Camila Cabello: A Multidimensional Cultural Icon

Sara Kim

AMST203: Popular Culture in America

Brienne Adams
January 18, 2019
 Music is an integral part of American popular culture and society. It is so fluid. Its

influence is distinct depending on the user, producer, and means of distribution and platform.

One solo artist, Camila Cabello, utilizes her musical talents and media presence to bring Latin

cultural representation and production to American popular culture.

Camila Cabello was born Karla Camila Cabello Estrabao in the eastern Havana city of

Cojimar, Cuba to a Mexican father and Cuban mother1. She is an immigrant, moving to Miami,

Florida at a young age. It is all too appropriate that her rise to fame came during an era in

American history with such high racial tensions, and this is something she is not afraid to talk

about. Coming to America and not being able to speak any English, Cabello was hegemonically

at the bottom. Even today, she is still one of only a few Latina artists with any media presence.

According to Dustin Kidd, the Hispanic population is the most underrepresented group in the

United States. According to his statistical analysis of representation in various facets of popular

culture, 16.3% of the population identify as Hispanic while only 4.9% of films have a Hispanic

role2. A more pertinent analysis would be of the musical billboard top 100. It is even more

astounding to see that only 2% of the top 100 featured a Hispanic artist3. As of the week of

January 12, 2019, Camila Cabello has two spots in the top 100 songs in America4. This goes to

show how Cabello is so influential. She becomes that voice for such an underrepresented group

in an immense facet of American culture.

Cabello has dual representation, not only for the Latino/a community, but for women as

well. In the article “Pop and Circumstance: Why Pop Culture Matters” by Andi Zeisler, John

1
Yeung, “Camila Cabello| Biography & History”.
2
Kidd, 12
3
Kidd, 17
4
“Top 100 Songs…”
Berger puts it very plainly: men act, and women appear5. More now than before, feminism has

become more entwined in popular culture. Cabello, like many female artists, are always having

to justify themselves in their actions. After leaving her group Fifth Harmony, Cabello had to

continuously bear the weight of constantly proving she was justified. However, when male artist

Justin Timberlake did the same thing in leaving *NSYNC, he was not faced with nearly the same

amount of criticism6. In her tour with Taylor Swift and Charli XCX, the three female artists show

that women can be vulnerable and emotional, but that doesn’t reduce them to just that. It is

something that should be celebrated as a “loud, visible statement for modern feminism” and

recognizes powerful women in popular music7.

According to Douglas Kellner, production and political economy go hand in hand8.

Especially in today’s political climate, people tend to be silent on many issues. Cabello utilizes

the system of production to tear down the structural limits to what can and cannot be said and

shown. She is open about her Cuban heritage and unapologetic about her support for those who

are like her. For example, she used her platform to speak in support on behalf of DREAMers at

the 2018 Grammy awards. She stated, “I’m a proud Cuban-Mexican immigrant born in eastern

Havana...an all I know is that just like dreams, these kids can’t be forgotten and are worth

fighting for”9.With the advent of technology such as the television, radio, and internet, means of

cultural production has never been easier and more accessible. This is advantageous to Cabello

since her music and the messages she shares are easily accessible to all, and she is able to

express herself as an organic intellectual (someone who is able to articulate the knowledge,

5
Scott, Cayleff, Donadey, and Lara, 187.
6
Moran, “Taylor, Charli, and Camila…”.
7
Moran.
8
Kellner, 10.
9
Rodriguez, “Camila Cabello Honors Dreams…”.
interests, or experiences of their own class or social group within wider social and political

fields)10. According to the article “Hop on Pop”, the ability to express ourselves in accessible

terms creates an open forum for serious engagement11.

With cultural production also comes cultural reproduction. In media, it is too often the

case that female artists are stripped of their human agency. This is especially true for the Latina

artist. Reproduction of the Latina body is seen throughout popular culture. We are living in a

state of Latinidad, the state and process of being, becoming, and/or appearing Latina/o is the “it”

ethnicity and style in contemporary US mainstream culture12. However, there are enduring

stereotypes and tropes of Latinas in popular culture. This trope is called tropicalism. Tropicalism

is inherently damaging because it completely erases specificity and homogenizes all who identify

as Latin13. A key part of tropicalism is sexuality. Latina bodies have been characterized by

emphasizing the breast, hips and buttocks14. Latina bodies are especially marginalized in popular

culture by an ideological contradiction. Their bodies are seen as “other” yet desirable and this

desirability is determined by their signification of exoticism. Cabello references her experience

in having to become a sex symbol in the music industry, saying that “especially with being a girl

group, there’s been a lot of times where people have tried to sexualize us to just get more

attention”15. Cabello however reclaims that notion of forced sexualization by the media by

stating that she has “put [her] foot down” when she was not comfortable, but also stating that

there is absolutely nothing wrong with expressing your sexuality on your own terms because “if

10
Florensky, Jenkins, Shattuc, and McPherson, 12.
11
Florensky, Jenkins, Shattuc, and McPherson, 13.
12
Guzman and Valdivia, 205.
13
Guzman and Valdivia, 211.
14
Guzman and Valdivia, 212.
15
Vernon, “Camila Cabello Speaks about…”.
you have [sexuality] inside, it’s just an expression of who you are. If you want to share that with

people, that’s amazing”16.

The popularity of such a young star is the fact that she is the definition of the American

Dream. As stated before, she is an immigrant from Cuba, traveling to Miami with her family

with a “backpack that held onto their possessions and $500”17. This resonates with so many

people, including myself. I am the daughter of immigrant parents and grandparents. Seeing

someone who not only understands that story, but I can relate to on so many levels succeed in

America is profound. Not only is she reconstructing the meaning of the American dream, she is

reconstructing the ideas of femininity in media. There is a marginalization of female minorities

in place of the dominant construction of whiteness and femininity18. Too many times have I, and

other women who do not identify as white, wish we could just fit in and meet the Eurocentric

standards of beauty that is so prevalent in American pop culture. In an interview with Glamour

Magazine, Cabello opens up about her insecurities surrounding her dark hair, her skin tone, and

dark eyes, something so many women can relate to19. However, as she got older, she became

proud of who she is. She is unashamed in her heritage and her Latin culture, and uses her

platform to bring it into the popular culture conversation.

Camila Cabello can relate to so many people, whether it be through her representation of

women, Latinas, or immigrants. Utilizing her talent, voice, and advantaging today’s cultural

production and accessibility, Camila Cabello is truly a multidimensional cultural icon in today’s

American popular culture.

16
Vernon
17
Portee, “Camila Cabello’s Immigration Story…”.
18
Guzman and Valdivia, 206.
19
Pham, “Camila Cabello Reveals She…”.
 Bibliography

Florensky, Pavel, Henry Jenkins, Jane Shattuc, and Tara McPherson. 2002. Hop on Pop: the
Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Guzman, Isabel Molina and Anghard N. Valdivia (2004) Brain, Brow, and Boot: Latina Iconicity
in U.S. Popular Culture, The Communication Review, 7:2, 205-221, DOI:10.1080/
10714420490448723
Kellner, Douglas. Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture. Place of Publication
not identified: SAGE Publications.
Kidd, Dustin. 2018. POP CULTURE FREAKS: Identity, Mass Media, and Society. Place of
publication not identified: WESTVIEW.
Moran, Justin. 2018. “Taylor, Charli, and Camila: The Feminism Behind Their ‘Reputation’
Tour.” PAPER. PAPER. May 15, 2018. http://www.papermag.com/taylor-swift-
2565269389.html?rebelltitem=5#rebelltitem5.
Pham, Jason. 2018. “Camila Cabello Reveals She Wanted to Be ‘Blonde and Blue-Eyed’
Growing Up.” StyleCaster. StyleCaster. November 4, 2018.
https://stylecaster.com/camila-cabello-blonde-blue-eye/.
Portee, Alex. 2018. “Camila Cabello’s Immigration Story Is The Definition of The American
Dream.” Fierce. Mitu inc. May 31, 2018.
https://fierce.wearemitu.com/entertainment/camila-cabellos-immigration-story-is-the
definition-of-the-american-dream/.
Rodriguez, Laura. 2018. “Camila Cabello Honors Dreams during Grammys.” Chicago Tribune.
Chicago Tribune. January 29, 2018. https://www.chicagotribune.com/voiceit/ct-camila
-cabello-honors-dreams-during-grammys-20180129-story.html.
Scott, Bonnie Kime, Susan E. Cayleff, Anne Donadey, and Irene Lara. 2017. Women in Culture:
an Intersectional Anthology for Gender and Womens Studies. Chichester, West Sussex,
UK: John Wily & Sons, Ltd.
“Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart.” N.d. Billboard. Prometheus Global Media, LLC.
Accessed January 18, 2019. https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2019-01-12
Vernon, Beatriz. 2017. “Camila Cabello Speaks about the Power of Being Latina.” Univision
News. Univision. May 2, 2017. https://www.univision.com/univision
news/culture/camila-cabello-speaks-about-the-power-of-being-latina.
Yeung, Neil Z. n.d. “Camila Cabello | Biography & History.” AllMusic. Accessed January 18,
2019. https://allmusic.com/artist/camila-cabello-mn0003392996/biography.