We’ve all probably heard of the Taylor vs. Kim war that has been raging on for the past couple of days. Celebrities have openly taken sides, posted passive aggressive tweets, and even joined in on the bashing. Recently, Original Taylor Swift Squad member Selena Gomez decided to share her two cents by tweeting “ There are more important things to talk about… Why can’t people use their voice for things that fucking matter” Oh, but what a double edged sword you’ve unsheathed, Selena… It was only a matter of seconds before the replies poured in.
People questioned her reasoning and hypocrisy, pointing out that she hadn’t really been an advocate for many issues recently. A small battle ensued where fans fought against anyone and everyone who tried pointing out their idol’s faults and flaws. However, one very resounding criticism stuck out to the Latino community: Selena’s lack of Latino rights advocacy.
Now, before anyone goes off spouting Selena hate, I want to get one point across: this is not an article written to bash on the artist. Selena Gomez has been considered a Latina icon for a very long time. As a half-Mexican, she has spoken about learning Spanish, and the presence of Mexican culture on her father’s side of the family.
Yes, I get it, Selena uses her voice to talk about multiple topics such as children dying from malnutrition, countries that lack access to clean water, etc. After being appointed as an ambassador for UNICEF in 2009, Selena began using her platform to promote campaigns such as “Sound the Alarm”, UNICEF’s Tap Project, and countless others revolving around the aforementioned topics. She’s simply not an advocate for Latinx rights. I did the research. I read through multiple articles, and all I found was that the singer/actress loves her Mexican heritage and would like to be fluent in Spanish at some point. Again, I am not saying that she’s not Latina or that she doesn’t deserve to identify as one.
There are however multiple Latina women in Hollywood who have used their positions and voices to talk about the injustices that the Latino community experiences daily, and how we must work to reach equality. Actress Gina Rodriguez has taken it upon herself to fight against the attitude that Spanish-speaking Latinos are better than other Latinos . She is also fighting to break down stereotypes like the typical “feisty” Latina woman and generalizations about Latino culture. Diane Guerrero, an actress of Colombian heritage used her platform to publish a book where she talks about being an immigrant child left behind in the US after her family was deported, titled “In the Country We Love: My Family Divided”. Latinxs everywhere use their voices every day to talk about problems we face, using their position to destroy stereotypes, educate the public, and accurately represent the Latino community.
Selena Gomez is an advocate for multiple campaigns. Yes, she’s Latina. Although she is a beautiful young woman who possesses dominant Latino community traits, it’s time to acknowledge the truth: up to this point, Selena Gomez has done nothing particularly significant to be considered an advocate for Latino people, let alone a Latina icon.
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