People are out here acting like Selena Gomez should’ve popped out of the womb conjugating verbs in perfect Spanish. Since the Emilia Perez release in Netflix, people are harshly criticizing Selena on social media because of her accent.
So, this is a subject nobody was going to talk about, because we thought it was a subject already overcame, but it seems like it isn’t. Well, for those who don’t know, Emilia Pèrez, directed by Jacques Audiard, is a unique and ambitious film that has recently premiered on Netflix.
The movie stars Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez, and it has garnered mixed reviews from audiences and critics alike. While some say it is one of the greatest films of the year, specially musical, others are criticizing it for the plot, but not only that, people are also talking sh*t about Selena Gomez’s Spanish accent. Apparently she’s not Latinx enough…
Read also: Is Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez Based on a True Story?
Can We Stop Policing Selena Gomez’s Spanish and Talk About How Harmful Latinidad Competition is?
Emilia Perez story revolves around Manitas Del Monte, a feared cartel boss who decides to transition into a woman named Emilia Pèrez. With the help of a morally ambiguous lawyer, Rita Moro Castro (played by Zoe Saldaña), Manitas undergoes gender-affirmation surgery and fakes her own death to start a new life. The film explores themes of identity, transformation, and the consequences of one’s past actions.
However, although the film was highly applauded at major film festivals even considering it for an Oscar nomination, the conversation became distorted and now the most important thing apparently is Selena Gomez’s Spanish skills. This situation brought to the table a debate that is difficult to address: the Latinidad and the Latino-ness scale.
selena gomez deserves an oscar for this scene in emilia pérez pic.twitter.com/rojizaWkBT
— ؘ (@RARESREVIVAI) November 14, 2024
For many of us, the ‘not Latino enough’ critique feels like a slap in the face. We’re trying to honor our roots while surviving in two worlds—cut us some slack!
Why Latino-ness Scale is so Harmful?
Here’s the thing about Latinidad—it’s messy. And it should be! With over 30 countries, dozens of languages, and countless traditions, there’s no way to boil down “what it means to be Latino” into one tidy definition. Yet somehow, we still cling to this imaginary Latino-ness scale, where people get judged for how “authentic” they are.
Selena Gomez’s Spanish got dragged, but let’s zoom out. Many kids of immigrants grew up balancing two cultures—and guess what? That balancing act often means losing a little grip on one side. Whether it’s speaking Spanglish, mixing up verb tenses, or even not speaking Spanish at all, it’s all valid.
This whole “are you Latino enough?” debate is exhausting—and dangerous. It divides us when we should be lifting each other up. Worse, it reinforces colonialist ideas about identity.
Think about it: who decided perfect Spanish is the golden ticket to Latino authenticity? Spanish itself is a colonizer’s language, brought to the Americas by force. So when we judge people for their Spanish skills, we’re upholding colonial hierarchies instead of celebrating the Indigenous, Afro-Latino, and other cultural roots that make Latinidad so complex.
And let’s not forget the emotional toll. For Latinos who already feel like outsiders, these purity tests hit hard.
Instead of tearing Selena—and each other—down, let’s celebrate how we all bring something unique to the table.
