May 28, 2013 - Written by: Yazmin Joy

5 Reason’s J.Lo is My She-Hero

I am a massive Jennifer Lopez fan. HUGE. When I think about it, J.Lo has influenced a lot of my life. Growing up, J.Lo was one of the reasons that I went back to dance class, dressed like a chav for about 3 years and attempted to abbreviate my name to Y.Vi – doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, does it?

Image via Tumblr.

But my infatuation with Jennifer wasn’t just a passing phase. Here are five reasons I adore the Latin diva and why she is one of my (personal) role models.

1) Jennifer Lopez is a bloody hard-worker.

Movies, business ventures, albums, children, concerts, TV shows… Jennifer is one of the most hardworking celebs around, often juggling a multitude of projects at the same time.

2) She uses what she’s got.

Anything J.Lo lacks in vocal or acting ability she makes up for with her relentless determination and incredible hard work ethic. What a babe. Can’t sing like Mariah Carey?? Don’t be discouraged – Jennifer is living proof you can be successful with the talents you DO have. She uses her dancing ability, impeccable showmanship, entrepreneurial flair and massive arse to her advantage. What a babe.

3) She has self-respect.

Say what you will about J.Lo, but you never see her getting papped drunk with her tits out on a night out. Since the drama with ex-boyfriend P. Diddy you rarely see Jennifer acting like a douche in public. The woman always acts professionally when she is in the public eye. Despite the media’s focus on her love life, Jennifer never acts like a little bitch about it. She just gets on with it and doesn’t give a monkey’s about what people say. She also looks after her body. She DOES NOT LOOK 43.

4) She didn’t get it easy.

Unlike a lot of celebs who shot to the top at a ridiculously young age, Jennifer was 30 when her debut single If You Had My Love hit the charts. Before she took centre stage she was a back up dancer for New Kids on the Block and Janet Jackson, she even worked as a soliciters assistant for a short while as she was finding her feet. For most of us who are still making our journey towards creative careers, Jennifer is a massive inspiration. She proved you don’t need to be fresh out of high school to have a music career and that this life is a marathon not a race.

5) She made it against all the odds.

When she was a teenager, living in the Bronx, Jennifer declared to her (pretty poor) Puerto Rican parents that she wanted to be a movie star. Quite understandably, they thought the idea was pretty dumb-ass and far-fetched. After all, Jennifer was latino and the reality of her making it in the mainstream entertainment industry was virtually impossible.

…over a decade later, when her first single came out in the UK, I remember thinking to myself: ‘Oh my gosh, that singer looks a (little bit) like me!!!’

At the time it was kind of a big deal. I am so glad Jennifer stuck with her dream despite the lack of opportunities for ‘ethnic’ or latino performers. And also did so without making a big fucking deal about it.

Last October my mum and I went to see Jennifer Lopez in concert – almost 15 years after I purchased her first record with my pocket money at the local independent record store.

The whole show was so seamlessly put together; from the lighting, to the warm-up song to the costumes and the choreography. See that’s why I like J.Lo. If I was past 40, just gone though my third divorce from the father of my two children and had about 4 years of career flops I would probably be lacking in a little confidence to be fair. I would probably be at home in a graveyard of kit-kat wrappers smelling like booze and listening to Radio Head weeping.

But despite the adversity, Jennifer was present, focused, fresh, fit and generally on top form proving to all her critics that life goes on bitch!

In a world where film and music stars have such a momentous impact on people I think it’s pretty cool to highlight some celebs who don’t act like wankers and have an evident cocaine problem.

So I’ve shared how J to the L O inspires me. Which celebs have a positive impact your life? I wanna know!

Until next week…