Selena: Her Legacy and Why She Continues To Make Headlines
(Originally published on Nov. 3, 2017)
Today, Selena Quintanilla is receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, CA. On top of this incredible achievement, Los Angeles has also declared November 3 to be Selena Day. I believe this honor is overdue as she is one of the most beloved Latina singers whose legacy continues to thrive and honestly, I am not surprised. The Hollywood star is the best way to publicly honor her vision and significance, which will only continue to grow in the years to come because she is Selena, La Reina de Música Tejano.
Selena was also la reina ("the queen") of lots of things for me growing up. I was only two years old when Selena passed away so I did not experience her success in real time. However, she still managed to make an undeniable impact on my life and so many others. Selena was talented, compassionate, giving, intelligent, and beautiful, inside and out. These characteristics made an impression on me growing up, but the one characteristic about her that still follows me well into my twenties was her pride for being Mexican-American.
In the biographical film, "Selena," Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. shares some truths with Selena that still resonate today:
"Being Mexican-American is tough. Anglos jump all over you if you don't speak English perfectly. Mexicans jump all over you if you don't speak Spanish perfectly. We have to be twice as perfect as anybody else. [...] We have to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time! It's exhausting! Man, nobody knows how tough it is to be a Mexican-American!"
Whether or not this conversation actually happened between Selena and her father, it carries an important message of the barriers she had to overcome to find international success because of her culture and background. Within her journey, her barriers made her incredibly relatable to the Latinx/Hispanic community. Selena became successful in both America and Mexico, releasing music in Spanish first and eventually making the crossover into the English music market. In both languages, Selena rose to the top of Mexican music charts, outperforming other female Tejano singers, and becoming certified platinum. She won a Grammy for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album in 1994 and was nominated for other awards including Billboard Latin Music Awards and Tejano Music Awards.
With all her success, the fact that she brought together her two cultures, merging her roots into her music and overall image, is why I loved Selena so much. Selena was more than just La Reina de Música Tejano, for many of us, she was la reina of giving her hyphen identity a new meaning because she found success being bilingual and bicultural. She was proudly Mexican and American, an identity she never shied away from and embraced throughout her short career.
Today, cultural identities are being discussed openly, with safe physical and online communities sprouting up to show support for those with bicultural identities. Growing up, I struggled to find my strength within my hyphen as Mexican-American because I did not have these open conversations about my identity with friends or classmates until my late teens. Hell, I probably shied away from it more than I would like to admit. Unfortunately, I did not feel comfortable to discuss my Latina identity with anyone until I got older. For this reason, I held onto the above quote from the film as a child because it gave words to everything I had been feeling. It was proof that I was not alone and acknowledged what I already knew at a young age, "being Mexican-American is tough."
I often felt I had something to prove to everyone else but myself growing up. Because yes, I was born in California, yes, I am 100% Mexican but no, I will not speak Spanish to prove my roots because I don't want to and I don’t have to. I can recite this conversation in my sleep because it is one I had too often growing up. Although my identity of being Mexican was (and still is!) met with hesitation, reservation, and maybe even confusion, I always had Selena as my role model of a Latina who was perfectly Mexican and American in her own way. I know I am not the only one who grew up constantly defending my identity and roots or shied away from conversations about my heritage. I know there are so many other Latinas, aside from Mexicans, who also looked up to Selena as a role model for inspiration and strength growing up for the same reasons I did.
Even twenty-two years after her death, Selena continues to make headlines because of everything she symbolizes. With the recognition comes more representation, one that I had been craving for as a child. For example, Google Doodle honored Selena's memory with an amazing video of her life and legacy, which received a lot of positive attention. MAC Cosmetic released a makeup line to honor the 20th anniversary of Selena’s passing. And celebrities and others continue to dress up as Selena on Halloween in her most popular outfits. This confirms how important she continues to be because representation in mainstream media, especially entertainment, is everything Latinxs want because we exist and we are not going anywhere!
Because of Selena, I walk proudly in my skin. Because of Selena, many know the power in being Mexican-American. Because of Selena, I have a timeless role model to write about today.
Selena will always thrive in the hearts of the Latinx community because she always makes our hearts go "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom."
