Zoe Saldana is the new face of Calvin Klein

Akai* says:

See? This is the thing I don’t get (well, no, I do get it) and makes me chuckle. You plainly stated that you’re neither Latina nor Dominican. That means you’ve not walked in the shoes, lived the life, or intimately felt the experiences — yet you have the audacity to proclaim someone is taking something as important as their own self-identity “far too seriously?” This is a way in which I would never ever even think of disrespecting you, a British Nigerian woman and, personally, I think Cindy D. was very calm and respectful in the way she explained her point of view and DeDe (Clutch’s founder) extremely sensitive, sophisticated and respectful in her response.

Unlike England or Nigeria, the overwhelming majority of Dominicans (73%) are mixed race with 16% being white and 11% black; throughout Latin America Zoë Saldaña is primarily seen as Latina before anything else and has graced the covers of major Latino publications i.e. Mujer, Latina etc. She’s Latina from top to bottom and said “ni un poquito Dominicana, ni un poquito Puertoriqueña, ni nada de esa tontería…” (translation: I’m neither a little bit Dominican, or just a little bit Puerto Rican, nor any of that silliness). Ethnically, Zoë also “refers to herself” as “Dominican, Lebanese, Indian, Irish, Jamaican.”

People can either try to understand when others try to explain their POV – or be immature, egotistical and take offense – but most Latinos of every and all skin tones/hair textures do not want to be called “African American” or lumped into that or any other group to which they do not belong, and it’s not for some ‘bad’ reasons insecure individuals find it easiest to conjure up. It is because it is not accurate or what they are – culturally, ethnically, musically or even regarding matters of faith, family, food, language etc. – and it’s as simple as that! It’s the same way a Cantonese-speaking Chinese female (BFF of mine) feels offended when Americans refer to her as Japanese or Korean.

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Boss Lady wrote: “Obviously there is a distinction between her and Eva Mendes they are of different races though the same nationality.”
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Huh? “Different races?” I’ll leave that one alone for fear most would not get what I would be trying to say or ‘convey’…but how in the heck are Zoë and Eva of “the same nationality?” How did 3 different places in Latin America suddenly get lumped into one? Would it be OK for someone to refer to you, a Nigerian, as a Sudanese? Eva Mendes’ parents came from Cuba; Zoë’s mother is Puerto Rican and her father is from la República Dominicana.

Akai* says:

With all due respect, I was born in Latin America with family from Cuba to PR to Brazil to Europe. I understood your comments clearly and what I noticed was that you chose to project and twist Cindy’s comment as ‘acting like being referred to as black is an insult‘, when she merely conveyed her POV as a Latina and requested a more appropriate use of terms to avoid misinterpretation.

Disconnects in understanding and communication occur when individuals can’t explain their own unique view without others looking to take offense, dripping ill motives all over it, or ‘hating’ (i.e. Viv) that others don’t bow down and identify to their arrogant liking. Maybe since you’ve only been in the US for a year – you’re not aware that there is a tendency for Americans to erroneously lump people into boxes for their own comfort and out of pure laziness, so Cindy’s point was more than valid.

We simply view things differently and while you didn’t “feel the author undermined her ethnicity,” I agree with Cindy and also found the attempt to paint Zoë as different from Eva Mendes inaccurate and (unintentionally) insensitive when both are Latina and Zoë shares more ethnically, culturally, linguistically etc. with Eva than with African Americans. Here is Zoë with her abuela and the woman obviously is of mixed race.

Being biracial (actually tri) myself, I think the “one drop rule” is the dumbest and most erroneous line of thinking ever. My parents did not raise us to adhere to such a racist concept or retain that ‘gift’ from massa, and I don’t get down with those who demand others ‘fall in line’ for their comfort…yet I totally respect Zoë’s and any other individual’s choice in self-identification. But what makes you think the Cuban Mendes is not of mixed race and, thus, a “different race?”

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Boss Lady wrote: “I said they nationality/ethnicity was Latina…”
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Not exactly! What you actually stated was “…they [Eve and Zoë] are of different races though the same nationality” when:

- nationality = country/nation of origin
- ethnicity = group/tribe that shares language, locale (sometimes, not always), music, ‘bloodlines’, culture, practices, faith beliefs, foods etc.

One’s “nationality” or country/nation of origin could be Peru, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico etc.; their ethnicity could (more specifically) be Peruvian, Cuban, Dominican etc.; and, their race Mestizo, Native American, “mulatto” etc.

Another individual’s “nationality” or country/nation of origin could be China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea etc.; their ethnicity could (more specifically) be Han, Hui, Zhuang, Manchu, Japanese, Korean etc.; and, their race Asian.

Similarly the next person’s “nationality” or country/nation of origin could be Nigeria; their ethnicity could (more specifically) be Igbo or Ibibio; and their race black. By the same token, one’s “nationality” can be Spaniard yet they’re ethnically Korean and racially Asian, or a German “national” that is ethnically a Nigerian Igbo and racially black.