Hollywood Latinas: From Invisible to Influential

I recently learned that Kat Von D, one of the top female tattoo artists in the world and star of TLC’s Miami Ink and now L.A. Ink, is Hispanic.  Born in Mexico to Argentine parents, Kat moved to the U.S. years ago.

She sports large tattoos of legendary Mexican actresses Maria Victoria and Elsa Aguirre on her shins and occasionally peppers her language (on-air) with Spanish words and phrases.  From what I can tell, she strongly identifies with her Latino heritage but isn’t wholly defined by it.  A go-to tattoo artist for Hollywood’s A-list, Kat is seen (by most of the world) first as an artist then as a Latina.

There once was a time when Latina actresses wouldn’t dare admit that they were Latina.  Early film roles, such as the sexy Latina spitfire or exotic home wrecker, reinforced ugly stereotypes and limited talented actresses from finding non-ethnic parts.  The only way around this was to suppress your Latina roots.  Screen siren Rita Hayworth is probably the best example of this unfortunate reality.

Times have certainly changed.

Stars like Kat Von D are free to be Latina – or not – and free to climb to the top of the entertainment world.  Indeed, Forbes’ 2007 Celebrity 100 List includes several Latinas:  Sara Ramirez (Grey’s Anatomy cast), Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives cast) and Gisele Bundchen.  Last year’s list included Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz, and it's probably just a matter of time before uber-Latinas Salma Hayek and American Ferrera (did you see her on the cover of People magazine this week), show up on the list as well.

Now that it’s OK – and even cool - to be a Latina in Hollywood, the shift is presenting opportunities for actors and marketers alike.  Take Raquel Welch for example.  She downplayed her Bolivian roots in order to get roles back in the 60s, and now she openly plays Latina characters.

For marketers interested in reaching Hispanic women, there are now many more celebrities who resonate with and influence Latinas.  The key of course is to find the right celebrity.  Just because an actress is Latina, it doesn’t mean she automatically connects with Hispanic women and vice versa.

But if a client ever came to us today looking for a hot (as in popular), young spokesperson who is as comfortable in a tattoo parlor as she is in a Hispanic community gathering, I know who we’d recommend.