Core Post # 5: I like big butts...well, not really.

Although Jennifer Lopez is a crossover artist, her stardom is heavily based on the fact that she is racialized and sexualized body. The presence of such, depending on what character she plays may or may not be present. When Lopez plays Selena, her ethnicity and her full figure frame – read derriere – are at the forefront. In Out of Sigh her butt is literally “out of sight.”
Her breakout role in the Selena biopic gets Lopez many accolades and articles written less about her acting and more about her body. In the “Jennifers’ butt” article, Lopez comments that this was the first movie where she played a Latina and her butt was prominently displayed instead of the costume people working doubly hard to cover it up. That being said, the popularity of Selena not only in Latino and Hispanic communities but in crossover communities as well, allowed/made acceptable for a voluptuous Latina actress playing a serious (not parody) Latina character to show her behind in all it’s glory. Even that is problematic.
Lopez’s exposure has not made it acceptable for other ethnicities, such as African-American’s to show their sexuality in ‘butt form’ unless it is a parody, as comment on in the “Back is Beautiful” article, but neither has Lopez’s stardom made it acceptable for a serious Latina actress playing anything but Latina to show off her behind either.
Hollywood capitalized on Lopez’s popularity by showcasing and starring her in films, but in order to appeal to crossover sensibilities, they “whitened” her. She no longer plays Latina, but tan European characters or racial mixes. She is Italian a lot of the time or just very tan. Although audiences know of Lopez’s proud Puerto Rican heritage, filmmakers know if they can erase her butt (the one thing that makes audiences remember she is Latina), they will. Out of Sight does not prominently display Lopez’s backside although is does show her as sexual in her scenes with George Clooney – white playboy. For whatever reason, Hollywood refuses to show Lopez as a Latina (unless in a biopic, or playing a maid) and trust that she can still be a box office draw.
If it were not for Lopez's adaptability - read: light skin - I fear her stardom would not have come. It is only in her recording/singing career that she is able to be Latina and openly discuss her ethnicity and her derriere. This conundrum has forced her to be "white" in her film career and "Latina" in her music career, a contradiction. Her video for the song "I'm Real" she is hanging out in the 'hood' looking very Latina with other Latino's. And in "Ain't It Funny" the first line in the song is "It must be the ass...!" Even Lopez is aware of the fact that she is "deracialized" in order to be a movie star.

1.Why can’t Lopez be a Latina wedding planner, cop, alien, etc…
2.Were there other women, particularly black women who were allowed to show their bums as a serious actress before Lopez?
3. Why is it that when a star becomes crossover, they are then restyled to look like more of what Hollywood already has instead of just embracing the racial characteristics that were there when they earn crossover appeal?