Ask an expert: The consequences of 'anglicized' Latinos

September 27, 2000
Web posted at: 1:41 PM EDT (1741 GMT)

By Bel Hernandez

Question: Do you think that Latinos "anglicize" themselves to gain popularity in the entertainment industry? If yes, why? What effects would this have on the Latino community and on other audience members?

Answer: It depends on what you mean by "anglicize." Latino is a term used for people whose ethnic background comes from Latin American countries or Spain. Although the majority of Latinos are dark-haired and brown-eyed, Latinos come in a variety of complexions. There are olive-skinned Latinos, black Latinos, blond-haired and blue-eyed Latinos, redheaded Latinos and so on.

Cameron Diaz is a Latina, but she does not have to anglicize herself. Jennifer Lopez has dyed her hair almost blond -- so she may look a bit more anglicized, but she is still proud of her Latino roots and vocal about them. She is also very "New York" because she grew up in the Bronx. Is that anglicized? Or is she just a product of her environment?

There was a time when Latinos made a point of not speaking Spanish and denying they were Latinos -- because there was a time, not too long ago, when teachers demanded that Latinos not speak Spanish because they were "in America." Since Ricky Martin exploded on the scene at the Grammys last year, being Latino is cool. There are more and more of what I call "born again Latinos": those who can come out and proudly admit they are Latino. Some of them look very anglicized; the majority look very Latino.

With more positive images of the dark-haired Latino, audiences will begin to feel less threatened, and young Latinos will feel from the start that they are part of the equation and that people who look like them are contributing good things to our society.

After dealing with stereotypes and media misrepresentations of Latinos for 20 years, Bel Hernandez co-founded Latin Heat, a magazine dedicated to addressing the issues of Latino actors and a source of information for Latinos wishing to enter the entertainment industry.