Sierra Dague Supplemental Response 5

When watching the film Selena I couldn’t help but feel disengaged from the story every time I realized that it was Jennifer Lopez. I wonder if anyone else felt the same. While Jennifer Lopez was cast for this role before she became famous (indeed it essentially jump started her career), watching the film only after growing up with Lopez as a major celebrity feels like an entirely different experience. 

Her face was too recognizable. I would be engaged in the story, sympathizing with Selena, and then either Lopez’s demeanor or voice would draw me out of it. I’d think “wait a second, you’re not Selena, you’re Jennifer Lopez.” 

Of course, I’m most likely biased in watching Selena for the first time only after seeing all of the clips and criticisms of Jennifer Lopez’s new documentary about her own life. Lots of people criticized Jennifer Lopez for being inauthentic in a film about her life. Certainly this made me feel untrustworthy of her performance in depicting another star’s life. 

As an aside, if anyone found the analysis on how the media became obsessed with Jennifer Lopez’s butt interesting, I highly recommend the book Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke. It discusses society’s obsession with butts throughout history and includes an elaboration on Sarah Baartman and Jennifer Lopez.

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