In 2021, actress Anya Taylor-Joy found herself at the center of a media controversy following her Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for her role in The Queen’s Gambit. The entertainment publication Variety described her as a “woman of color,” a characterization that sparked widespread confusion and debate across social media platforms. Many questioned the accuracy of this label, given Taylor-Joy’s appearance and her own identification as a white Latina.
Taylor-Joy was born in Miami, Florida, to a Scottish-Argentine father and a British-Spanish mother. She spent her early childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before moving to London at the age of six. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she has often spoken about her multicultural upbringing and her connection to her Argentine roots. In a 2018 interview with Vulture, she expressed caution about auditioning for Latina roles, stating:
“I’m aware of the fact I don’t look like a typical Latin person, and that’s not fair. I don’t want to be someone that you can just sub in for that role when I’m really white and blonde.”
The mislabeling by Variety led to swift backlash. Writer Valerie Complex highlighted the issue on Twitter, noting the inaccuracy of the publication’s statement. Social media users echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that while Taylor-Joy identifies as Latina, this does not automatically categorize her as a person of color. One user remarked:
“Anya Taylor-Joy is very beautiful and very cool but she is not a woman of color.”
“Anya Taylor-Joy is a woman of color?! Is this a f***ing joke?! She is white and she is from Latin America. There are white people here too. Latin American is not an ethnicity, in any case, it makes reference to a geographical or cultural area.”
In response to the criticism, Variety updated their article to better reflect Taylor-Joy’s ancestry, including a notice that read:
“UPDATED: This story has been updated. A previous version identified Anya Taylor-Joy as a person of color. She has said she identifies as a white Latina.”
This incident underscores the complexities surrounding racial and ethnic identities, particularly in the context of Latin American heritage. In countries like Argentina, the majority of the population is of European descent, and the term “Latina” encompasses a diverse range of racial backgrounds. As such, conflating Latin American identity with being a person of color can be misleading.
The controversy also highlights the importance of accurate representation in media. Mislabeling individuals can perpetuate misunderstandings about cultural and racial identities, and it emphasizes the need for media outlets to approach such topics with nuance and sensitivity.
For Taylor-Joy, the experience brought attention to the broader conversation about diversity and representation in Hollywood. While she embraces her multicultural background, she remains conscious of the privileges her appearance affords her in the industry. Her stance serves as a reminder of the ongoing challenges in achieving authentic representation on screen.
In conclusion, the mischaracterization of Anya Taylor-Joy as a “woman of color” serves as a case study in the complexities of identity and the importance of thoughtful, informed discourse in media representations.
