Here are the guidelines:
- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
- From the "Comment As" drop-down menu, choose Anonymous, then click "Publish."
- Reading responses are due by 8pm on the day PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
Everyone knows Selena as the ultimate Tejano music legend. That being said, I still feel that not everyone knows about the impact Selena has made not only in South Texas, but across the country. She took Tejano Culture and bended it a little bit, and made her music popular across the country. Like how Vargas says on page 315; "Selena has obtained 'crossover' status," making Tejano culture crossover into American Popular culture, all the while shedding light on important issues that face the Latino community. Specifically things that impact Latinas, such as sexuality, identity, and poverty. And for that, Selena is ignored. Her music reached all communities, and brought Tejano into Mainstream Media. Her success should be seen as a liberation of sorts, not only for Mexican Americans, but for Latinos of all nationalities. Selena sparked a movement that reached all Latinx people, and brought forth some popular latino art and music. For example, Daddy Yankee and the song "Despacito". Everyone knows that song now, but what if Selena never broke out? How popular would Mexican music be in America then? Selena was the gift from the Tejano community that keeps giving. Not only to Tejano culture, but to Latino communities of all sorts and even to American popular culture.
ReplyDeleteMichael Gonzalez
Selena was a very important woman for many Mexican Americans because she was surrounded by Tejano music which was rare to see back then. The documentary gives good information on her background story and how the family has been affected by her death. Her struggles with the Spanish language impulse her to become better and have a bigger impact with her lyrics. According to Deborah R. Vargas, she classified Selena as a dissonant diva because of her background and how she fits into the boundaries of gender, sex, and nation through her performances. There are few women that have had luck in this profession which is why Selena is such an important symbol. Another point that really stood out to me is the way she was able to reach high points in such a short amount of time. She was murdered at a very young age which made it more impacting to many people. Her music was able to reach places she never imagined and impacted people all over the country. As mentioned in the article, “Although several bands, such as La Mafia and Mazz, toured heavily in northern Mexico, most who follow the Tejano music industry agree that not since artists such as Rita Vidaurri, Chelo Silva, and Eva Garza had a Tejana/o artist overcome barriers to Latin America until the success of Selena.” This quote shows that many people tried to become successful in certain areas but Selena was the most effective one. (245)
ReplyDeleteBruno Morales
Selena is and will always be one of my favorite singers of all time. I did not know much about her, to be honest. I first heard her when I was still living in Mexico; her songs will be sounding in every quincenera I went to, but I really did not know where she was from, or why she was so famous.
ReplyDeleteIt was until later that I discovered that she was Mexican American, and it was until today that I realized the real reason why she was so honored and followed by many fans. Some weeks ago, someone told me that he/she believed Selena’s music was overrated, and I guess I could understand his point; indeed, I could not come with a good explanation of why she was so liked for other than her music was good to dance to and sing to. I wish I had knew what I learned today because now everything makes sense. She was liked because of what she symbolized. She was liked because many people could relate and take pride in her success. The Mexican American culture has been seen down upon – language especially – and I’m sure many people did not believe a Mexican American person – even less a woman – would make it big in the American country, but she did taking the Mexican American name to a new level.
Now, whenever I hear her music, I’m sure I’ll hear it differently because now I know the story behind those songs and all of the challenges she had to go through as a Mexican American.
Ingrid Davila
The biography of the Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla was and will always be in our hearts forever. She was someone important to the Tejano music industry as well as for Mexicans and Mexican American fans. Born in Corpus Christi, she made it a landmark that now everyone likes to visit and go see her statue “Mirador del Flor”. Although she was Mexican American, she did struggle to speak Spanish even though mostly all her songs were in Spanish. Her father was a traditional father, he pushed his children to be better and to advance in life. He started listening to Selena sing and decided to form a little band with her singing, her brother on the bass and her sister on the drums. They started to play at their restaurant where their father decided to build a stage for them to perform on the weekends. They become a big hit, especially Selena. She becomes noticed and starts to get more exposure making records and recording at the studio. Although sadly she was killed at the age of 23 by Yolanda, her fan club manager, Selena did leave a trajectory for other female Latinas wanting to make it big in the music industry. “She was the American Dream.”
ReplyDeleteGiselle Sanchez
Selena is a famous historic figure in Mexican-American history as many idolized her for the years that she was performing and even till this day we still talk about her because of how much she meant to a lot of people. I’ve always known about Selena because my mother grew up listening to her music and so did the rest of my family. I loved watching the movie of Selena because it was interesting to see what she went through and how she was brought up to be so famous. The documentary provided a good amount of detailed information of Selena’s background story. Selena took over the Tejano culture and she was known all over the world. This is why she is known as the “Queen of Tejano” music. I remember Selena struggling to speak Spanish even to sing it was difficult for her at first. Her father pushed all his kids to be the best they could be. A lot of people could relate to her because she was a symbol for the Mexican-American culture. She is still remembered to this day as many musicians have remixed her songs and some even have dressed up as her for Halloween such as singer Demi Lovato. Selena will always be known as a Tejano music legend and as a society we will always remember her for all she has done for herself, family, and the Mexican-American Culture.
ReplyDeleteMichael Garcia
Every time I listened to music I had always just listened to the words, but not really try to comprehend them. Now I try to be more aware of what the music or song is trying to express. After watching the documentary and reading “Cruzando Frontejas” it made me really think of how the music industry had a huge impact on how people express themselves or express an idea; it touches many subjects relating to politics, sexuality and the list keeps on going. Another thing is that it is incredible how a person could make a huge change in music and how they also made a great impact in the Mexican American culture. I had always been in love with the music that Selena sang, but now I appreciate her music even more. She crossed many borders. The fact that she sang music in Spanish and music with a new sound or rhythm (Tejano Music), it was just incredible. She had to fight along with her family, whom formed the band, to really pop out in the society that they lived in. Back then all that would exist is either Mexican music or American music, until Selena came to be. Music plays a huge role in culture that is why we should really appreciate it more than we do.
ReplyDeleteGuadalupe Cazares
“Cruzando Fronteras” made me realize how deep of an impact an artist can have in a community. Selena, aside from being a great artist, unintentionally became a voice for the Mexican-American people, especially that which is located in the borderlands. By just being herself and doing what she loved, people began to notice that she was not Mexican or American, but she was a fusion between both cultures. Unable to speak fluently in Spanish, she was judged by Mexicans, but she still embraced her Tex-Mex Spanglish. I believe this gave many people confidence to be themselves and to not feel oppressed by not speaking proper English or Spanish. Selena gave us people living in the borderland a sense of pride in our third culture, where fluidity exists. She also empowered the role of the Latina woman, in a male dominated market. Just like our machista culture, the Tejano music industry was also mainly dominated by men, so many did not take her seriously and denied her playing in venues because of just being a female. With the help of her father and her fearlessness, she was able to take on this genre and exceed some of her male counterparts by playing in South America and Puerto Rico. Selena was truly a great inspiration for our Mexican-American community, with her charisma and innovative style she was able to put a name and a face to our marginalized third culture. (238)
ReplyDelete-Víctor D. Gaytán
From the biography and readings provided I learned that Selena really became a huge symbol for the entire Chicanx culture stating that not many females excelled in the music industry that was male dominant. Being that Mexicans didn’t really a strong influence in America at the time, Selena became the ultimate role model for the Latinx community as she sparked a huge impact in Tejano music in America and displayed the feminine beauty that woman are capable of being just like her despite their ethnicity. As a child, Selena too grew up in a middle class family and was deeply influenced by her father, an ex-member of a Tejano band, where she grew her passion as a singer. Through her Abraham, Selena’s father, revived his passion for music and taught them everything he knew. The Quintanilla family would first perform at their local restaurant, called papagayo’s, in front of their friends, family, etc, and it was all history from there. One thing I really endured about the video was the fact that Selena’s family too came across adversity with the recession in 1982, such as losing their family business and dealing with Selena being a New Mestiza woman of her time. She was conflicted within herself because she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to attract her audience well if she wasn’t efficient enough in speaking her own ethnicities language. Despite all contradictions, her family raised her to just perform to the best of her abilities in everything she did and in doing so she had so much perseverance not only for herself but for her family as well. Even after her death, Selena is known as the Queen of Tejano” music and left a legacy not just for Mexican-Americans, but for all chicana’s growing up during this era.
ReplyDeleteAdrian Martinez
The story of Selena Quintanilla is very inspirational for Mexican-Americans because she inspired so many people to pursue their dreams and goals. I think her childhood was very important because she had though moments with his family after they had to close their business family and looked for jobs where they were discriminated, I believe this helped Selena to be stronger and at the same time Selena developed a character with kindness. Somehow this problem led Selena to focus more on his singer career. It is very important the support and unity of family and fortunately she had it. Her brothers instilled the love for music and they were very united.
ReplyDeleteThe impact Selena did on Latin music was enormous because before Selena they were some Latin singers but I think none of them had the capacity of crossing borders like she did because his music was not only listened to in the US but also in many Latin-American countries. Her advantage besides her beautiful voice was that she was bilingual, singing in two languages raised the chance of attracting more people.
What I most admire of her it’s her humility because even though she was very famous she was always willing to help others, according to her family she was a person who you could ask her a favor and she always helped you.
Lamentably in this world there is people that don’t want you to be success I don’t know maybe because they don’t have the capacity or desire to follow their dreams like Selena did and I believe that was one of the reasons why she was murdered that day, jealousy can be very dangerous.
Missael Salinas
Selena Quintanilla was and will always be an important woman for many Mexican Americans. After seeing the documentary, it gave me a better understanding of her life. She started singing at an early age and by ten years old she became the lead singer of the family’s band. Selena didn’t know Spanish but that didn’t stop her from singing Tejano music. Her dad was the one that pushed her and her sibling to sing in a Mexican restaurant and that’s the way they got noticed. Unfortunately, some places didn’t allow Selena to perform because Tejano music was meant for a male to sing it not a female but that didn’t stop Selena’s father. After her first hit she became the “Queen of Tejano” they also called her Mexican Madonna because of her sexy outfits and her dances moves, everybody loved her and they could also relate with her. I still remember the day that I saw the movie, it was interesting seeing everything she went through, but what got my attention how much her fans loved her. Mexican American looked up to her because she was the “American Dream” and she didn’t allow anybody to bring her down.
ReplyDeleteSandy Martinez
When I grew up me and my cousins idolized Selena Quintanilla, not only because if her beautiful voice but because we loved the way she was with all of her fans. Also, we wanted to be like her because we saw her as the ‘ideal beautiful women’ because she had the ‘perfect’ body. I always knew she was Mexican American and that is why I admire her because, I was proud of someone that took stand and spoke for all Mexican Americans. Understanding the musical context in which Selena emerged offers us key insight into her music’s engagement with questions of identity, language politics, transnationalism, and critical consideration of her crossing over into Mexico and Latin America. In ‘Cruzando Frontejas’ the author wrote that “Selena was one of US” because of her music, she made a new type of genre that symbolized us as a whole. More specifically Tejano music represents Mexican Americans in Texas. Now whenever they mention her name I’m going to be more proud and encourage others to listen to her music.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Nicole Cantu
Selena Quintanilla is one of the most iconic and recognized voices in the Tex-Mex/Tejano music industries. She is still such a powerful and impactful role model on young and even older individuals because of all her accomplishments and the roots she had. As stated in the video of the Biography Selena “she is the American dream” and “she could really control the crowd and not many artists can grab the audience”, and “She’s changed the way people view feminine beauty.” All these things are completely true in every word. Selena left a mark in Mexican American history and especially one close to home. She was from Corpus Christi and that is only two hours away from the Valley. A place where many of us travel to and from for mini vacations or even pass through. It leaves me amazed on how many accomplishments she had at such a youthful age. She was a strong impowered young Chicana who had her head straight and knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish. She knew she was gifted and had a great and bright future in the Tejano industry. She not sang in Spanish but also in English and for this reason she connected to many ethnic groups. She was the full package. She was a singer, song writer, spokesperson, actress, model and fashion designer. She had the well-deserved title of “Queen of Tejano music”. In the video Biography Selena, I got to see a more in-depth background of her tragic death. I saw how her killer was someone who was close to her even had mentioned as her “best friend” and “president of the Fan Club”. Now that is crazy ad so heartbreaking to me.
ReplyDeleteBrandi Rae Rodriguez
Selena Quintanilla is and will always be a role model for many Mexican Americans, specially since they changed to what was called the Tejano music which is the fusion of American music styles into Mexican music. It emerged from Texas by musicians of Mexican descent. She left a huge mark In the Mexican Americans because she earned the name and she was well known as the “American Dream” which is very true, I can say in my opinion its true in every way, since I was little I would always play that I was her, my aunt would tell us that she was her and she would pretend to sing and be her. This also shows how many fans couldn’t believe her tragic death and how she died .
ReplyDeleteMaria Leal
Selena Quintanilla is very important to the Chicanx community because of the significant and rare representation that we get. She represents a lot of values and content that resonates with us as Mexican Americans. I think that her being from south Texas makes it that much more important. Vargas’ analyzation of Selena was a very interesting read and I found myself agreeing with a lot of her comments. I know, as a Latina, I find myself looking for role models that look like me. The reason a lot of brown and black girls have low self esteem is because we compare ourselves to the people we see on the media. Unfortunately, those people are white and look nothing like us making us feel insecure. Aside from her impact on music and this new genre that she contributed to, I feel like her existence itself was political; a successful beautiful Chicanx woman. Her contribution to this culture we, Mexican Americans have created, a borderland, is very memorable considering we see very little of it. Her songs alternating in languages is something even now that I find myself getting excited about. Like Anzaldua when she was describing the first Spanglish novel that she had read and the joy it brought her.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Juarez
Selena Quintanilla served as a role model to Mexican Americans, young and old, and to overall people throughout the country. In the time in which she began to thrive as a Latina music artist, Mexican Americans needed further encouragement to continue to fully embrace the unique and “unordinary” culture of Mexican Americans in the United States. As the reading exploited, Selena contributed to the dispersal of Tejano music in various places, and this was noticed by many. Through this movement, the Mexican American culture and customs were seen in a brand-new light, a light which showed that beauty comes in different fashions despite of ethnic background. The documentary allowed for me to see the influence she had on many, specifically young Mexican Americans, and the people could greatly relate to Selena’s experiences such as her difficulty in speaking Spanish. Her example of this common struggle found within Mexican American families throughout the United States allowed for people to inherit the idea of not being alone in this conflict which sometimes led to feelings of solidarity and insecurity. However, as the renown of Selena Quintanilla grew, a spotlight was placed on the Mexican culture being very much alive and present in the nation. This gradual progression impacted not only the music industry but also society in general.
ReplyDeleteCeline Brianna Salas
Selena Quintanilla was a a huge success and a huge turning point in the tejano music industry. She was loved by so many people and was admired so much it was just amazing. I was beyond excited when i found out that we were going to discuss her. Selena was a phenomenal woman, to say the least. In a way I feel that she embraced both her American culture and especially her Mexican culture and that is just the way she got everyones attention and love. Although her english was not very strong, she still attempted to get i touch with that side of her. She inspired many people, and it just crazy that even after her death, her name continues to carry on and her legacy continues. Despite the odds that were thrown at her she used her charisma and charm to woo just about everyone. I personally am obsessed with this woman. She is my idol, and alwasy will be. She made a huge impact in the mexican culture, inspired many people, and gave this world great music that to this day is still very popular. She is a legend. The day she passed away, she took with her many broken hearts with her. But as i mentioned, her legacy continues.
ReplyDeletejoanne lopez
Selena Quintanilla will always be a role model for the chican@ people because of everything she did. she grew up in a working class Mexican home and didn’t know any Spanish and had to learn it because of the music. She entered into singing Tejano music which at the time, Tejano music was a male dominated market. She was different from the rest of the male Tejano singers, she changed how Tejano music was, which she used American music styles into Mexican music. Selena was known to be the “American Dream” and everyone wanted to be her. She was the type of person who would treat everyone equally, wasn’t a bad girl, and was very beautiful. I liked how the documentary talked a lot about what Selena and her family did before they became famous to be able to perform. They made their own costumes, performed anywhere and the documentary didn’t specify it directly, but it talked a lot about hard work, and if you work hard, it will pay off at the end and this is what happened to Selena and her family. It’s still sad to hear that Selena was killed, I mean, she was a wonderful and beautiful person with such awesome music. I wish I could see what else she would have done if she was still alive.
ReplyDeleteIvan Lira
I consider Selena one of the greatest singers in Spanish music, not just the queen of Tejano. I admire how she broke all the barriers in the U.S. with his music and talent, not only because she was Mexican and was able to succeed, but also as her sister said she was a woman trying to succeed in a male dominant style as Tejano. Selena left a legacy not only in music, but she is a role model or icon for others. She was living the American dream, all the hard work and dedication inverted in his music career paid off. I admire how she overcome the language barrier when she was not able to communicate with others in Spanish. Also, I think she was unique, because she did not have a conformist mentality that most people in our culture have, she wanted to transcend and experience new adventures in the American music market. I relate the story of Selena’s father to Gloria Anzaldua’s when she says she doesn’t feel accepted in one culture or another, because of what Abraham Quintanilla said at the beginning of the film, when they went to play English music at Mexican events and people didn’t like them and when they went to play English songs at Anglo events, they were judged because they were Mexicans. After reading Vargas “Cruzando Frontejas” we can see that Selena had similar problems that chicanas/os have, because she was obviously a chicana, thanks to that she was able to succeed, because la raza consider Selena one of us. Now in the reading we constantly see the term “crossover”, which I think in music it means how doors opened to achieve success on the Latin American Market and how eventually Selena represented South Texas and Tejano music.
ReplyDeleteLuis Reyna
Selena is a girl who unintentionally became the queen of Tejano music and left a legacy behind with her death coming so soon. Always so humble and down to earth that she won over people’s heart with her charisma and personality. What made Selena who she was, was that no matter how much fame she got, she always remembered her roots, where she came and who got her to where she was. She came from Mexican descent and was not able to speak Spanish, she was able to sing Spanish phonetically, but couldn’t speak it; “she would speak it kind of funny.” When she started playing music and it was more of a hobby but eventually her dad saw future in them and started getting them gigs. People would often doubt their ability because they were just kids and it was Selena the lead singer. Tejano music was a male dominated genre and just like that with a snap of her fingers Selena came to conquer the audience with her stage outfits, dance moves, but most importantly her voice and the incorporation of other music rhythms. she was loved by everyone and although she did not speak Spanish, when she went out to Mexico, she took it upon her to learn it because she knew it was important to her, to her career and to her fans. she became loved because she treated everyone the same, she smiled and joked with everyone and gave them the ability to make them feel as if they knew her since forever. She was special that she changed the world forever, could it have been her ability to win the audience over with just a look from her eyed, the voice she carried, her big bright white smile or, her dance moves, her outfits or just her humbleness, who knows what it was, but she was it; she was definitely it. Whatever Selena did, she always she made or wore, she had self-respect, dignity and an education that would not let give the men from the Tejano genre get the wrong impression of her. She was just amazing and that’s also what people liked about her, that even though she wore bustiers and showed her curves, she never disrespected herself or made herself look vulgar in anyway. She was well proud of her Mexican heritage and latinxs could identified with her because she was the definition of the American dream like others said. It has been rare for someone of Mexican descent, much less a woman, to not only entertain those that relate to her ethnic background, but also being able to succeed in a male dominated genre. She made it in the music industry and she wanted more. She started her own boutiques and that’s where she flourished because fashion was her passion, she loved music, but fashion and designing was where she felt that her heart was. People just love her, and they still do until this day and her legacy will keep on going on for generations because she is just that great. The way I see her death is that, she was so full of happiness, joy and love that the universe had to take her early because it was protecting her from the heart break that the world doles out, and before it could harm her or burn out her light, she had to be taken away from us. By doing so, we would be left with the greatest memories of her and always see her with that bright smile and positivity of hers and we would give her back all the love and loyalty that she gave to us by keeping her legacy alive.
ReplyDeleteAshley Escalante
Selena Quintanilla is someone I consider to be successful in representing our culture. Coming from a hispanic culture totally changed things around such perspectives and other successful journeys that came to encounter our expansion. Her father didn't want to have a concert or interviews in Mexico because she did not know how to speak it clearly and he felt that it was disrespect since that's basically her culture. When she did the interview, she could translate one word and said it in English. I felt that this was a huge turn around because they still accepted her for who turned out to be and even more, she represented who they were. I found it amazing how they didn't judge her. More than anything, her story is a representation of the "American Dream". I adore how she wasn't only considering herself as Mexican or American but both. She sang tejano music that led to the top charts, it was a huge deal for the reason that she was a woman being successful in what they call "tejano is only sang by men". Her journey left a mark on all of us because she started breaking chambers for woman and mexicans, all in one.
ReplyDeleteYarazeth Ramirez
Selena is an icon to Mexican American and Tejano music because she could get up on the stage and win everyone over with her music and voice. The way they mixed ballads, r & b and Tejano music together was something new to the audience and they like it. It was a good combination for them and Selena was good at transmitting that. She always looked beautiful in whatever it is that she wore. She became the voice for the Latinxs out there and she represented them even though she was not able to speak Spanish. She was an inspiration to other Latinas because she could make it in the real world while being proud of her Mexican heritage and not forgetting where she started. She is recognized everywhere, and her music is played on all around the world, it’s even sang by people who don’t speak Spanish yet still love her music. Although we don’t know what would have become of her if it weren’t for her death, we do know that he legacy will live on and passed on from generations to generations, which makes her an icon to Tejano music; she is after all the queen of Tejano music and queen of cumbia.
ReplyDeleteMayra Saldana
Selena Quintanilla is known for her Tejano music and you would have to be living in some other world if you do not know who she is or have not heard a song of hers. When I was little, I remember listening to her music at home we would even do karaoke with her songs. I admire her because she is Mexican American and there are not many Latina artists to look up to and she was one of them. Selena was judged because she could not speak perfect Spanish which people thought it was weird because her songs were in Spanish and her Spanish while singing sounded perfect, but you have to keep in mind that knowing a song means that you’d have to hear it a lot of times and after a lot of times of singing it, it is going to sound perfect. She was also used to speaking TexMex because that is how people in the south speak, we even hear it in the valley. I usually speak Spanish all the time and Spanish is my first language but sometimes I forget a word I want to say or I just cannot find the exact word, but I know the exact word I’m looking for in English, so I say it in English and keep going with the conversation Spanish.
ReplyDeleteYadira de Leon
“Cruzando Frontejas” by Deborah Vargas reveals a reality that goes beyond crossing a physical border moving towards a better life. This article reveals the leap our culture took by opening themselves to accept for a young women like Selena Quintanilla to represent us.
ReplyDeleteI have never been a big fan of Selena, but I can definitely identify her music and that is because she became one of the most recognized voices in the Tejano music industry, something that seemed almost impossible due to the fact that Tejano music was dominated by male singers.
Selena not only was a little girl who fought for her dreams becoming a role model for many girls her age, she became an icon of the Mexican American culture. I believe that it was because of her fame that many latino communities were acknowledged in the United States. Unfortunately, it was after her tragic death that she was recognized even more, and the Mexican American community as well.
It’s been 22 years since her passing, and Selena is still present in our culture, bringing joy to family reunions, romanticism with her love lyrics, but most importantly pride...because we can proudly say she was one of us.
Rossy Tapia Cervantes
I really enjoyed this assignment because I find Selena to be a great role model to not only the people of my culture but to other cultures as well. It was very unfortunate the way she passed, but her spirit still lives through her music. Even today, more than twenty years later, she continues to be an example to many women. She surpassed many obstacles and limitations. She became the first female Tejano singer that gained so much success. She was able to express her voice to all types of people. I find Selena to be so inspirational. Selena is really one of my favorite female singers, sometimes I wish I was in her time, but I am glad that I am still able to hear her music. What I have always found to be very amazing about her character was that she is very family based. That I feel is to be a direct representation to our Hispanic culture. Selena was always seen as humble and confident person, with the way she carried herself. She continued to prosper with starting her own hair salon, and the continued to with creating her own clothing line. Although she has passed she will continue to be present in our Hispanic culture.
ReplyDelete-Alma De La Llana