Jennifer Lopez, by opting for a bare body look on the cover art of her upcoming single In The Morning, practically broke the internet earlier this week. In a social media post that has now gone viral, the ageless JLo can be seen standing stark naked against a black background with nothing but a shiny rock on her ring finger. Fans and followers, ever amazed with the singer's ethereal fitness even at 51, can't help but suspect there is some sorcery at play. The general sentiment her nude photo has elicited is one of disbelief, at how Jo - abs, muscles, et al - has only gotten healthier during a pandemic that has prompted the rest of us to stress-eat junk.
I can't say her drive to remain at the top of her physical game hasn't made me envious, especially as I write this now with an ache along the upper back of my rusty 20-something body.
But beyond the jealousy, there's a high sense of admiration and regard for Lopez's cover art. Because by posing nude at 51 with a muscled, curvy body that defies all conventional norms of the regular "fair, skinny" frame, Lopez has collectively shattered several stereotypes around beauty standards that bind all women.
I Want To See More Women Like JLo On Screen
Lopez has been a longtime vocal champion of body positivism, her strong physique standing out in deviance to her Hollywood counterparts. In an industry that relies on very measured, delicate body proportions, the Latina has taught entire generations of women, through her big screen appearances, to embrace their unique bodies. As one of the top Hispanic artists in the United States, Lopez has been credited with breaking down ethnic barriers in entertainment, while providing constant representation to non-white women who often possess "bigger" body types.
In his 2001 work Latin Sensations, writer Herón Marquez wrote: "Because she wasn't rail thin, Lopez had broken the mold and allowed millions of women to feel good about their bodies. Suddenly, it was okay for women to have hips, curves, and a big backside."
Looking at her physique, as a woman from India where curvy body frames are common, I feel an affinity to Lopez. I would expect (or at least dream) that my brown body will look somewhat like hers when I'm her age. Complete with the crevices, edges, indents that she is so proudly flaunting. So for how long must I be exposed to milk-fair bodies of perfect measures on my screen, in ads, in films? Wouldn't I rather look at a healthy, real-looking body like Lopez's, instead of a blemish-free expanse of skin?
Who Says JLo Is Not Acting Her Age?
Often regarded as one of the "sexiest" and "most influential" global icons, Lopez's appeal comes as much from these labels as it does from the confidence she has always exhibited in embracing her form. "There's this funny notion in America that you can't be a mom and be sexy (...) It's the craziest thing I've ever heard... The truth is that women can be sexy until the day they die," she was once quoted saying.
And she has proved it true to the t with her latest nude cover. Her confidence, her growth, her charisma hasn't aged a day even as her body continues to. Expectedly, many have taken offence to her nudity, going so far as to namecall her, while others told Lopez to act her age as an "old woman."
Naysayers coming at her with abuses are only reinforcing what we know about society's myopic estimation of women, where an increase in age is expected to trigger an increase in what is understood as "morality." A woman hitting half a century is supposed to be aged, look aged, act aged; assume the stereotyped personality of a withdrawn, wizened woman of past glory that people are assured by.
But has JLo ever been known to conform to what convention dictates? Or let it pull her down?
Far from it. Which is why this cover art is so iconic, so symbolic of what she has always believed in: That health and fitness don't know age. That motherhood does not deter a woman from looking her prime. That nudity isn't ugly on a woman her age. That imperfections are what make a human body perfect.
Views expressed are the author's own.
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