled these roles of the dancer/the body in these films that her career was bolstered and she started to attract mainstream attention. As you can see in the photograph I uploaded, both her complexion and hair tone match so closely that there is no 'darkness' or skin color perceived beyond her dramatized eyes which are made to emphasize her exoticness. Thus, she is coded and compromised as white. As Ovalle wrote, J.Lo conformed to idealized beauty standards, yet retained an exoticized difference at the same time because of her butt. Yet for Jessica, she has no discernible exotic anatomical features, like J.Lo's derriere, that perhaps allow her to assimilate more comfortably into Hollywood without constantly having to answer to ponderings about her skin tone or racial background. In fact, according to Perez Hilton, Jessica apparently denies claim to her Mexican roots and is frequently derided on his celebrity blog for doing so, deeming her Jessica "Don't Call Me Latina" Alba. Despite moving into public consciousness and even headlining her own films (The Eye), Jessica has failed to make the kind of lasting imprint in film beyond her beauty, even after already assimilating and fulfilling the Hollywood ideal (blond hair, light skin). That said, who knows what else she must do, or keep doing, in order to keep getting roles in Hollywood. But what must be questioned is how both she and her handlers have been able to manage and construct her image quite successfully by neutralizing her exoticness both on and off screen.