“I don’t fit in here” is a thought second-generation immigrants often have. Being born in the United States to immigrant parents can unfortunately lead to feelings of being ostracized by a person’s own culture.
Due to a lack of connection to a person’s country of origin, it is easy to develop different habits, customs and beliefs. These differences can lead to the confusion about cultural identity. It can be exhausting trying to justify being of a certain culture, but it is a daily struggle for many second-generation immigrants.
As a second-generation immigrant, Jenna Ortega has had to deal with ostracization in the public eye. Ever since she began her career in the entertainment industry, people have consistently questioned whether she is worthy of being considered Latina.
In the past, the Latino community has judged her for not being able to speak Spanish yet presenting herself as a Latina actress. Ortega has been honest about how this controversy makes her feel. In an interview with Vanity Fair, she expressed because she cannot speak Spanish, “there’s a part of me that carries a bit of shame.”
With the release of her new movie, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” (2024), Ortega has once again sparked conversation among the Latino community. In a recent interview over the release of “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” journalist Carolina Reynoso had a clip of her interview with Ortega go viral on TikTok. Reynoso began her interview by telling Ortega that “from one Latina to another, you are Latina enough.”
Ortega's reaction to this statement was validation felt by many second-generation Latino immigrants in the U.S. in the TikTok comments. Users commented words of support such as “So beautiful, I needed to hear that also” and “I’m gonna pretend (Reynoso) was talking to me.” Her reaction made it clear that she had been battling with her cultural identity because of how the Latino community has treated her in the past.
For years, Ortega has dealt with the guilt others have put on her because she does not check off all of the boxes of what supposedly classifies someone as a “true Latino.” Due to her lack of knowledge of the Spanish language, people have criticized her by calling her a “fake Latina.” For many second-generation immigrants, the question of whether or not they are enough for their culture affects how they perceive themselves.
Since immigrant families come to the United States in hopes of having a fruitful life, it is common for their culture to be abandoned. They do not always want to leave behind their roots, but factors such as racism and the desire to assimilate change how immigrant families raise their children.
Though Ortega was not born and raised in her country of origin, may not speak Spanish or uphold certain Hispanic traditions, she does feel passionate about positively representing the Latino community.
Regardless of how the public chooses to criticize Ortega, she values her culture and has paved a path for Latinos in the entertainment industry. Ortega strays from playing stereotypical Latina roles.
According to the Los Angeles Times, 24% of Latino characters in movies released in 2023 were portrayed as immigrants, 24% were portrayed as low-income individuals, 46.2% were violent criminals and 40% were angry or temperamental individuals. Latinos have had to play stereotypical roles in order to be successful in the entertainment industry. However, with support from performers such as Ortega, the perspectives of how Latino artists are portrayed on screen are beginning to shift.
With her recent success in roles such as Astrid in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Wednesday in the Netflix series “Wednesday” and Tara Carpenter in 2023’s “Scream VI” and 2022’s “Scream,” she has proven that Latinos are capable of playing alternative roles. Her presence in horror films as a Latina actress has provided new avenues for representation on screen.
Although some would not agree she is “Latina enough,” the passion she has for reimagining how the world views Latinos solidifies how she chooses to identify as Latina. As a second-generation immigrant, her choice to identify as Latina provides a public showcase of how an individual embraces their culture.
