White, taino, and black are some of the ethnicities that plant our roots to our beloved island. Puerto Rico consists of people who have more than one branch in them, being as mixed as the color palette used to draw our skies, beaches, and scenery. We are a combination of so many good things yet, sometimes, the media fails to represent — not just us — but others who happen to be mixed, or people of color. This becomes a problem when we are trying to get a sense of who we are and what other people we can reach out to in times of inspiration and where we would like to be. Though we have our wonderful share of iconic people, they are still not given the spotlight they deserve, just for the simple fact of allowing us the opportunity to connect to someone other than what we know.
Stumbling across an article from an online magazine that claims how “Kylie Jenner is basically the mix of all of our favorite Latina celebrities,” sparked a concern. Comparing Kylie to women like Selena Quintanilla, Jennifer Lopez and Selena Gomez, the article commented on how some of the trends these women sport all come together when being used by Kylie. And while it may not seem like a problem, the act of borrowing things from cultures and using them as one’s own for the mere purpose of fashion, it is considered cultural appropriation. And while cultural appropriation is a tricky term that encases a lot more things than just borrowing trends to look cute, it becomes a matter of sending mixed messages to women and everyone else around the world who is a person of color.
Using Kylie, who is caucasian, as a vessel to represent a culture that is not her own, gives the impression that there will be very few times where someone of our own has the opportunity to represent a culture, and get praised for it. Which is why representation is so important. We face this problem not only in the media when it comes to Instragram or Twitter, but also in fashion as a whole and especially in Hollywood. Casting the right people to represent certain characters has shown to be a somewhat impossible task to those who have the power in them to give visibility to those who need it. When seeing a movie we are most likely to see caucasian actors, rather than any of color.
It’s the lack of voice that is hurtful. The lack of having someone to reach out for when the moment of appreciation arises. Why are we encouraged to look up to Kylie Jenner when we already have women like Jennifer Lopez, Michelle Rodriguez, Denis Quiñones, Beyonce Knowles, Malala Yousafzai, Salma Hayek, and other beautiful, admirable, and totally inspire-worthy women to look at and praise? For a more just and equal world, we should always try to look at the bigger picture. To always remind ourselves, that, while Kylie Jenner is beautiful, there are other forms and shapes of beautiful that are not often given the opportunity to be seen yet, that does not mean they are less than, or are not worthy of our admiration. Let’s start making the world a better place by empowering women everywhere and making them feel like their beautiful could be our own, too.