Although I was not born at the time of her death in 1995 or the time that the movie was released in 1997(I came along three months later), it is safe to say that I am an avid Selena fan. And when I say Selena, I do NOT mean Selena Gomez(even though I love her too).
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always thought that Selena Quintanilla was beautiful in so many different ways. She has broken gender barriers in the Tejano music industry, was accepted by the Mexican community when they did not normally accept Mexican-Americans, and, as of 2017, her English crossover album Dreaming of You has sold over five million copies! If that doesn't seem pretty successful, then I don't know what success is.
As today marks the 22nd anniversary of Selena's death, I figured that I'd pay tribute to her by sharing how she has impacted my life. Her music does play a huge role to her influence, but there is much more to that than the Bidi Bidi Bom Bom my heart makes when talking about her(pun intended).
The Movie
When I first saw the movie, I could not believe that Jennifer Lopez played the role of Selena. You could have fooled fetus Vanessa, because I actually thought that it was the real Selena Quintanilla in the movie. That was until my older sister explained the whole thing to me and it all started to make sense.
Every time I watch the movie, I can't help but cry. It was such a beautiful piece, Selena has won my heart over as one of my favorite movies(alongside Michael Jackson's This Is It, Walt Disney's Pocahontas, and the Purge series). I have never really considered how the start of Selena's career came along until I watch this movie. Although some parts of the movie were not true, I felt that viewers were able to understand what it's like for a woman to rise up in the music industry, especially when she was not fluent in Spanish(but her music says otherwise).
Selena, starring Lopez, Edward James Olmos, and Jon Seda(who I really thought was Chris Perez), was released March 21st, 1997. The 20th anniversary of this movie was last Tuesday and was shown on TV all week. Of course being the devoted fan that I am, I watched the movie whenever I could. You could even ask my family, friends, coworkers, and fiance if I carry the DVD around with me wherever I go.
The Diet
Referring back to the movie, we've seen the scene where Selena and Chris go out to eat pizza.
It is safe to say that everyone wishes that the "Selena diet" is a true, working miracle. Although my love for pizza and all things fattening is true and pure, the sad truth is that this diet would never work out for me(plus my nutritionist would not be very pleased to hear that I went on a food-rebellious spree).
In fact, Selena has never been on any sorts of diets; she ate three times a day, took vitamins, and was not obsessing over her appearance. She even admitted that it is important for her that she is accepted for her music and not for her looks. It's sad to admit that many people are very self-conscious about how they look. My self-esteem lowers every once in a while. However, I have made some changes in my health by going to a nutritionist, working out, and reminding myself that no matter what, my looks will never define who I am.
In other words, I live by the "Selena diet" as well as throwing my own methods(and eating pizza).
The Music
Selena is well known for her singing in Spanish. But did you know that she was not a Native-Spanish speaker? When singing in Spanish, Selena sounded like it was her first language. When she spoke it, on the other hand, she did make some mistakes when speaking.
When I was in middle school, I would walk around with a folder with Selena's song lyrics and sing her music all day long. To this day, I would sit with my best friend Kimy and we will randomly burst into song(Selena's, of course). Even our karaoke song at after-prom was "I Could Fall in Love." We both love her music because it was beautifully sung, both in English and Spanish. We were able to sing, dance, feel free. You name it, we felt it. But the most important thing about my love for Selena's music is that my Spanish is not perfect. I stumble along words all the time and I'm able to make it work somehow. When I sing Selena's music, I sound way different than how I speak.
The Community
Selena always made sure to give back to the community by going into schools and encouraging students to stay in school and study hard to earn good grades. She was even a spokesperson for D.A.R.E.(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) to encourage students to stay away from drugs, and the Battered Women's Help Hotline. When someone gives back to the community, I believe that it is one step closer to making this world a better place. Selena did small things to help people, and she gained a lot of respect for it. Her love for helping people is what made her seen as a beautiful person in the inside as well as out.
We live on to see many other stars take the spotlight, leaving a great impression among us all. However, no one will ever compare to Selena in this life or the next. Although she left this world too soon, her spirit lives on through her music, her community service, and most importantly through her fan base which expands through every new generation. If I was given the opportunity to speak to her, I would probably thank her for all that she has done(after I stop fan-girling, of course). Long live Selena and may her legacy live on for many generations to come. We love you.