Brain, Brow, and Booty: Latina Iconicity in U.S. Popular Culture

Abstract

We were shooting on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum one night. It was lit romantically, and Jennifer was wearing an evening gown, looking incredibly stunning. Suddenly there must have been a thousand people screaming her name. It was like witnessing this icon. (Ralph Fiennes in the New York Times, 2002, p. 16, emphasis added) This stamp, honoring a Mexican artist who has transcended “la frontera” and has become and icon to Hispanics, feminists, and art lovers, will be a further reminder of the continuous cultural contributions of Latinos to the United States. (Cecilia Alvear, President of National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) on the occasion of the introduction of the Frida Kahlo U.S. postage st& 2001; emphasis added) “Nothing Like the Icon on the Fridge” (column about Salma Hayek’s Frida by Stephanie Zacharek in the New York Times, 2002 Zacharek, S. 2002. The New Season/Movies; Nothing Like the Icon on the Fridge. The New York Times, : 41 Sep.8.Section ZA [Google Scholar]).