Core Post #5 - Madison Lorenz

The topic of a celebrity's "derriere" is not an uncommon one. Nowadays there's an especially apparent trend that having a big, sculpted behind is one of the ideal body types. In current media, it is probably the Kardashians who are most recognized for their butts - with Kim even making an emoji out of hers. One of the readings that I wanted to focus on this week highlights the emergence of the "butt obsession" with Jennifer Lopez in the spotlight.
In Beltran's article, she discusses Lopez's greatest asset and how her figure allowed her to cross-over into a predominantly white audience and even gain acceptance because of it. Aside from her acting, singing, and performance skills, Lopez's behind seems to be one of the reasons she is very recognizable to audiences. Before the Kardashians came along, one could say that Lopez is the one who started the "big butt" trend.
Lopez's cross-over into more mainstream entertainment and media began the acceptance of women of color and started to change the idea of what it meant to be beautiful in the U.S. It was interesting reading the contrast between the views of women's appearance in Latino countries vs. the U.S. Beltran explains that Latino audiences viewed Lopez as more of the girl-next-door type seeing how women of Latina descent are known to have curvier bodies. Her curves were nothing out of the ordinary to this audience, making her physicality both admired and normal to the Latino community. However, the white American community looked at Lopez's body as something out of the ordinary and a new type of beautiful. Beltran goes on to explain that instead of viewing her as the girl-next-door, white Americans viewed her in a more sexualized way, making her butt the focus of a sensual gaze.
Lopez, although "different" from the typical Hollywood star, viewed herself as someone who could change the idea of what it means to be beautiful. Instead of downplaying her curves and conforming to Hollywood's idea of beauty, she happily jumped at any mention of her curves and openly spoke about her behind to the media. Audiences can view this type of publicity in one of two ways:
1. They could praise Lopez for her self-admiration and the fact that she was proud of her curves and where she comes from. Most Latino audiences were happy about the fact that she was changing these standards.
or
2. They could view her as a woman who is flaunting her sexuality in order to gain attention and publicity.
I believe that her magazine covers and interviews where she is completely open about her butt is a little bit of both of these views. Similar to past women that we have discussed, Lopez knows that using her sexuality is one way to gain recognition. However I also believe that there is a genuine aspect of being proud of her body and culture.