Salma Hayek's "Regalo de Dios"

Because I've mentioned this topic once before, I thought it was hilarious when a report popped up this week that Salma Hayek said her breasts were a gift from God.

"Puse mis manos en el agua bendita y dije: 'Por favor, Dios, me da unos pechos. ¡Y él me lo dio! En pocos meses desarrollé una creciente pechonalidad... me quedé muy satisfecha con la manera como ellos crecieron."
"I put my hands in the holy water and said, 'Please, God, give me breasts. And he gave them to me! In a few months, I developed a growing chest...I was very satisfied with the way they grew."

The media is reporting it like she was completely serious, but I feel like that was a total tongue-in-cheek answer. I guess joking is a good way to get the plastic surgery police off your back...or chest?

Broadway "in the Heights"

This week's class focus on Latinos on Broadway reminded me of a Latino production I'd heard about that will be opening on Broadway in February, called In the Heights. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (who also stars in it), the play is about a Latino neighborhood in Washington Heights, and its score includes elements of salsa, merengue and hip-hop. Interestingly, In the Heights also features Priscilla Lopez, who we talked about in class as originating the role of Diana Morales in A Chorus Line. It looks like a very interesting and modern Broadway show, and it got great reviews when it was off-Broadway. Let's home Miranda does the same sort of community outreach that John Leguizamo did with Freak, so the people who live in Washington Heights might actually be able to go see it.

Oscar Martinez on "The Office"

Maria Elena Fernandez from the Los Angeles Times did a nice roundup today of Latino characters on primetime TV. I don't really watch any of the shows she mentions, since the only primetime show I watch regularly is The Office. However, that show could also have been included in the article for its non-stereotypical portrayal of a Latino (and a gay one, at that) - office accountant Oscar Martinez. Although his unwittingly racist boss Michael Scott implies that Oscar adheres to a number of Latino and gay stereotypes, he actual fits almost none of them. In the 13th episode of the third season, Oscar returns from an 11-episode hiatus and most of the show is dedicated to him. He and Michael have the following exchange (I unfortunately can't find a video clip of it because YouTube and NBC aren't getting along):

Oscar: We don’t even have to have a party…
Michael: No, hey, hey, don’t be ridiculous. Of course we’re going to have a party – the celebration of Oscar. Oscar night! And I want it to be Oscar-specific.
Oscar: Michael, I…
Michael: No, no. I mean…not because you’re gay. Your gayness does not define you.
Oscar: Thank you.
Michael: Your Mexicaness is what defines you, to me, and I think we should celebrate Oscar’s Mexicanity. So Phyllis, I want you to go find firecrackers and a chihuahua. Pam, in the frozen food section, Swanson’s makes a delightful chimichanga.
Oscar: Why don’t you have me riding in on a donkey?
Michael: Ah, a burro. Of course, if Oscar wants a donkey, let’s get him one.

Although some people might argue that Oscar is performing a "white affect," others might say that all Latinos have different personalities, and I think it's a good thing that Oscar's ethnicity and sexual orientation aren't really the defining aspects of him for anyone on the show except Michael.

Quinceañeras and the Culture of Excess

I came across an interesting article last week on The Nation's website, called "Latina America Lavishly Comes of Age." It examines the increasingly commercialized Latina coming-of-age ceremony, using the intolerable MTV show "My Super Sweet 16" and Julia Alvarez's new book Once Upon a Quinceañera as points of reference. Although lavish quinceañeras could be seen as part of the Latino affect of "excess" that we talk about in class, I would argue that the exact same type of outlandish commercialism takes place at the Sweet 16 parties and bat mitzvahs of non-Latina girls. Strangely enough, out of the three, I have only attended a quinceañera, of one of the three daughters (how lucky - he has to pay for three lavish celebrations) of my father's Costa Rican best friend. I'm not sure how much they paid for the party, but I'm sure those several hundred (thousand?) dollars could be of much more use to the daughter now - she is currently a 20-year-old single mother, and had to drop out of college to take care of her infant.

Che Guevara as Fashion Statement

The New York Times had an interesting article this week about how Che Guevara's daughter feels about her father's image appearing as a fashion statement. Everyone has seen the ubiquitous image on many a hipster's T-shirt, but many people who wear them don't really know what they're endorsing. (I personally love VintageCotton's sarcastic version of it.) Last year, I had a Spanish teacher from Cuba who wore a hat adorned with a picture of Che's face with an X over it. When someone asked him about it, he explained that Che actually killed a lot of Cubans, and shouldn't be revered as a hero. I wonder how many of these hipsters would be willing to wear a shirt with Fidel Castro's face on it?

Latina Baby Boom

Has anyone else noticed that several U.S. Latina superstars are pregnant? Salma just gave birth to baby Valentina, Christina's belly is growing (despite still not confirming her pregnancy) and now J-Lo is knocked up with twins. I'm expecting Penelope to announce the news any day now!

Salma Hayek's Plastic Surgery

I recently found out that Salma Hayek, the quintessential Latina beauty, has been helped along with a bit of plastic surgery. Not very surprising in Hollywood, but many people often consider her to be the ultimate "curvy Latin woman," and it's interesting that she felt it necessary to resort to surgery (breast implants and a nose job, to be exact) to live up to that standard. Apparently many other women from her patria of Mexico feel the same way, as it is apparently No. 2 after the U.S. in terms of plastic surgery procedures. Kudos to Jennifer Lopez, another Ur-Latina, for not succumbing to Hollywood pressure to enlarge her smallish chest to balance out her famous posterior.