The Tejana Queen Who Continues To Inspires Tejanas
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

The Tejana Queen Who Continues To Inspires Tejanas

Your favorite Mexican-American Tejana Idol.

166
The Tejana Queen Who Continues To Inspires Tejanas
Flickr

It’s been 23 years since the passing away of Mexican-American singer, songwriter and fashion designer Selena Quintanilla Perez. She is known as a fashion icon, the queen of Tejano and cumbia, and an influential artist who broke barriers, but she impacted the world so much more.

Like Selena, I grew up in Texas with a Mexican-American family and am a proud Tejana. To me, being Mexican-American is the best of two worlds. It is switching from speaking Spanish to English in the same sentence, watching American football one day and another watching soccer, enjoying Tex-Mex food, but another night, traditional Mexican food.

It’s all part of the Mexican-American Culture.

Selena is a true inspiration to Tejanas everywhere, including myself. I remember when I first watched the Selena movie. After I watched it once, I couldn’t stop.

One part that has always resonated with me the most is where Selena's dad tells her and her brother, “being Mexican-American is tough. Anglos jump all over you if you don't speak English perfectly; Mexicans jump all over you if you don't speak spanish perfectly. We gotta be twice as perfect as anybody else.”

The whole scene Selena’s dad explains how being Mexican-American is tough because you have to be Mexican enough for Mexicans and American enough for Americans. That is something that I was able to relate with at such a young age, and I thought to myself, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Selena broke barriers and became the idol for Tejanas to look up to and we still look up to her today. Selena and her siblings were a tejano band with a female lead singer.

She is the queen of Cumbia and Tejano.

Selena was able to dominate the Cumbia music industry -- which was very popular in Mexico — and dominate the Tejano music industry. Tejano music is a strong part of Mexican-American Texas culture. It’s a genre that is dominated in central and southern Texas.

Tejano music is dominated by males, but Selena changed that.

Selena brought Tejano music to Mexico and became the first female to really succeed in a male-dominated industry. A lot of people said a woman could never succeed in the Tejano industry, but she did.

She won so many awards at the Tejano music awards, including Album of the Year. Selena paved a way for Latin artists. She set a precedence that Latin artists could cross over from the United States to Latin American countries, and to Latin-American women artists that they could succeed in any industry they wanted.

Selena truly showed that the impossible was always possible.

Actress and businesswoman Eva Longoria is also a Tejana from Corpus Christi, Texas who was inspired by Selena. At Selena’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star reveal, she spoke about how Selena impacted her life.

Longoria stated, “She was the face I finally saw that looked like mine. She validated my existence and proved to the world that we existed, us Mexican-Americans. She straddled the hyphen of what it meant to be as American as apple pie and as Mexican as enchiladas.”

This is the exact feeling I felt when seven-year-old me saw the Selena movie on my bedroom television, and how I continued to feel as I grew up listening to her music, watching videos of her on Youtube, singing and dancing to her songs with my family.

Representation truly does matter in this world.

I am proud to be Mexican-American, Tejana, and of my heritage and my culture.

Selena is someone who has made an impact in my life where I have someone who comes from Texas and is Mexican-American I can look up to. She is a true inspiration to Mexican-American girls and women everywhere, and I hope to someday be as inspirational as she was.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

933296
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

109513
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less
New Year Resolutions

It's 2024! You drank champagne, you wore funny glasses, and you watched the ball drop as you sang the night away with your best friends and family. What comes next you may ask? Sadly you will have to return to the real world full of work and school and paying bills. "Ah! But I have my New Year's Resolutions!"- you may say. But most of them are 100% complete cliches that you won't hold on to. Here is a list of those things you hear all around the world.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Ultimate Birthday: Unveiling the Perfect Day to Celebrate!

Let's be real, the day your birthday falls on could really make or break it.

55600
​different color birthday candles on a cake
Blacksburg Children's Museum

You heard it here first: birthdays in college are some of the best days of your four years. For one day annually, you get to forget about your identity as a stressed, broke, and overworked student, and take the time to celebrate. You can throw your responsibilities for a day, use your one skip in that class you hate, receive kind cards and gifts from loved ones and just enjoy yourself.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments