Latina subjectivity, sexuality and sensuality

This introductory essay considers the connections and contradictions of Latina sexuality and sensuality. It critiques the “othering” practices of hegemonic representation by studying the ways the “Madonna/Whore Complex” has affected the cultural specificity of the Latina body and its reception. It includes an analysis of the film by Lourdes Portillo, A conversation with academics about Selena (1999), in which leading Chicana intellectuals (i.e., Cherrie Moraga and Sandra Cisneros among others) discuss the impact of Selena's life and death on the community as well as her sensual brown body.