Trendspotting: Are Latinos The New Celebrity Partner?
Actor Matthew McConaughey has approached the impending birth of his firstborn with the usual mix of euphoria, paranoia, and insatiable need for salty snack foods that are normal for most, um. New parents. In the January 28th issue of People magazine, McConaughey describes his baby as a “love child.” Love child. Never meant to be? Scorned by society? Always second best? Different from the rest?
In any case, Matthew’s heartwarming and kind of hilarious baby announcement, coupled with his relationship to Brazilian model Camila Alves, made us wonder if Latinas can be a “trend” when it comes to relationships.
It seems that Hollywod, for better or worse, is considered indicative of what’s popular or even acceptable when it comes to things so personal as romantic relationships. So when we read about couples like Matthew and Camila, Roselyn and Eric, Christina and Jordan, Jessica and Cash, Rosario and Some Guy Named Mathieu or Matt and Luciana we have to wonder… Is the stigma for couples consisting of a Latino and non-Latino gone? Did it ever really exist? Are women, like Rosario Dawson or Christina Aguilera, who are half or part Latina more likely to be attracted to Anglo guys? And why are dudes named “Matt” so into Latinas? And, um. Where are all these Matts hanging out?
You might recall our opinions on race and ethnicity as sexual fetishes, but love and romance are a whole other thing entirely. Or so we’ve been told. We’ll venture to guess that Latinos, or rather Latinas specifically, are not seen as an “other” to the extent other minorities have been historically. We’ll chalk this up to the fact that so many Latinas have European ancestry. In any case, women have not historically been counted as more than a passive object when it comes to relationships. And, while that has changed over time in our society, a Latina’s (or any other female’s, really) background and last name matter a little less.
So, a Latina is more likely to simultaneously have Anglo features while maintaining some sort of “exotic” allure and, as a female, has less of her own distinct identity anyway, cultural, ethnic or otherwise. Does that make it easier to introduce her to mom and dad, even given today’s political climate, where immigration and talk of a national language seem to be on the lips of so many potential candidates? We’re not sure.
On the Latina’s part though, we wonder if there’s a discernable reason or motivation as to why one would be drawn specifically to a white, or any non-Latino, guy. Of course, love and lust are complicated, multi-layered phenomena, so there’s never a real or an easy answer. But it’s tempting to tack it up to wanting to become part of the majority, and thus, like Jessica Alba, become a “neutral” person through one’s relationships rather than be labeled as being a minority, complete with all stereotypes inherent in that label. There’s also the question of whether the Latin male machismo, a culturally relevant stereotype that, to the best of our knowledge and from our own experience growing up in a predominantly Latino city, does not seem to be fading with time in certain communities. We certainly see how tolerance for, and even a celebration of, machismo in certain Latino communities could lead a woman (or, hey, a gay dude) [Ed. note: Or, hey. Me.] to look outside the Latino community for a prospective love interest.
In any case, we hope that, rather than exist as a trend, interracial and interethnic relationships are regarded in such a way that they are not deemed worthy of speculation as to why or in what capacity people are drawn to or fall in love with one another. Call it fetish or preference or love or chemistry.
We still have no idea what’s up with all these dudes named Matt though.
Matthew and Camila’s Surprise Baby News [People, not available online]
Earlier: We Can’t Believe You’re Seriously Not Sleeping With A Latina Yet
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Alex Alvarez
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Gabriel Caro
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Daniel Mauser
Does Tom and Giselle have a love child yet? Watch futbol world, we cant beat ya but we takin your womanz!
Posted by latinogamer | January 31, 2008
I have this sinking feeling that Latinas, like other ethnicities, like men who are successful and can provide. I better get back to school and get that advanced degree. Can anyone point me to the Strayer University campus?
Posted by Zaperoko | January 31, 2008
The part of Cali where I’m from, the white boys are the exotic ones. Not so much the pale, thin-lipped girls. No one pays attention to them.
Posted by marytza | January 31, 2008
I understand that you might have those feelings but the women marrying these celebrities weren’t just bums on the street before they met these men. These women had their own careers and just happened to meet wealthy men who are also famous. We have to give women a little more credit.
Posted by Coronel | January 31, 2008
It’s because us Latinas are HOT and everyone wants to be one or be with one.
Guanabee it’s not only Matt’s also Chris’ I’ve know about 10 guys named Chris all with a Latina girlfriend.
Posted by la roncha | January 31, 2008
Or if you have no ass our kind don’t want us.
Posted by pocachica | January 31, 2008
people, we have to plan out our baby-making here. miscegenation is key! outbreeding! strong genes! too much shared genetic material makes the baby go blind. Or something.
Posted by calaverita | January 31, 2008
My gringo husband would agree that Latinas are a hot trend and that he was way ahead of the curve when he zoomed in on me. He’s told me his next wife would have to be Penelope. Or Penelope and Salma.
Posted by Carrie_in_TN | February 01, 2008
A “white” guy named “Matt”. Every self-hating Tejana’s dream!
Posted by elcid66 | February 02, 2008
@ elcid: I’m not sure if your comment was a general statement or directed specifically at the author (hi), but, either way: Let’s discuss this.
First off, I’m not Tejana.
Secondly, a preference for a partner outside of one’s own cultural, ethnic or racial group does not necessarily indicate self-hatred, although I’m sure this is true in some cases. In my own case, I’ve always been attracted to men who were not Latino. I tried to give a few probable reasons for why that might be in this post but, in any case, ethnic and racial purity aren’t really at the forefront of my mind when I choose someone to partner up with. And while I might look for reasons and explanations, but I’d never offer and apology or an excuse for what I like. And I don’t think anyone else should either.
I think your comment may be interpreted to mean that dating outside one’s ethnic group is akin to being a “traitor,” which, to me, is a pretty problematic concept. It’s comments such as this that make people feel guilty for their wants and desires, whatever those may be. If there’s one thing Guanabee does, I hope is that it succeeds in letting people know that “Latino” can mean a number of different things, and there’s no particular costume or set of values a person has to be compelled to fit into in order to be a part of the Latino community.
Posted by ...dijo Alex | February 03, 2008
@alex:
Right.
I also would like to note that not all of us Latino straight males are machistas or glorify machismo in any way. I know it’s a culturally relevant stereotype, and that there are a lot of douchebags (specially in Mayami) But if you look past the stereotypes, you will find us. Some of us prefer our Magnetic Fields over reggeaton.
Posted by ponte | February 03, 2008
@ ponte: Totally agreed! My beef is cultural rather than ethnic and (as you mentioned) Miami, being overwhelmingly homogenous in terms of what is valued or deemed important or cool or sexy there, is a culture that is not my style and I can’t get behind, even though it’s one in which I was raised.
Love is like a bottle of gin, and Miami is like a rum and coke that someone’s slipped something into while your back was turned.
Posted by ...dijo Alex | February 03, 2008
@alex
Totally, it’s more like Bacardi and flat Diet Coke.
Guacala.
Posted by ponte | February 04, 2008
From Spain, I really don’t understand the Latino race, as an ethnic group, yes. But in the States, it’s whether you speak Spanish therefore you are Latino. Please don’t feed into the US concepts of race.
Rosario Dawson I wouldn’t have considered Latina or part Latina (part Latina, what on earth is that? boggles my mind), but mixed race. I’m puzzled. I HAVE lived in the US and still don’t get it.
But anyway, someone who is seen as Latina is considered less dangerous. I get Latin@ as culture but not as race!!!
And before I get any hate mails, I’m Spanish and of African origin, as in nacionalizada española.
Posted by Anni | February 10, 2008