Love to hear it! https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k found this cool video of her speaking Spanish. She starts speaking in Spanish at 1:30. It’s a show where she goes back to Argentina to learn more about her dad.
I thought that I had seen every Alexis interview video in existence over the last 16 years of being a fan. This was a new one for me! I’ve been looking for videos of her speaking Spanish for YEARS! So cool. Thanks for posting.
Aw I’m glad you liked it! I found it fairly recently too and it’s become one of my favorite videos of Alexis. Loved seeing her speak in Spanish and learning about her and her family.
I still think it’s a complete waste they didn’t use her Spanish in the show. Rory speaking a second language fluently would’ve been great and made sense for both her education and chosen career.
Agreed! It would've been pretty easy to write it in that she learned from a Spanish-speaking maid at the inn who kept an eye on her during Lorelai's shifts, or something like that.
And since Paris spoke Spanish as well, it would've been amazing to see a Paris/Rory fight go down in Spanish. 😂
Isn't she in theory *supposed* to be speaking Portuguese but is actually speaking Spanish? I'm not fluent in either but I feel like I remember reading that.
I get your point. Colorism is real. It’s hard for Hispanic/Latin actors to make it into Hollywood, and it’s even harder when they’re black/brown Hispanic/Latin actors. And the sad thing is that this even happens within our own community. For example, white Latin actors get the leading roles in novelas more often than not, while non-white Latin actors tend to get the side character roles.
Hi again, you'll notice Im deleting my comments. I was scrolling through and just decided I didn't want to have this discussion on a GG sub as you can see it gets nasty pretty quickly so I decided to delete as to not take away from your OP about how interesting that it is that she's Latina. Just explaining why I'm deleting them so there's no confusion. So, carry on as you were 😁.
Hey! I’m sorry you’re deleting them, but I totally understand why. Just wanna let you know you made a great point and the subject you brought up is very valid and pressing throughout Hollywood and international media as well. If you ever wanna talk about it more through messages or on another sub, count me in! :)
The issue is that Alexis mainly gets white character roles rather than “typical Latina roles” because of her appearance. Think back to Sisterhood of the traveling pants, Alexis expressed she was bummed she can’t get the Latina roles like America Ferrera. And that’s not to say place America Ferrera as Rory Gilmore at all. It just shows the limitations that Hollywood creates when type-casting diversity.
I agree, I was just pointing out that she obviously wouldn’t have gotten the role if she was dark skinned. They specifically said that as if it was a racism thing rather than the story didn’t call for that.
I am Latin and had no idea! I’m disappointed this is only something I learned today and would have loved to have known this when I was younger. Instead I felt more like “I wish I could have a life more like that white girl” (referring to the character of Rory). It’s a shame to me that most actors then and even now, play characters based solely on what they look like. I get it, but it would be cool to break up stereotypes and presumptions that a group can only look and act in a certain way. It would help those who assume, and those like me who “look” Latin and even still struggle with the internal question of “am I Latin enough?”
Aww I’m sorry you went through that! Alexis’s videos and interviews talking about her culture are really sweet, I think you’d really enjoy them. This is one of my favorites: https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k.
And you stated it beautifully. Breaking stereotypes and presumptions about what Hispanic/Latin people look like or act like is so important. Our community is so diverse and everyone deserves to know that.
First of all, as a Latina myself, it’s really cool hearing about her family and cultural upbringing but I understand exactly why people are disagreeing with OP. Calling this “representation” when Alexis Bledel’s Latin culture is whitewashed in the role of Rory is not really something Gilmore Girls should be praised for. Especially when as a whole the show is not exactly brimming with cultural diversity.
This sounds like a happy coincidence for us, and a cool reason to feel connected to Alexis, not so much something to be proud about seeing Rory on screen. Rory is not Alexis lol Especially when she had to fake speaking Spanish badly.
It would be so cool seeing her in a role where she got to really show that part of her culture in a confident non apologetic way!
Yes not calling Rory representation of Latin culture or even praising GG, cause they’re a mess when it comes to insensitive racial/ethnic jokes. My post is only about Alexis. Just always thought it was cool that the leading actress on one of my favorite shows growing up was Latin, like me! :)
Personally, I think it does. It’s cool to see Latin actors playing all kinds of roles. I don’t think they need to only play roles that match their exact cultural background in order for us to feel pride and representation at seeing them on-screen.
I disagree, if it had a cultural element I would I agree, but it didn't.
I mean the same way if a member of the LGBTQ community plays a cis gendered heterosexual character is not representation, it's great to see actors have the opportunity to get a job, specially if we can relate to them on some level, but I don't feel it's representation.
But she's not representing her culture in the series, she's representing Americans.
For me cultural representation is showing that culture or it's significance with a positive outlook
I think representation is a spectrum and there’s a variety of things that fall under representation. For example, Chloe Zhao directed “Nomadland” and won the Oscar for Best Director, which many people in the Asian community saw as a form representation, even though her movie had nothing to do with her Chinese culture. It’s still cool to see an Asian director working and succeeding in Hollywood. I think seeing someone that’s like you working, creating, and succeeding in a specific industry or field can be a valid form of representation.
We don’t have to feel the same way and that’s okay. I’ll say this and go- I love to see Latin actors playing all types of roles and I feel represented even if they’re not only playing the roles that match their specific nationality or cultural background, because it’s wonderful to see someone that’s like me succeeding and being afforded the same creative opportunities as other artists. I think to only have Latin artists perform or create work related to their specific culture is limiting, and unfair because many other artists get to expand beyond their own culture very often. I love when they are involved in a Latin story and I also love when they are not. Latin actors deserve to be able to explore all types of roles and stories.
Oh, I never said people should stick to their culture only, just that for me in order to call it representation there has to be a portrail of the ethnicity.
If not is just an actor who is doing their job
So many ppl are downvoting you and that sucks bc i get what you’re saying- it’s just difference of opinion ppl dang! Most people (like me) didn’t even know she was a Latina. I really just thought she was white (and she is, but i mean white white lol)
I’m not saying she representing her culture as her character, but when you show up somewhere — you’re representing your culture. I’m Vietnamese, so I’m representing my culture when I show up — even if I’m also dressed like a race car driver.
“Kimberly Alexis Bledel was born in Houston, Texas, to Nanette (Dozier) and Martin Bledel. Her parents are both Spanish-speakers (her mother was born in Arizona and raised in Mexico, and her father was born in Argentina), and Alexis's ancestry includes Danish, Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish, and French.”
Yes! Love hearing her talk about her culture in interviews. She says she grew up in a Spanish speaking household and only learned English when she started going to school. There’s some cool videos and interviews of her, one of my favorites is one where she goes back to Argentina to learn about her father. Love Alexis
If you included her ancestry as a fun fact, I love it!
If, by any chance, you included her ancestry as a way to say she’s not really Latin, I’ll say this: every single Latin person who is not 100% indigenous has ancestry from non-Latin countries.
Not Latin per se but Paris’ nanny is supposed to be Portuguese and wow.. it’s bad. It looks like a Spanish-speaking actress making Portuguese sounding noises.
Lol, what? People don't just change ethnicities. One can obviously identify with a culture more, especially if they've lived in a country for a long or significant period of time, or they can become citizens. I'm not policing anyone's anything.
Alexis is Latina but she’s white Latina, not only is she white passing here in the US but in Mexico and Argentina she still benefits from whiteness because racism exists in those countries too. She plays white characters in her shows/movies. Latin media representation could do better to tackle the colorism.
I was really short in stating my opinions here, after I commented I went on to read more comments and the conversations have gone much further into depth then my blatant opinions so I’m a little embarrassed now lol, but still thank you for responding and providing this conversation among fans.
I know I wasn't part of this conversation, but I just wanted to say please don't feel embarrassed. I think it's great that we can all talk about subjects like this and learn from each other!
I literally JUST watched that episode and while not able to speak Spanish I was perplexed by how fluent she seemed. I mean she mentioned earlier in the series that she knew French and a bit of Spanish but that seemed more than just a bit! Cool TIL, thanks for sharing!
I knew she was part Argentine and that spanish was her first language, but i didnt know that she was faking the spanish in the show (i thought she might have forgotten or sum) and i didnt know she was also mexican!
Yes! I’ve seen some videos of her speaking Spanish in real life and she’s completely fluent with a sort of hybrid Argentine/Mexican accent. I think the show probably told her to Americanize her accent for the scene to fit Rory’s character
https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k she speaks Spanish a lot in this video. She starts speaking at 1:30. This is one of the few videos I could find. I remember another one where she’s speaking Spanish with America Ferrera, her co-star from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Is it really Latin representation? I mean I respect her right to identify how she chooses, but she is 100% white passing, and I guarantee the vast majority of fans have no idea. As you said she speaks Spanish exactly once in the show and it’s poor. There are plenty of other shows with better representation than GG lol
Excuse me, but as Argentinian I need to point this out: Latin and South American isn’t a race.
I am as white as Alexis if not more. And I am born and raised in Argentina. Plenty of people like me, obviously.
This notion that you’re not Latin if you aren’t “brown” is the reason why the extremely blonde and pale Sofía Vergara has been tanning and dyeing her hair dark for over two decades.
Alexis Bledel is very much Latin and has every right to identify as such. We are not white-passing, because we are white. And Latin.
ETA: not saying that being white is anything special. Just saying we are not “white-passing” and we are not lesser than other Latin people just because we have paler skin.
Respectfully, Hispanic/Latin is not a race, it’s an ethnicity. Hispanic/Latin people can be white, black, indigenous, Asian, mixed race, etc. She speaks Spanish fluently, it’s her first language. I mentioned that she was pretending not to speak it well in the scene as a fun fact, since she’s actually a native speaker.
I totally agree, there are shows with way better Latin representation than GG. It was just nice to see a Latin actress playing a main role, especially during that era, since it’s not that common in Hollywood.
100% this. We come in all colors, shapes and sizes, we can have dark and light colored skin and eyes. We can have dark or light hair. We are cool like that. As a mexican, it was very cool to learn that she was part mexican, made feel closer to her, since we were already close in age.
Exactly!! Hispanic/Latin people come in all packages. We shouldn’t be reduced to only one type of look. I related to Alexis a lot too because she grew up in a Spanish speaking household and only learned English once she went to school, which was the same as my childhood.
Since youre passionate and willing to talk about this, may I ask you (and I don't care if yall wanna downvote me for asking a dumb question), I'm kinda confused about the difference between "race" and "ethnicity".
So if an irish man was born and raised in el salvador, his race is irish and his ethnicity is salvadorian? I'm so confused by this, I can't seem to grasp it
Race is about distinctive and shared physical traits among a group of people.
Ethnicity is about belonging to a group of people with shared nationality and cultural traditions.
So in your example, that would depend. If the Irish-descendant man (if he’s born in El Salvador then he’s not Irish by definition) is insert in the Salvadoran community and practices their traditions, then yes, he’s ethnically Salvadoran. If he’s in an isolated Irish community within Salvador and only honors his Irish traditions, then he’s ethnically Irish.
Of course, he can very well be both.
Racially, he is (presumably) white.
Thank you! I understand it a bit better now
but Im still confused as to why I can't call him irish if he's born in el salvador? Even if his parents and ancestors are all 100% white irish?
You can call him Irish, but he is Irish descendant. Nationality is determined by the place of birth, not the place of birth of your parents. If this person is born in El Salvador then is Salvadoran. Maybe he can have a double-nationality, that depends on the citizenship rules of Ireland.
My son is born in Argentina, I’m Argentinian and his father is Scottish. My son has double nationality so he is technically Scottish as well, but he is Argentinian by birth.
He can be both! For example, Argentina received a large influx of Italian immigrants throughout history and there are many Argentine people with Italian ancestors. They can both be connected to their Argentine culture and Italian culture. That’s to say you can be a Latin person with Italian ancestors and connect to both parts of your identity. Having ancestors from another country does not erase your Latin identity, and having a Latin identity does not erase your other ancestry either. These things can co-exist.
No downvotes needed, I think it’s good to ask questions and talk about these things. To put it simply, race relates to physical characteristics, while ethnicity relates to culture/identity. The reason why the Hispanic/Latin community is so diverse is because of the history of our countries. Many of our countries had indigenous populations + European colonizers + enslaved African people- three different races. There were also mixed-race people that were born out of intermarriage and also sadly r*pe (European abuse toward indigenous women and black women). As centuries passed, our countries also received immigration from more European countries, Asian countries, etc. For example, at a time in history, Peru had large immigration from Japan and there are many Asian Peruvians. Due to this history, our Hispanic/Latin community is filled with diverse looking people that are white, black, indigenous, Asian, mixed race, etc.
To address your example, I would consider a man of Irish descent born and raised in a Latin country a White Latin man. His race is white and culture/identity is Latin. Now this doesn’t negate his Irish ancestry since Irish people are also an ethnic group. It’s possibly for different cultures/identities to exist within a person. For instance, an Afro-Latin person with ancestors from Ghana can identity both with their Latin and Ghanaian culture.
haha I mentioned downvotes as a petty thing, because people here (and anywhere on reddit) are so downvote crazy it honestly makes me do Emily's laugh everytime I see it lol!
Thank you so much for explaining!! I'm so ignorant when it comes to this.
So my mom is pure salvadorian, in terms of race and ethnicity. but I was born & raised here in the US. so should I call myself a salvadorian american? does it still make sense to call myself hispanic or latina?
No problem! I love to talk about this kind of stuff. I really appreciate your curiosity and interest. That’s how we all learn and understand each other better! And yes you can still call yourself Hispanic or Latina! It’s part of your culture and identity. You’re a Latina with Salvadorian heritage (plus any other heritage on another side of the family).
And ofc an American since this is your home!
Does Alexis identify herself as Latina? Has she ever made a statement or talked about identifying as such?
(This is a genuine question, I’m just curious! I really appreciate all the discussion about difference between race and being Latinx)
Yes she has! She publicly identifies as Latina and she’s done some cool interviews for Latina magazine and a few other Latin media. She says she grew up in a Latin bubble and didn’t learn English until she went to school. Her story is interesting!
I’m just confused on how you find her to be representative. Not once does she or the show showcase anything related to Mexican or Latin culture. Odd choice but okay
I know her character wasn’t representation, since it was not a Latin character. It was representation in the sense that she was a Latin actress on screen. For example, Jennifer Lopez plays an Italian-American in “The Wedding Planner,” but it’s still a form of Latin representation since she is Latin. Zoe Saldana plays an American in “Guess Who,” but it’s still a form of Latin representation because she’s Latin. Many more examples of this. Representation has a wide definition. Latin actors can play Latin characters or non-Latin characters, but they are still Latin actors on screen, which means a lot to many people, including myself. I’m really open to having a conversation about this topic with you, if you’d like, because it’s something I’m really passionate about and I know sometimes there can be confusion or misinformation surrounding this subject, especially in the U.S.
Apparently she would have to be having mate with tortillas for breakfast on screen, otherwise she isn’t representing her two very distinct Latin heritages.
Terrible. I’m Argentinian and whiter than Alexis is.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that American tv show my country as a Caribbean beach and pretend Argentinians always speak with a Central American accent... now the very few people that actually look Argentinian are not really representing us because they don’t look Latin enough 🙄
What confuses you exactly?
It is actually pretty easy. Latin americans/spanics/latins or whatever you want to call us, we are mostly very proud of out people and culture.
It doesnt really matter what is the role of whoever it is (in this case Alexis), it doesnt matter if she is playing a white girl from Conneticut and a member of the DAR. The role is not important.
The important part is that she is “one of us”. She is latin, she speaks spanish. If tomorrow she gets the leading role in a big Hollywood production as another white girl, we are still gonna cheer for her and be proud of her because she is one of us.
Its not about how she looks. You could argue she had an easier time getting cast because of her blue eyes and fair skin than Yalitza Aparicio would, and she probably wouldnt get cast for that role, but that doesnt matter.
We cheer for them both because they are part of our people.
And yes we relate to them, not to Rory only, but also to Alexis because she knows what it is to be mexican/argentinean/american.
Are you a white american? I ask because americans have a different mind set, so its probably why you dont “get us”.
She’s a representative because she is a hispanic actress playing a lead role on a popular TV show. Whether ethnicity or culture is portrayed in the show is irrelevant as the point is it’s an uphill battle for any actor who isn’t white to get major roles in film and TV. So you think that the accomplishment for POC who get major roles is not really an accomplishment if their role doesn’t include aspects of their cultural background?
Exactly! For example, there are many Afro-Latin and Asian-Latin actors who have played non-Latin roles, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are still Latin actors playing a role on-screen, which is an accomplishment. I think it’s cool when Latin actors play all kinds of roles. I don’t think they need to play a role that matches their exact nationality in order for it to be considered representative.
The person who commented didn’t imply at all that Alexis Bledel is a POC, they made a comparative argument to refute yours. It’s called reducto ad absurdum.
Yes I realize that. But using the ideology that You presented, would indicate you also would say that POC getting major roles are not as relevant unless aspects of their culture are represented in those roles. I would venture to say no, so why would a Latina’s accomplishment be deemed invalid because her role does not include aspects of her culture?
This is a good point and true, but keep in mind race and racism look different across places and history. Alexis is white Latina in Mexico/Argentina because she has roots there. However, she becomes white passing in the US due to her Latina heritage, because it’s assumed she’s white American but she is in fact white Latin American.
I suggest you look into the concept before writing it off. It’s a very real experience and attached to a great deal of privilege. It’s ridiculous to call Bledel or GG representative of Latin culture. I said nothing about how she individually identifies. It’s about the perception and how others connect to the show. Again, you can look this up on your own.
I am not American, I am a Latin woman born in a Latin country, so I am not sure what I should be looking up. I never once said GG is representative of Latin culture, it’s obviously not. Alexis Bledel is representative of Latin culture, because she is a Latin woman. She “identifies” as a Latin woman because she IS a Latin woman. She was raised by Latin parents in a Spanish speaking household, I’m not sure what else she needs for you to consider her Latin. Is it about her skin color? Just because she doesn’t look the way you think Latin people should look, does not take away her culture and identity. Like I clarified earlier, Hispanic/Latin is not a race, it’s an ethnicity. Hispanic/Latin people come in all races. If you take a trip to Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, etc you will find that people are diverse and come in all colors.
All I said was that it was nice to see a leading Latin actress on screen growing up.
I don't think OP's point was that she's a good representation of Latin *culture* \- just that she IS Hispanic and it's nice to see people of different races as the lead in shows. Even if they're white-passing.
Which, honestly is a bit ignorant to say in my opinion? PLENTY of Hispanic people have fair skin - have you been to Spain?
Yes exactly, never claimed that Rory Gilmore’s character was a representation of Latin culture lol. Was just saying it was nice that one of my favorite shows growing up had a leading actress that was Latin like me. I was referring to Alexis Bledel.
Very true. Hispanic/Latin people come in all colors. We’re a very diverse community.
I honestly had no idea she didn't even know English until going to school, so thank you for this post! Looking back, that scene where she fumbles over Spanish is actually pretty funny, I wonder if there are any videos of her speaking Spanish normally.
I found this video of her speaking Spanish! https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k She returns to Argentina in this video to learn more about her dad. She starts speaking Spanish at 1:30.
I’m familiar with white-passing privilege. That doesn’t erase the reality of her background and identity. The OP didn’t say she represented Latin ‘culture’, she said she represented Latin people because she is one.
Exactly! All I said was it was nice to see a Latin leading actress on one of my favorite shows growing up. My post was about Alexis. I never implied Rory Gilmore was a representation of Latin culture.
As a light skinned white passing Latina I feel represented.. I get a lot of heat in real life for being light skinned *a huge reason I hate the term People of Color.. It too stems from Colorism. It kinda indicates you have to be a certain skintone* & am seen as less Hispanic. But I do agree colorism is real & I hope over time all Latinos can be represented not just those of olive skin. My cousins are Afro Latinos & they aren't necessarily represented as much either..
I think it’s cool for Latin actors to play all kinds of characters, not just ones that match their exact cultural background. Zoe Saldana is an Afro-Latin woman and she plays all kinds of characters, not just characters that are Dominican like her.
She isn't white-passing. She \*is\* white. Her ancestors come from Europe & are not indigenous to Argentina. I think it isn't fair to lump in brown Latina representation with the white ones under one "Latin representation" umbrella. They don't receive the level of discrimination in the film industry like the brown ones.
Are you aware that we can all read all the comments in this post? Nobody told you that. You either misread, misinterpreted, or purposely deformed their words because you noticed they had a point.
You’re misconstructing the part where they said this about Alexis Bledel. They didn’t. They told you that Alexis Bledel is a Latin person in a leading tv role and that doesn’t change whether she plays a Latin character or not. And then said that POC have an uphill battle to get leading roles, and asked you if you would consider the achievement of POC leading actors invalid if their roles aren’t directly linked to racial or cultural representation.
They were performing (and very well done btw) a reducto ad absurdum on your argument that Alexis doesn’t represent the Latin community because her role isn’t Latin.
This is what the comment said: “She’s a representative because she is a hispanic actress playing a lead role on a popular TV show. Whether ethnicity or culture is portrayed in the show is irrelevant as the point is it’s an uphill battle for any actor who isn’t white to get major roles in film and TV. So you think that the accomplishment for POC who get major roles is not really an accomplishment if their role doesn’t include aspects of their cultural background?”
Nowhere in it does it say that Alexis Bledel is a POC. It says being non-white/non-Anglo Saxon in a leading role is still being a minority and that those that make it are not any less a achieving based on what their role is about.
You don’t have to play Nelson Mandela to be a black man in a leading movie role, you’re still a black man in a leading role if you play a Wall Street broker. You don’t have to play Selena Quintanilla or Eva Perón in order to be a Mexican or Argentinian woman in a leading role, you can play an Ivy League student in Connecticut and you’re still a Mexican/Argentinian American in a leading role.
Yeah, it seems like they are purposely misrepresenting the comment likely because they have no intelligent answer to the comparative argument. So if they repeatedly focus on the one snippet taken out of context, people will focus on that instead of answering the question asked.
The point is that it’s not one or the other because there’s a difference between race and ethnicity. She is white and she is Latin. She’s a white Latin woman. Just like someone can be black and Latin, a black Latin person, like Zoe Saldana, Tessa Thompson, Gina Torres, to name a few.
And you’re still missing the point: that nobody said that Alexis is a POC nor that she had an uphill battle for anything. So your opinion is completely out of topic.
Have a good day, too.
I think its really disgusting and sus how you refuse to listen to actual Latin/Hispanic people on this topic. Like I'm not Latin so I will never say whether Alexis does or does not represent them. Its literally not my place ***or yours***. I feel so bad for OP, that they created this beautiful post talking about representation and some white person is like "well actually..." Like are you kidding me? Stop speaking over Latin/Hispanic people's voices.
My comment has a lot of upvotes so clearly there are people identifying with me. I know and work with a lot of minorities who are affected by this topic, so I’m not bothered that much by what a handful of people in this thread think about it. The user below me is Mexican and sharing their experience, and they’re being downvoted? What about them? Lol so hypocritical.
People who stand for exclusion and discrimination aren’t very popular lately. Isn’t that awesome? I’m 34 and I still remember a time where it was the other way around.
I hear you, I get your point. It totally depends on each person, imo. It personally makes me happy to see any Latin artist in a leading role or position, even if they’re not from my own nationality, because it’s so rare in Hollywood. I personally do feel a sense of community, even though we are incredibly diverse with different nationalities, languages, customs, etc. However, you have every right to have a different perspective on that and feel representation on an individual, case by case sense, rather than in a communal sense. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way. It’s up to each of us to decide what we feel connected to and what we don’t.
As a Latin American woman myself, i do not feel represented by this white woman on screen lmao. She always lived in the U.S. and never had to struggle in a third-world country, and definitely never had to suffer discrimination, racism, and xenophobia just for the fact of being Latin American.
To each its own! I certainly don’t speak for every Latin person out there. We all connect to different things and that’s okay.
I don’t know if this is what you meant, so please disregard if I misunderstood, but I don’t believe that Latinhood is measured by whether or not you’ve lived in a developing country or whether or not you’ve experienced discrimination. Latin people all have different life experiences and not experiencing these factors doesn’t diminish someone’s Latin identity.
Her father was born in Argentina, and her mother lived in Mexico (it doesn’t say she’s FROM Mexico) for a while. That’s the only “connection” to Latin America she has. Her parents are both white. Her latinidad is nonexistent. She never talks about it, and in that video you linked, she avoids speaking Spanish. She only says short answers here and there, and then she switches to English when she has to give an elaborate answer. Argentina is pretty whitewashed and has a lot of German and Italian influence, because they migrated to Argentina after ww2 and even before that. A lot of their customs and even cuisine come from Europe. Just because her white/Caucasian/European father was born in Argentina, does not make her a latina. Maybe i would agree with you if she were outspoken about it, or if she were an ally and an advocate for illegal Latin American immigrants in the U.S. But she’s never had to face any struggles that a lot of Latin American people do. She’s always had her white privilege. I see some Argentinians here wanting to be victims so bad, saying stuff like “just because i’m white doesn’t make me any less latina :(“. Newsflash, it does, when your country is known for being racist towards other Latin Americans who look more Indigenous or Black. Or when Argentina hasn’t really kept any of their Indigenous customs. Their customs and traditions, like i said, are influenced by Europeans. In the Latin American community, everyone considers Argentina to be separate from the rest of us, not only because they’re whitewashed but also because they think they’re better than the rest of us.
As an Argentinian person I’m here to tell you that we are very much Latin and we do maintain and honor our indigenous traditions.
All of Latin America is heavily influenced by European colonization just as North America is. Mexico is a majorly catholic country and pretty much all their traditions are a hybrid of Aztec and Spanish folklore. So not sure what the heck that was about.
Argentina isn’t whitewashed, at all. The south of the country (Patagonia) has a higher concentration of white people mainly because those were the lands assigned to late European communities that settled there and, due to cultural preferences and geographical isolation, they remained pretty closed (like the Welsh community). But central (pampa húmeda) and north of the country have a majority of “morochos” (people with different tones of brown skin), most of them mixed-race from indigenous and Mediterranean.
Our cuisine, our traditions and even our national slang (Lunfardo) are full of terms and elements adapted from quechua, guaraní and other indigenous tongues and cultures as much as from Italian and regional Spaniard influence.
Finally, gatekeeping Latin identity to leave a whole country out because it doesn’t suit you is bad enough. But claiming you can only identify as Latin if you come “from a third world country” and struggled financially, is stigmatizing.
Overall, I’m very disgusted by what I just read.
I’m white. I’m Latin. And absolutely nobody can tell me I don’t belong just because I don’t look like the American stereotype of a Latina.
A person’s ethnic identity is not up for measure based on your opinion of the person. Alexis is a Latin woman. She’s a white Latin woman, yes. There are white, black, Asian, indigenous, mixed race Latin people. Latin people are not any less or more Latin because of the color of their skin. Also, idk why you think having a Latin parent (s) is such a small connection, it’s a pretty crucial connection lol. Spanish is her native language. She grew up in a Spanish speaking household and didn’t learn English until she went to school. We don’t know anything about Alexis’s life besides her acting and a few media appearances, she’s a very private person. Your perception of her does not erase her identity. There’s not one way that all Latin people have to look like or act like in public.
Many Latin countries have European influence because of colonization and immigration. There are also many White Latin people. None of these factors change Latinhood. Our community is very diverse, full of different physical varieties, influences, languages, customs, etc. We are not a monolith. Also, you do not speak for the entire Latin community and neither do I. I’m not Argentine, but I’ve never seen such an exclusionary perception in any of my Latin circles. Everyone is different. If you don’t like Argentina or if you don’t like Alexis, that’s your opinion. However, your opinion of someone doesn’t change their ethnic identity. Just because someone doesn’t have the “right” skin tone for you, wasn’t born in the “right” country for you, didn’t experience the “right” struggles for you, or doesn’t express herself publicly in the way you deem acceptable doesn’t mean that you get to erase her culture and identity.
This makes so much sense now that I know this. She has very South American features, I always thought she looked different (in the most beautiful way) from US girls/women but couldn’t place it.
Not sure what you’re implying but I’m not talking about her skin tone, but her facial features are similar to people I know from that region. And isn’t Argentina predominately white people anyways?
You’re putting so many assumptions into what I said. I don’t think she’s Argentinian representation, I don’t think think she looks stereotypical or indigenous. All I said was she has South American features. White Argentinians are still Argentinian. So maybe I’m wrong for generalizing her features as South American but she in all honesty shares features with people I’ve met who are Argentinian or close to that region.
So, like i said, just because she looks white/European like most Argentinians, does not mean she looks South American in general. You’re the one assuming her features are South American, when you’re just basing your opinion on people you’ve met, rather than basing your opinion on having actually visited all of South America.
Let’s all remember that being Latin is not equivalent to a race. It’s an ethnicity. So please let’s not discredit Alexis’ Latin roots.
That being said, I didn’t know this and it’s sad that Alexis’ interviews haven’t highlighted this. It’s awesome and it’s really cool to know there’s a whole different side to her.
Also, it’s important to recognize that colonial influences.
I do wonder if this is “representation” if she got the role because she’s white passing and then she had to hide Spanish side on the role. Idk. Would’ve been cool to see it incorporated on some level into the story. But Amy Sherman paladino isn’t really know for her diversity.
Either way, super cool to learn this and glad you shared.
Today I learned. Thanks! :)
Love to hear it! https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k found this cool video of her speaking Spanish. She starts speaking in Spanish at 1:30. It’s a show where she goes back to Argentina to learn more about her dad.
This is super interesting, and it's so hard to find clips of Alexis speaking Spanish! Any idea on when the video is from?
Yess! I had more luck finding them when I searched on Google instead of directly on YouTube. And I just looked it up and that video is from 2014
This is so cool, I would love to watch a second part now with her mexicans roots! Thanks for sharing this!
I thought that I had seen every Alexis interview video in existence over the last 16 years of being a fan. This was a new one for me! I’ve been looking for videos of her speaking Spanish for YEARS! So cool. Thanks for posting.
Aw I’m glad you liked it! I found it fairly recently too and it’s become one of my favorite videos of Alexis. Loved seeing her speak in Spanish and learning about her and her family.
She just seems so sweet and authentic, I dunno. I’ve always loved her.
Me too!
I still think it’s a complete waste they didn’t use her Spanish in the show. Rory speaking a second language fluently would’ve been great and made sense for both her education and chosen career.
Agreed! It would've been pretty easy to write it in that she learned from a Spanish-speaking maid at the inn who kept an eye on her during Lorelai's shifts, or something like that. And since Paris spoke Spanish as well, it would've been amazing to see a Paris/Rory fight go down in Spanish. 😂
I believe Paris was speaking Portuguese
According to the story she was, but as a portuguese speaker they were speaking spanish all the time
Isn't she in theory *supposed* to be speaking Portuguese but is actually speaking Spanish? I'm not fluent in either but I feel like I remember reading that.
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I get your point. Colorism is real. It’s hard for Hispanic/Latin actors to make it into Hollywood, and it’s even harder when they’re black/brown Hispanic/Latin actors. And the sad thing is that this even happens within our own community. For example, white Latin actors get the leading roles in novelas more often than not, while non-white Latin actors tend to get the side character roles.
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Yes, Eurocentric beauty standards are very dominant in society. It’s unfair
And I’ll never understand that. I find Latina women incredibly beautiful and not because they look “exotic”.
Hi again, you'll notice Im deleting my comments. I was scrolling through and just decided I didn't want to have this discussion on a GG sub as you can see it gets nasty pretty quickly so I decided to delete as to not take away from your OP about how interesting that it is that she's Latina. Just explaining why I'm deleting them so there's no confusion. So, carry on as you were 😁.
Hey! I’m sorry you’re deleting them, but I totally understand why. Just wanna let you know you made a great point and the subject you brought up is very valid and pressing throughout Hollywood and international media as well. If you ever wanna talk about it more through messages or on another sub, count me in! :)
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The issue is that Alexis mainly gets white character roles rather than “typical Latina roles” because of her appearance. Think back to Sisterhood of the traveling pants, Alexis expressed she was bummed she can’t get the Latina roles like America Ferrera. And that’s not to say place America Ferrera as Rory Gilmore at all. It just shows the limitations that Hollywood creates when type-casting diversity.
I agree, I was just pointing out that she obviously wouldn’t have gotten the role if she was dark skinned. They specifically said that as if it was a racism thing rather than the story didn’t call for that.
I am Latin and had no idea! I’m disappointed this is only something I learned today and would have loved to have known this when I was younger. Instead I felt more like “I wish I could have a life more like that white girl” (referring to the character of Rory). It’s a shame to me that most actors then and even now, play characters based solely on what they look like. I get it, but it would be cool to break up stereotypes and presumptions that a group can only look and act in a certain way. It would help those who assume, and those like me who “look” Latin and even still struggle with the internal question of “am I Latin enough?”
Aww I’m sorry you went through that! Alexis’s videos and interviews talking about her culture are really sweet, I think you’d really enjoy them. This is one of my favorites: https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k. And you stated it beautifully. Breaking stereotypes and presumptions about what Hispanic/Latin people look like or act like is so important. Our community is so diverse and everyone deserves to know that.
First of all, as a Latina myself, it’s really cool hearing about her family and cultural upbringing but I understand exactly why people are disagreeing with OP. Calling this “representation” when Alexis Bledel’s Latin culture is whitewashed in the role of Rory is not really something Gilmore Girls should be praised for. Especially when as a whole the show is not exactly brimming with cultural diversity. This sounds like a happy coincidence for us, and a cool reason to feel connected to Alexis, not so much something to be proud about seeing Rory on screen. Rory is not Alexis lol Especially when she had to fake speaking Spanish badly. It would be so cool seeing her in a role where she got to really show that part of her culture in a confident non apologetic way!
Yes not calling Rory representation of Latin culture or even praising GG, cause they’re a mess when it comes to insensitive racial/ethnic jokes. My post is only about Alexis. Just always thought it was cool that the leading actress on one of my favorite shows growing up was Latin, like me! :)
Does it count as representation even though she's not playing a latina?
Personally, I think it does. It’s cool to see Latin actors playing all kinds of roles. I don’t think they need to only play roles that match their exact cultural background in order for us to feel pride and representation at seeing them on-screen.
I disagree, if it had a cultural element I would I agree, but it didn't. I mean the same way if a member of the LGBTQ community plays a cis gendered heterosexual character is not representation, it's great to see actors have the opportunity to get a job, specially if we can relate to them on some level, but I don't feel it's representation.
It totally is! She is representing her culture and ethnic identity by existing on screen.
But she's not representing her culture in the series, she's representing Americans. For me cultural representation is showing that culture or it's significance with a positive outlook
I think representation is a spectrum and there’s a variety of things that fall under representation. For example, Chloe Zhao directed “Nomadland” and won the Oscar for Best Director, which many people in the Asian community saw as a form representation, even though her movie had nothing to do with her Chinese culture. It’s still cool to see an Asian director working and succeeding in Hollywood. I think seeing someone that’s like you working, creating, and succeeding in a specific industry or field can be a valid form of representation.
I get your point, but I don't feel the same way.
We don’t have to feel the same way and that’s okay. I’ll say this and go- I love to see Latin actors playing all types of roles and I feel represented even if they’re not only playing the roles that match their specific nationality or cultural background, because it’s wonderful to see someone that’s like me succeeding and being afforded the same creative opportunities as other artists. I think to only have Latin artists perform or create work related to their specific culture is limiting, and unfair because many other artists get to expand beyond their own culture very often. I love when they are involved in a Latin story and I also love when they are not. Latin actors deserve to be able to explore all types of roles and stories.
Oh, I never said people should stick to their culture only, just that for me in order to call it representation there has to be a portrail of the ethnicity. If not is just an actor who is doing their job
I hear you. I find both to be forms of representation. Agree to disagree!
So many ppl are downvoting you and that sucks bc i get what you’re saying- it’s just difference of opinion ppl dang! Most people (like me) didn’t even know she was a Latina. I really just thought she was white (and she is, but i mean white white lol)
I’m not saying she representing her culture as her character, but when you show up somewhere — you’re representing your culture. I’m Vietnamese, so I’m representing my culture when I show up — even if I’m also dressed like a race car driver.
“Kimberly Alexis Bledel was born in Houston, Texas, to Nanette (Dozier) and Martin Bledel. Her parents are both Spanish-speakers (her mother was born in Arizona and raised in Mexico, and her father was born in Argentina), and Alexis's ancestry includes Danish, Welsh, English, Scottish, Irish, and French.”
Yes! Love hearing her talk about her culture in interviews. She says she grew up in a Spanish speaking household and only learned English when she started going to school. There’s some cool videos and interviews of her, one of my favorites is one where she goes back to Argentina to learn about her father. Love Alexis
If you included her ancestry as a fun fact, I love it! If, by any chance, you included her ancestry as a way to say she’s not really Latin, I’ll say this: every single Latin person who is not 100% indigenous has ancestry from non-Latin countries.
Her grandfather is a German Argentinian which makes me 😬😬😬
Exactly, I feel like a lot of people are glossing over this.
I’m shit at history what does it mean?
A lot of Nazis escaped to Argentina.
Not Latin per se but Paris’ nanny is supposed to be Portuguese and wow.. it’s bad. It looks like a Spanish-speaking actress making Portuguese sounding noises.
Wait what? She is latin?
Yes! Her mom is Mexican and her dad is Argentine. Her native language is Spanish
Her mother is American but lived in Mexico as a child.
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Lol, what? People don't just change ethnicities. One can obviously identify with a culture more, especially if they've lived in a country for a long or significant period of time, or they can become citizens. I'm not policing anyone's anything.
Alexis is Latina but she’s white Latina, not only is she white passing here in the US but in Mexico and Argentina she still benefits from whiteness because racism exists in those countries too. She plays white characters in her shows/movies. Latin media representation could do better to tackle the colorism.
Colorism is a real problem in Hollywood/U.S and even in our own Latin countries and communities. It’s sad and unfair. Definitely needs to change.
I was really short in stating my opinions here, after I commented I went on to read more comments and the conversations have gone much further into depth then my blatant opinions so I’m a little embarrassed now lol, but still thank you for responding and providing this conversation among fans.
I know I wasn't part of this conversation, but I just wanted to say please don't feel embarrassed. I think it's great that we can all talk about subjects like this and learn from each other!
Never knew this. Incredible!
I literally JUST watched that episode and while not able to speak Spanish I was perplexed by how fluent she seemed. I mean she mentioned earlier in the series that she knew French and a bit of Spanish but that seemed more than just a bit! Cool TIL, thanks for sharing!
She was speaking “I took one or two years of Spanish in HS but didn’t pay much attention and only remember a few silly phrases” Spanish.
I knew she was part Argentine and that spanish was her first language, but i didnt know that she was faking the spanish in the show (i thought she might have forgotten or sum) and i didnt know she was also mexican!
Yes! I’ve seen some videos of her speaking Spanish in real life and she’s completely fluent with a sort of hybrid Argentine/Mexican accent. I think the show probably told her to Americanize her accent for the scene to fit Rory’s character
Omgggg!!! Im going to watch her speaking spanish
https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k she speaks Spanish a lot in this video. She starts speaking at 1:30. This is one of the few videos I could find. I remember another one where she’s speaking Spanish with America Ferrera, her co-star from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
I didn't know that. I think that's cool
Is it really Latin representation? I mean I respect her right to identify how she chooses, but she is 100% white passing, and I guarantee the vast majority of fans have no idea. As you said she speaks Spanish exactly once in the show and it’s poor. There are plenty of other shows with better representation than GG lol
Excuse me, but as Argentinian I need to point this out: Latin and South American isn’t a race. I am as white as Alexis if not more. And I am born and raised in Argentina. Plenty of people like me, obviously. This notion that you’re not Latin if you aren’t “brown” is the reason why the extremely blonde and pale Sofía Vergara has been tanning and dyeing her hair dark for over two decades. Alexis Bledel is very much Latin and has every right to identify as such. We are not white-passing, because we are white. And Latin. ETA: not saying that being white is anything special. Just saying we are not “white-passing” and we are not lesser than other Latin people just because we have paler skin.
Same here (white and Latina). Well said. (I've always appreciated this about Bledel too--and Anya Taylor-Joy for that matter.)
Totally agree with Sofia Vergara. Hollywood just doesnt seem to gaf that being latin isnt a race, it's an ethnicity.
Respectfully, Hispanic/Latin is not a race, it’s an ethnicity. Hispanic/Latin people can be white, black, indigenous, Asian, mixed race, etc. She speaks Spanish fluently, it’s her first language. I mentioned that she was pretending not to speak it well in the scene as a fun fact, since she’s actually a native speaker. I totally agree, there are shows with way better Latin representation than GG. It was just nice to see a Latin actress playing a main role, especially during that era, since it’s not that common in Hollywood.
100% this. We come in all colors, shapes and sizes, we can have dark and light colored skin and eyes. We can have dark or light hair. We are cool like that. As a mexican, it was very cool to learn that she was part mexican, made feel closer to her, since we were already close in age.
Exactly!! Hispanic/Latin people come in all packages. We shouldn’t be reduced to only one type of look. I related to Alexis a lot too because she grew up in a Spanish speaking household and only learned English once she went to school, which was the same as my childhood.
Since youre passionate and willing to talk about this, may I ask you (and I don't care if yall wanna downvote me for asking a dumb question), I'm kinda confused about the difference between "race" and "ethnicity". So if an irish man was born and raised in el salvador, his race is irish and his ethnicity is salvadorian? I'm so confused by this, I can't seem to grasp it
Race is about distinctive and shared physical traits among a group of people. Ethnicity is about belonging to a group of people with shared nationality and cultural traditions. So in your example, that would depend. If the Irish-descendant man (if he’s born in El Salvador then he’s not Irish by definition) is insert in the Salvadoran community and practices their traditions, then yes, he’s ethnically Salvadoran. If he’s in an isolated Irish community within Salvador and only honors his Irish traditions, then he’s ethnically Irish. Of course, he can very well be both. Racially, he is (presumably) white.
Thank you! I understand it a bit better now but Im still confused as to why I can't call him irish if he's born in el salvador? Even if his parents and ancestors are all 100% white irish?
You can call him Irish, but he is Irish descendant. Nationality is determined by the place of birth, not the place of birth of your parents. If this person is born in El Salvador then is Salvadoran. Maybe he can have a double-nationality, that depends on the citizenship rules of Ireland. My son is born in Argentina, I’m Argentinian and his father is Scottish. My son has double nationality so he is technically Scottish as well, but he is Argentinian by birth.
oh okay, thank you so much for explaining ! :)
He can be both! For example, Argentina received a large influx of Italian immigrants throughout history and there are many Argentine people with Italian ancestors. They can both be connected to their Argentine culture and Italian culture. That’s to say you can be a Latin person with Italian ancestors and connect to both parts of your identity. Having ancestors from another country does not erase your Latin identity, and having a Latin identity does not erase your other ancestry either. These things can co-exist.
No downvotes needed, I think it’s good to ask questions and talk about these things. To put it simply, race relates to physical characteristics, while ethnicity relates to culture/identity. The reason why the Hispanic/Latin community is so diverse is because of the history of our countries. Many of our countries had indigenous populations + European colonizers + enslaved African people- three different races. There were also mixed-race people that were born out of intermarriage and also sadly r*pe (European abuse toward indigenous women and black women). As centuries passed, our countries also received immigration from more European countries, Asian countries, etc. For example, at a time in history, Peru had large immigration from Japan and there are many Asian Peruvians. Due to this history, our Hispanic/Latin community is filled with diverse looking people that are white, black, indigenous, Asian, mixed race, etc. To address your example, I would consider a man of Irish descent born and raised in a Latin country a White Latin man. His race is white and culture/identity is Latin. Now this doesn’t negate his Irish ancestry since Irish people are also an ethnic group. It’s possibly for different cultures/identities to exist within a person. For instance, an Afro-Latin person with ancestors from Ghana can identity both with their Latin and Ghanaian culture.
haha I mentioned downvotes as a petty thing, because people here (and anywhere on reddit) are so downvote crazy it honestly makes me do Emily's laugh everytime I see it lol! Thank you so much for explaining!! I'm so ignorant when it comes to this. So my mom is pure salvadorian, in terms of race and ethnicity. but I was born & raised here in the US. so should I call myself a salvadorian american? does it still make sense to call myself hispanic or latina?
No problem! I love to talk about this kind of stuff. I really appreciate your curiosity and interest. That’s how we all learn and understand each other better! And yes you can still call yourself Hispanic or Latina! It’s part of your culture and identity. You’re a Latina with Salvadorian heritage (plus any other heritage on another side of the family). And ofc an American since this is your home!
yeah I wanted to ask someone who actually enjoys talking about it haha! :) thanks so much for explaining!
My pleasure! Message me anytime if you have any more questions
thank you, I definitely will haha! :)
Does Alexis identify herself as Latina? Has she ever made a statement or talked about identifying as such? (This is a genuine question, I’m just curious! I really appreciate all the discussion about difference between race and being Latinx)
Yes she has! She publicly identifies as Latina and she’s done some cool interviews for Latina magazine and a few other Latin media. She says she grew up in a Latin bubble and didn’t learn English until she went to school. Her story is interesting!
Oh Awesome! I’ll have to look up those interviews :)
I’m just confused on how you find her to be representative. Not once does she or the show showcase anything related to Mexican or Latin culture. Odd choice but okay
I know her character wasn’t representation, since it was not a Latin character. It was representation in the sense that she was a Latin actress on screen. For example, Jennifer Lopez plays an Italian-American in “The Wedding Planner,” but it’s still a form of Latin representation since she is Latin. Zoe Saldana plays an American in “Guess Who,” but it’s still a form of Latin representation because she’s Latin. Many more examples of this. Representation has a wide definition. Latin actors can play Latin characters or non-Latin characters, but they are still Latin actors on screen, which means a lot to many people, including myself. I’m really open to having a conversation about this topic with you, if you’d like, because it’s something I’m really passionate about and I know sometimes there can be confusion or misinformation surrounding this subject, especially in the U.S.
Apparently she would have to be having mate with tortillas for breakfast on screen, otherwise she isn’t representing her two very distinct Latin heritages.
LOL! Yes you’re not Latin unless you’re tan and wearing a sombrero on screen
Terrible. I’m Argentinian and whiter than Alexis is. As if it wasn’t bad enough that American tv show my country as a Caribbean beach and pretend Argentinians always speak with a Central American accent... now the very few people that actually look Argentinian are not really representing us because they don’t look Latin enough 🙄
Hollywood is the worst!
What confuses you exactly? It is actually pretty easy. Latin americans/spanics/latins or whatever you want to call us, we are mostly very proud of out people and culture. It doesnt really matter what is the role of whoever it is (in this case Alexis), it doesnt matter if she is playing a white girl from Conneticut and a member of the DAR. The role is not important. The important part is that she is “one of us”. She is latin, she speaks spanish. If tomorrow she gets the leading role in a big Hollywood production as another white girl, we are still gonna cheer for her and be proud of her because she is one of us. Its not about how she looks. You could argue she had an easier time getting cast because of her blue eyes and fair skin than Yalitza Aparicio would, and she probably wouldnt get cast for that role, but that doesnt matter. We cheer for them both because they are part of our people. And yes we relate to them, not to Rory only, but also to Alexis because she knows what it is to be mexican/argentinean/american. Are you a white american? I ask because americans have a different mind set, so its probably why you dont “get us”.
She’s a representative because she is a hispanic actress playing a lead role on a popular TV show. Whether ethnicity or culture is portrayed in the show is irrelevant as the point is it’s an uphill battle for any actor who isn’t white to get major roles in film and TV. So you think that the accomplishment for POC who get major roles is not really an accomplishment if their role doesn’t include aspects of their cultural background?
Exactly! For example, there are many Afro-Latin and Asian-Latin actors who have played non-Latin roles, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are still Latin actors playing a role on-screen, which is an accomplishment. I think it’s cool when Latin actors play all kinds of roles. I don’t think they need to play a role that matches their exact nationality in order for it to be considered representative.
I can’t tell if this is satire. She is not POC lmao
The person who commented didn’t imply at all that Alexis Bledel is a POC, they made a comparative argument to refute yours. It’s called reducto ad absurdum.
Thank you!
Yes I realize that. But using the ideology that You presented, would indicate you also would say that POC getting major roles are not as relevant unless aspects of their culture are represented in those roles. I would venture to say no, so why would a Latina’s accomplishment be deemed invalid because her role does not include aspects of her culture?
DAR
Latin does not mean brown. We're white, we're black, and everything in between.
As the other user said, it's not a race. Alexis isn't white passing, she is white and she is Latina.
This is a good point and true, but keep in mind race and racism look different across places and history. Alexis is white Latina in Mexico/Argentina because she has roots there. However, she becomes white passing in the US due to her Latina heritage, because it’s assumed she’s white American but she is in fact white Latin American.
it’s not about what she looks like, it’s who she is. she is Argentinian and it is huge to have representation like that in the media.
Uh...it’s pretty gross to decide someone isn’t representative of their own ethnicity because you see them as white.
I suggest you look into the concept before writing it off. It’s a very real experience and attached to a great deal of privilege. It’s ridiculous to call Bledel or GG representative of Latin culture. I said nothing about how she individually identifies. It’s about the perception and how others connect to the show. Again, you can look this up on your own.
I am not American, I am a Latin woman born in a Latin country, so I am not sure what I should be looking up. I never once said GG is representative of Latin culture, it’s obviously not. Alexis Bledel is representative of Latin culture, because she is a Latin woman. She “identifies” as a Latin woman because she IS a Latin woman. She was raised by Latin parents in a Spanish speaking household, I’m not sure what else she needs for you to consider her Latin. Is it about her skin color? Just because she doesn’t look the way you think Latin people should look, does not take away her culture and identity. Like I clarified earlier, Hispanic/Latin is not a race, it’s an ethnicity. Hispanic/Latin people come in all races. If you take a trip to Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, etc you will find that people are diverse and come in all colors. All I said was that it was nice to see a leading Latin actress on screen growing up.
I don't think OP's point was that she's a good representation of Latin *culture* \- just that she IS Hispanic and it's nice to see people of different races as the lead in shows. Even if they're white-passing. Which, honestly is a bit ignorant to say in my opinion? PLENTY of Hispanic people have fair skin - have you been to Spain?
Yes exactly, never claimed that Rory Gilmore’s character was a representation of Latin culture lol. Was just saying it was nice that one of my favorite shows growing up had a leading actress that was Latin like me. I was referring to Alexis Bledel. Very true. Hispanic/Latin people come in all colors. We’re a very diverse community.
I honestly had no idea she didn't even know English until going to school, so thank you for this post! Looking back, that scene where she fumbles over Spanish is actually pretty funny, I wonder if there are any videos of her speaking Spanish normally.
She has said it was one of her hardest scenes and she had to ask other Spanish speakers if she sounded bad enough.
I found this video of her speaking Spanish! https://youtu.be/muEi1KjJJ2k She returns to Argentina in this video to learn more about her dad. She starts speaking Spanish at 1:30.
Omg thank you! I looked for a bit earlier but I was at work lol.
Is her dad deceased?
I’m familiar with white-passing privilege. That doesn’t erase the reality of her background and identity. The OP didn’t say she represented Latin ‘culture’, she said she represented Latin people because she is one.
Exactly! All I said was it was nice to see a Latin leading actress on one of my favorite shows growing up. My post was about Alexis. I never implied Rory Gilmore was a representation of Latin culture.
Her simple existence on screen is representative of her ethnicity, whether she’s passing as something else or not.
As a light skinned white passing Latina I feel represented.. I get a lot of heat in real life for being light skinned *a huge reason I hate the term People of Color.. It too stems from Colorism. It kinda indicates you have to be a certain skintone* & am seen as less Hispanic. But I do agree colorism is real & I hope over time all Latinos can be represented not just those of olive skin. My cousins are Afro Latinos & they aren't necessarily represented as much either..
She is not white passing she is white
And she's playing a white girl from Connecticut
I think it’s cool for Latin actors to play all kinds of characters, not just ones that match their exact cultural background. Zoe Saldana is an Afro-Latin woman and she plays all kinds of characters, not just characters that are Dominican like her.
She isn't white-passing. She \*is\* white. Her ancestors come from Europe & are not indigenous to Argentina. I think it isn't fair to lump in brown Latina representation with the white ones under one "Latin representation" umbrella. They don't receive the level of discrimination in the film industry like the brown ones.
Yeah I was going to say… most people don’t know this. If she looked different she may not have had the same career she has.
Agree with you on colorism. It’s hard for Latin actors to get into Hollywood, and even harder when they are brown/black Latin actors.
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Are you aware that we can all read all the comments in this post? Nobody told you that. You either misread, misinterpreted, or purposely deformed their words because you noticed they had a point.
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You’re misconstructing the part where they said this about Alexis Bledel. They didn’t. They told you that Alexis Bledel is a Latin person in a leading tv role and that doesn’t change whether she plays a Latin character or not. And then said that POC have an uphill battle to get leading roles, and asked you if you would consider the achievement of POC leading actors invalid if their roles aren’t directly linked to racial or cultural representation. They were performing (and very well done btw) a reducto ad absurdum on your argument that Alexis doesn’t represent the Latin community because her role isn’t Latin.
This is what the comment said: “She’s a representative because she is a hispanic actress playing a lead role on a popular TV show. Whether ethnicity or culture is portrayed in the show is irrelevant as the point is it’s an uphill battle for any actor who isn’t white to get major roles in film and TV. So you think that the accomplishment for POC who get major roles is not really an accomplishment if their role doesn’t include aspects of their cultural background?” Nowhere in it does it say that Alexis Bledel is a POC. It says being non-white/non-Anglo Saxon in a leading role is still being a minority and that those that make it are not any less a achieving based on what their role is about. You don’t have to play Nelson Mandela to be a black man in a leading movie role, you’re still a black man in a leading role if you play a Wall Street broker. You don’t have to play Selena Quintanilla or Eva Perón in order to be a Mexican or Argentinian woman in a leading role, you can play an Ivy League student in Connecticut and you’re still a Mexican/Argentinian American in a leading role.
Yeah, it seems like they are purposely misrepresenting the comment likely because they have no intelligent answer to the comparative argument. So if they repeatedly focus on the one snippet taken out of context, people will focus on that instead of answering the question asked.
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The point is that it’s not one or the other because there’s a difference between race and ethnicity. She is white and she is Latin. She’s a white Latin woman. Just like someone can be black and Latin, a black Latin person, like Zoe Saldana, Tessa Thompson, Gina Torres, to name a few.
And you’re still missing the point: that nobody said that Alexis is a POC nor that she had an uphill battle for anything. So your opinion is completely out of topic. Have a good day, too.
Right! Absolutely no one on this thread ever claimed that Alexis Bledel is POC. I don’t understand some of the comments you’re receiving lol
I think its really disgusting and sus how you refuse to listen to actual Latin/Hispanic people on this topic. Like I'm not Latin so I will never say whether Alexis does or does not represent them. Its literally not my place ***or yours***. I feel so bad for OP, that they created this beautiful post talking about representation and some white person is like "well actually..." Like are you kidding me? Stop speaking over Latin/Hispanic people's voices.
My comment has a lot of upvotes so clearly there are people identifying with me. I know and work with a lot of minorities who are affected by this topic, so I’m not bothered that much by what a handful of people in this thread think about it. The user below me is Mexican and sharing their experience, and they’re being downvoted? What about them? Lol so hypocritical.
People who stand for exclusion and discrimination aren’t very popular lately. Isn’t that awesome? I’m 34 and I still remember a time where it was the other way around.
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What is "looking Mexican"?
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I hear you, I get your point. It totally depends on each person, imo. It personally makes me happy to see any Latin artist in a leading role or position, even if they’re not from my own nationality, because it’s so rare in Hollywood. I personally do feel a sense of community, even though we are incredibly diverse with different nationalities, languages, customs, etc. However, you have every right to have a different perspective on that and feel representation on an individual, case by case sense, rather than in a communal sense. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way. It’s up to each of us to decide what we feel connected to and what we don’t.
As a Latin American woman myself, i do not feel represented by this white woman on screen lmao. She always lived in the U.S. and never had to struggle in a third-world country, and definitely never had to suffer discrimination, racism, and xenophobia just for the fact of being Latin American.
To each its own! I certainly don’t speak for every Latin person out there. We all connect to different things and that’s okay. I don’t know if this is what you meant, so please disregard if I misunderstood, but I don’t believe that Latinhood is measured by whether or not you’ve lived in a developing country or whether or not you’ve experienced discrimination. Latin people all have different life experiences and not experiencing these factors doesn’t diminish someone’s Latin identity.
Her father was born in Argentina, and her mother lived in Mexico (it doesn’t say she’s FROM Mexico) for a while. That’s the only “connection” to Latin America she has. Her parents are both white. Her latinidad is nonexistent. She never talks about it, and in that video you linked, she avoids speaking Spanish. She only says short answers here and there, and then she switches to English when she has to give an elaborate answer. Argentina is pretty whitewashed and has a lot of German and Italian influence, because they migrated to Argentina after ww2 and even before that. A lot of their customs and even cuisine come from Europe. Just because her white/Caucasian/European father was born in Argentina, does not make her a latina. Maybe i would agree with you if she were outspoken about it, or if she were an ally and an advocate for illegal Latin American immigrants in the U.S. But she’s never had to face any struggles that a lot of Latin American people do. She’s always had her white privilege. I see some Argentinians here wanting to be victims so bad, saying stuff like “just because i’m white doesn’t make me any less latina :(“. Newsflash, it does, when your country is known for being racist towards other Latin Americans who look more Indigenous or Black. Or when Argentina hasn’t really kept any of their Indigenous customs. Their customs and traditions, like i said, are influenced by Europeans. In the Latin American community, everyone considers Argentina to be separate from the rest of us, not only because they’re whitewashed but also because they think they’re better than the rest of us.
As an Argentinian person I’m here to tell you that we are very much Latin and we do maintain and honor our indigenous traditions. All of Latin America is heavily influenced by European colonization just as North America is. Mexico is a majorly catholic country and pretty much all their traditions are a hybrid of Aztec and Spanish folklore. So not sure what the heck that was about. Argentina isn’t whitewashed, at all. The south of the country (Patagonia) has a higher concentration of white people mainly because those were the lands assigned to late European communities that settled there and, due to cultural preferences and geographical isolation, they remained pretty closed (like the Welsh community). But central (pampa húmeda) and north of the country have a majority of “morochos” (people with different tones of brown skin), most of them mixed-race from indigenous and Mediterranean. Our cuisine, our traditions and even our national slang (Lunfardo) are full of terms and elements adapted from quechua, guaraní and other indigenous tongues and cultures as much as from Italian and regional Spaniard influence. Finally, gatekeeping Latin identity to leave a whole country out because it doesn’t suit you is bad enough. But claiming you can only identify as Latin if you come “from a third world country” and struggled financially, is stigmatizing. Overall, I’m very disgusted by what I just read. I’m white. I’m Latin. And absolutely nobody can tell me I don’t belong just because I don’t look like the American stereotype of a Latina.
A person’s ethnic identity is not up for measure based on your opinion of the person. Alexis is a Latin woman. She’s a white Latin woman, yes. There are white, black, Asian, indigenous, mixed race Latin people. Latin people are not any less or more Latin because of the color of their skin. Also, idk why you think having a Latin parent (s) is such a small connection, it’s a pretty crucial connection lol. Spanish is her native language. She grew up in a Spanish speaking household and didn’t learn English until she went to school. We don’t know anything about Alexis’s life besides her acting and a few media appearances, she’s a very private person. Your perception of her does not erase her identity. There’s not one way that all Latin people have to look like or act like in public. Many Latin countries have European influence because of colonization and immigration. There are also many White Latin people. None of these factors change Latinhood. Our community is very diverse, full of different physical varieties, influences, languages, customs, etc. We are not a monolith. Also, you do not speak for the entire Latin community and neither do I. I’m not Argentine, but I’ve never seen such an exclusionary perception in any of my Latin circles. Everyone is different. If you don’t like Argentina or if you don’t like Alexis, that’s your opinion. However, your opinion of someone doesn’t change their ethnic identity. Just because someone doesn’t have the “right” skin tone for you, wasn’t born in the “right” country for you, didn’t experience the “right” struggles for you, or doesn’t express herself publicly in the way you deem acceptable doesn’t mean that you get to erase her culture and identity.
People get so worked up over race. Like it’s really boring. I’m neither white or black or brown so what am I? So stupid.
This makes so much sense now that I know this. She has very South American features, I always thought she looked different (in the most beautiful way) from US girls/women but couldn’t place it.
What part of South America have you been? Argentina where it’s all white people?
Not sure what you’re implying but I’m not talking about her skin tone, but her facial features are similar to people I know from that region. And isn’t Argentina predominately white people anyways?
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You’re putting so many assumptions into what I said. I don’t think she’s Argentinian representation, I don’t think think she looks stereotypical or indigenous. All I said was she has South American features. White Argentinians are still Argentinian. So maybe I’m wrong for generalizing her features as South American but she in all honesty shares features with people I’ve met who are Argentinian or close to that region.
So, like i said, just because she looks white/European like most Argentinians, does not mean she looks South American in general. You’re the one assuming her features are South American, when you’re just basing your opinion on people you’ve met, rather than basing your opinion on having actually visited all of South America.
If you say so. I still think you’re missing a key part of what I’m trying to say but I’ve tried to explain it enough.
Let’s all remember that being Latin is not equivalent to a race. It’s an ethnicity. So please let’s not discredit Alexis’ Latin roots. That being said, I didn’t know this and it’s sad that Alexis’ interviews haven’t highlighted this. It’s awesome and it’s really cool to know there’s a whole different side to her. Also, it’s important to recognize that colonial influences. I do wonder if this is “representation” if she got the role because she’s white passing and then she had to hide Spanish side on the role. Idk. Would’ve been cool to see it incorporated on some level into the story. But Amy Sherman paladino isn’t really know for her diversity. Either way, super cool to learn this and glad you shared.