Jennifer Lopez Backlash Is Nothing New

If our quick cultural reminiscence is to be believed, that is the primary main backlash Jennifer Lopez has skilled in her 25-plus 12 months profession.

In February, the multi-hyphenate star launched a triptych of media that examined her relationship with fame, love and her artistic output. First got here the album, That is Me… Now, a play on her 2002 album That is Me… Then, and its accompanying film, That is Me… Now: A Love Story, an bold steampunk romp by her repute as an unlucky-in-love serial monogamist. The film co-starred the likes of Jane Fonda and Keke Palmer as astrological indicators within the zodiac calendar and musical collaborator Fats Joe as her therapist and dropped on Amazon Prime Video.

Per week later, additionally on Prime, Lopez premiered an accompanying documentary, The Biggest Love Story By no means Instructed, in regards to the making of the album and film, which revealed that she footed the $20 million endeavor out of her personal pocket as a result of “nobody is clamoring for the subsequent J.Lo album,” she instructed the digicam. “I need to do that.”

Everyone knows how a lot a lady making an attempt onerous ires most of the people—keep in mind the hate towards Anne Hathaway when she appeared a bit of too self-satisfied for profitable an Oscar, Margot Robbie’s current admission that she fears the world can be sick of her for being too public amid her Barbie success or the rising backlash towards Taylor Swift for her bloated, self-referential 31-track Tortured Poet’s Division?

Properly, Lopez skilled that wrath on an entire different stage along with her album and films, re-examining the mythology that’s surrounded her public persona for the higher a part of 20 years with a purpose to make sense of it now. The work is intrinsically tied to her renewed love story with Affleck, with whom she tied the knot in 2022 after their engagement was referred to as off in 2004. 

Forged your thoughts again to then: resentment was already brewing towards Lopez since her success a number of years earlier when she achieved the singular feat of getting the primary film, The Wedding ceremony Planner, and the primary album, J.Lo (thus coining her notorious moniker). Her success, coupled with media consideration on her tumultuous private life amid the tip of her second short-lived marriage, to backup dancer Cris Judd, created loads of content material for folks to criticize.

We’ve already established that we don’t like profitable girls, so to see Lopez then join along with her Jersey Lady and the cursed Gigli co-star, Ben Affleck, was an excessive amount of for some folks—particularly once they flaunted their relationship within the “Jenny from the Block” video. What was deemed a useless show of public affection was really, when learn appropriately, an intelligent music video poking enjoyable on the media’s obsession along with her, just like what she was making an attempt to faucet into with That is Me… Now: A Love Story.

The following dissolution of their engagement and the field workplace bombing of Gigli signaled a downturn for Lopez, and she or he largely focussed her consideration on being an early pioneer within the movie star perfume realm in a transfer that was starting to resemble that of one other well-known oft-wed scent purveyor, Elizabeth Taylor.

She was nonetheless kicking for the remainder of the 2000s, releasing middling rom-coms and delving into Spanish-language music along with her third husband, Latin singer Marc Anthony.

Nevertheless it was her 2011 flip as a choose on American Idol that breathed new life into her profession as soon as extra. All whereas placing herself ahead for but extra criticism, Lopez’s look on the present additionally helped pave the way in which for a brand new, viable profession transfer for singers of their mid-careers, as a substitute of 1 for these on their means out. The function would later be taken on by different profitable girls like, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry and Lopez’s long-time rival Mariah Carey.

Coupled with the dance banger “On the Ground” and the album Dance Once more, Lopez was on the up and up the place she largely plateaued for the higher a part of the 2010s. From time to time a narrative about her diva antics or how she didn’t sing her personal songs (shoutout to Ashanti) however they by no means gained any actual traction. We have been busy hating Hathaway and spamming Swift’s social media with snake emojis.

Then got here Hustlers, a 2019 true crime film about strippers which forged Lopez as a tough-talking unique dancer who drugged finance bros and stole their cash. It was a task many had by no means seen—or anticipated to see—her in and there was quite a lot of Oscar buzz surrounding it. That finally didn’t come to fruition, a disappointment that’s examined in Lopez’s 2022 Netflix documentary Half-Time, which follows her Tremendous Bowl half-time present efficiency alongside fellow Latina, Shakira, on the 2020 sports activities occasion.

By our societal calculations, it might have been about time for a fall for Lopez, however in early 2020 we form of had different issues to fret about and Lopez was spared one other backlash. Through the pandemic, Lopez and Affleck rekindled their dormant relationship, now generally known as Bennifer 2.0, which brings us to the current second: one other wave of J.Lo hate.

She’ll survive: she all the time does. In comparison with the vitriol and private struggles another feminine celebrities of her ilk have suffered, like Britney Spears, Lopez will recuperate. Hell, we simply noticed her shine on the purple carpet of the Met Gala, which she co-chaired (an appointment made earlier than the present downswing in public opinion of her). And she or he has one other Netflix film popping out later this month. Meantime, she’ll be holed up in her Bel-Air mansion rolling in piles of cash—albeit $20 million smaller; you realize, till the subsequent time we determine we like her once more in *checks notes* two to a few years.

Earlier than you go, click on to see girls over 50 who’re defining success within the music trade.