Josefina Lopez is not a morning person. The creator of “Real Women Have Curves” tried hard not to be late for the College of Liberal Arts-sponsored reading of her new novel, “Hungry Woman in Paris.” She went to bed early the night before but — after a misunderstanding about parking and a quick stop at the Library’s Starbucks — Lopez finally showed up to a full room of mostly Latinas.
Lopez’ face reminds me of Long Beach native Jenni Rivera — the queen of contemporary Regional Mexican music. With her beautifully arched eyebrows and tough Chicana vernacular, Lopez addressed the audience with such an animated persona that it was impossible to keep your eyes off of her. She jumps from one subject to the next and tries to ease the quiet audience, who are probably in awe of such talented personality.
“Real Women” is possibly one of the best movies ever made about first-generation college students. Before the movie was made it was actually a play. Though various things changed in the movie-making process, the message of self-empowerment-despite-your-limitations is still there. You don’t really have to be a Latina, or a woman for that matter, to grasp the true meaning behind the movie.
“I went to NYU, but I wasn’t politically conscious back then so I felt that I didn’t fit in anywhere,” Lopez later tells me about her days as a college student. Those insecurities led to her dropping out of school. Once she picked up the college route again and joined MEChA, she received the support she felt she wasn’t getting from her parents.
Oftentimes, she felt as though she was the only Latina doing whatever project she was working on. She later realized that she was leaving a mark not only for herself, but for her grandchildren as well.
When President George W. Bush got reelected and Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor of California, she packed up her belongings and moved to France with her husband and children. Even after the popularity of “Real Women Have Curves,” Lopez still had troubles with the always-scrutinizing world of Hollywood.
But after joining the prestigious Parisian cooking school Le Cordon Bleu, the creative juices returned and “Hungry Women in Paris” was born. In the novel, Lopez touches subjects such as suicide and immigration. The latter subject is very close to Lopez’s heart because she was an undocumented immigrant in the United States for 13 years.
“I wanted to write a book about what it’s like to be an immigrant in the United States versus being an immigrant in France,” Lopez said.
I meant to ask Lopez if she’d be interested in collaborating in the sequel to her successful work; “Real Men Have Curves” maybe? But I was too intimidated to suggest the idea. Josefina, if you’re reading this, please sign me up for the lead! Or whatever.
– Julio Salgado