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Jessica Alba Denies Heritage

Sekno Journal
Sekno Journal, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jul 1, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
Star of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Jessica Alba, is no longer an "invisible" woman to the Latino community after her recent comments about her heritage. In a recent issue of Para Todos magazine, she denies her Latino heritage and also makes disparaging remarks about Mexican men and women.

Jessica Alba was born in Pomona, California to Mark Alba, a Mexican American, and Catherine Jensen, who has French and Danish ancestry. The 26-year old Hollywood sweetheart has managed to maintain a squeaky-clean image throughout her movie career. Before her recent comments, the only other run-in she had with controversy happened when Playboy Enterprises published a photo of her without her consent. However, that controversy was quickly resolved with a personal apology from Playboy owner, Hugh Hefner, who also agreed to make donations to two charities of Alba's choice.

The grandfather of Jessica Alba was reported on Webindia123 imposing firm values that could have shaped Alba into the women she is today. If her grandfather had his way, Alba would have been a nun. His catholic upbringing favored her being apart of the religious community rather than racial customs or popular society. Her grandfather raised his family to be Americans before Mexicans, so they wouldn't feel like outcasts in this society.

Similarly, Jessica Alba's parents didn't allow her to wear bathing suits or skimpy clothing around the house when she was a young girl. This could be one of the reasons she has a no-nudity clause in her movie contracts. Alba is recorded saying, "He and my grandmother didn't speak Spanish to their children. Now, as a third-generation American, I feel as if I have finally cut loose."

Many people could be offended by her comments in the Latino magazine, considering there are over 41 million Latino Americans living in this country.

Yet many agree with Alba that she should be credited as an American actress first and foremost before labeling her as a Latino actress. Jessica has reason to reject the unwelcomed racial-tag since she was actually born from two very different racial groups.

There's a possible chance Alba could lose a big portion of her fan base. Jessica Alba's remarks have ignited a fire-storm of backlash from the Latino community on blogs, chat rooms, and throughout the web.

There are many other actresses who are mixed-Americans but have not faced the same racial promulgations that Jessica Alba has gone through. One thing is for sure, whether you call her Latina or American she is one of our most successful actresses in the business right now.

Sources:

MediaTakeOut, "Jessica Alba: Don't Call Me A Latina!!"

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52 Comments

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  • Leo 11/25/2009

    Let's all be white. No questions asked.

  • jr. 11/15/2009

    if you want us half hispanic
    half white people to respect our heritage stop treating us like we arent beating on us making fun of us glaring and staring at us, and calling us crackers, or whitebacks isnt helping us respect it even more its pushing us away i dont blame her at all.
    "Some of you need to learn something about Brown N Proud before you shout it out loud just remember the mixed kids your leaving out"

  • alejandra 8/17/2009

    well guys no offense but if you live in america and was born here pos if your so proud to be mexican why are you not livinin mexico she has a right to say what she wants its the first commandment in THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA and first of all she aint even born there and yeah she may look latina y que tu sabe nada della so you can go right ahead and stare at her ugly or hate her think of her wrong so wat your still thinking bout her so to all her haters keep talkin cuz u really think she cares wat u say please u meet her in person youll be fallin down to her feet yupe shes that beatiful and wat im puertorican and proud mixed with native american and youll never hear me sayin it cuz im american born and raised here so yeah thats to them haters XD

  • HOUSTONLONELY 7/10/2009

    is funny how she dont consider her self latina, or hispanic,, its funny she looks straight up mexican regular chick, come one baby girl, u dont look chinese, white or black, or indu girl im sorry you look straight m e x i c a n,,, some one lied to u... she stupid onlu cause you dont wanna speak spanish make u white honey u still mexican u can be a millionaire and still be mexican... sorry but thats the truth... piche mexicanita,, pendeja... u make me laugh

  • DRzzzzz 2/24/2009

    FuAl Ckba a very big FuAl Ckba.

  • DRzzzzzz 7/25/2008

    ppl ppl!! para todos lied about this!!!!!! just google this and read - The Jessica Alba Controversy

  • Hmmm 6/16/2008

    What about her Dutch and French roots ? she's not honoring them that much, she totally fails to show any appreciation of how her canadian french grandmother made it to the united states, the gruelling experience, how her mother did not learn french and did not teach her french, blah blah blah....grow up people....I think this is a generation gap....eventually everyone will look like Alba in the US (10 years down the lane in NY) and this ethnic debate will be such a non-issue....it is already for her, but people just have to bring it up all the time, don't they ? I am half afghan and half indian, people assume I am indian, and I tell them, hell no, I'm african (that's where I GREW UP!)watching a few indian flicks and NOT understanding them while enjoying a good masala does not make me indian now does it ? and don't get me started on the afghan part and how I should be covered up and praying 5 times a day, which I don't....so you think I should do more to honor my afghan heritage?

  • cheliss 5/8/2008

    Like i said "too good to be true". I really respected this lady when i found out she had hispanic background. Just to let her know and i hope she reeds this messages it makes the hispanic comunity proud to see that hispanic herritage people are making it big in their professions.But with that coment about "mexican women just pop out babies," really made her another ignorant american (not all americans are ignorant) who think that mexicans don't no better than to do the rong thing. Open your eyes there are lots of trashy people in every culture you can come across in your life but to say that about all mexican women dosen't make you better than us. I takes more than money, hig class, movies to be a reall women. With your comment you just sound pure ignorant. For all I care now about you you can deni your heritage but that dosen't give no right to talk bad about Mexican women. You don't no there strugles so don't trash them

  • Sam 4/5/2008

    Why is everyone so worked up? She is entitled to call herself and say whatever she wants. Get a clue folks. If you honestly think that Ms. Alba's comments will now provide validation or miraculously change peoples opinions, I'm here to tell you it won't. I personally don't call myself "Mexican-American" either. You know why? Because doing so provides validation to the continued segregation, racism and nationalism that continues to this day. So when people ask me, "Are you Mexican?" my answer is no. I was born in the US, so was my mother, but my father wasn't. But the answer should really be, "Does it matter?" Most of you are just as guilty as you claim Ms. Alba to be. Instead of taking criticism or speech you don't agree with, you attack it and/or the person. Which is sad, because it just shows you don't know what being American is all about. So even if I don't agree with it, Ms. Alba, talk your heart out and keep telling the media what you think. They did ask you after all. So don't

  • muffin 2/19/2008

    what really pissed me off was when she said " that mexican women just pop out babies" the diffrenece with white and hipanic women
    is that white women have abortions and most hispanic women dont or else they would have double the kids that hispanic women have.

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