The “Mi Gente Latino” meme refers to a comment made by Jennifer Lopez at the 2011 American Music Awards after winning in the Favorite Latin Music Artist category. It is generally used to joke about Latino culture, especially anyone seen as being inauthentic or not actually in any way connected to the culture.
Who said “Mi Gente Latino?”
In Lopez’s speech way back in 2011, she signed off by dedicating her award to her fans and then saying “Mi Gente Latino.” At the time, Lopez was arguably at the height of her powers. Now, in 2024, she has recently experienced a rough year and some viral moments that are not too flattering, especially following news of her divorce from Ben Affleck.
When people mock the phrase, they are somewhat mocking Lopez, though probably not all of them know it. At this point, the phrase is used so much, it is a bit separated from its meme origins.
When did it become a meme?
It first took off in 2020 on Twitter, and it is sometimes a joke and sometimes semi-sincere. In a now-deleted tweet, X user @popcultbio noticed that in the audience, after Lopez’s speech, singer/songwriter Taylor Swift turned to her friend Selena Gomez and asked, “She speaks Spanish?”
Later, @CATBOYBOSS shared the clip as well, and it is pretty funny.
What does “Mi Gente Latino” mean?
Simply translated, it means “My Latino People.”
What was wrong when J.Lo said “Mi Gente Latino”
Not really anything! People now have a tendency to make fun of Lopez, especially her claim of being from the Bronx. During the release of her new album This is Me … Now and her documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told, a clip went viral of Lopez talking about her adolescence and it got thoroughly eviscerated on TikTok.
In the original clip, Lopez takes her hair down and looks in the mirror, before reminiscing, “I like taking my hair out like this. It reminds me, like, when I was 16 in the Bronx, running up and down the block. Crazy little girl who used to f***ing be wild and no limits, all dreams.”
@ariisaysso2 #stitch with @Prime Video WHAT IS THIS!?😭 #jlo #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – ariisaysso2
As the jokes about Lopez increased, so did people’s enjoyment of the meme. She is often perceived as being wealthy and out of touch with her roots. But back in 2011, no one thought anything about it except possibly Taylor Swift.
Cultural significance of “Mi Gente Latino”
Mainly, it has come out in memes. Some people are definitely joking, but it does occasionally get used in a positive way. Really great stuff for Mi Gente Latino.
Related memes:
- Vamos…a mimir
- Explaining the Esnupi meme
- ‘Do you speak English or Spanish?’: The meme making people gay
- KEKW: what does it all mean?
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