Hilaria Baldwin defends her 'multi' cultural identity, says she has 'right to belong'

Hilaria Baldwin is addressing her Spanish heritage scandal once again.

Baldwin, who previously faced backlash for allegedly faking her Spanish accent and misrepresenting her upbringing, shared a lengthy message Thursday about her heritage — this time calling herself "multi" cultured and "fluid."

In December, videos emerged on social media showing Baldwin speaking with different accents, and tweets claimed she used to go by the name Hillary.

"I had a very special experience-I spent time with my family for the first time in nearly 2 years, due to Covid," she wrote. "We talked about how we grew up, our languages, our cultures-multi& very valid. We discussed belonging& how there are people who want to deny others their right to belong."

Baldwin went on to detail the challenges faced by those who are "multi" cultured, including the need to "explain" oneself and "fit into a world of labels."

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"It can feel hard to belong. You are constantly going back and forth, trying to be more this or more that," she wrote. "You will never quite fit in because the other parts of you shape and influence all your parts. Nothing inside you can truly exist in a segregated environment. It’s not a light switch that cleanly switches on &off-more of a sliding dial that simply shifts through a rainbow of colors."

In response to her detractors, Baldwin addressed those who "devalue" or "invalidate" her cultural identity, explaining that "we all get to curate our individual expressions of our cultures, languages, who we love, what we believe in, how we dress, present ourselves."

"You are valid, worthy &you don’t need to explain or get into the uncomfortable 'prove it' conversation. You don’t owe that to anyone," she wrote, urging her followers to normalize "the fact that we are all unique" and "are allowed to be fluid."

To conclude her post, Baldwin seemingly referenced the scandal, which she called a "painful experience," and said it allowed her to understand that her identity may not align with others' expectations.

"If you are suffering, please know that a loving group see your validity and belonging. We love& accept you, just as you are," she said. "You don’t need to be this and then that, switching, dancing to the beat of someone else’s drum. You can be 100% you all the time. Ebb &flow, in your brilliant fluidity, as your (sic) very legitimate you."

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Baldwin's latest post comes seven months after she was accused of pretending to be Spanish even though she was born in Boston. She first apologized for not being clearer about her upbringing in a New York Times interview published in December, claiming she didn't know ?Hola! magazine reported inaccurately that she was a Spaniard.

Baldwin re-addressed the situation in February, saying she's spent time "listening, reflecting, and asking myself how I can learn and grow."

Though she reiterated she was raised with both American and Spanish cultures and feels "a true sense of belonging to both," she added that "the way I’ve spoken about myself and my deep connection to two cultures could have been better explained."

"I should have been more clear and I'm sorry," she continued, captioning a photo of herself with husband Alec Baldwin and five of their children. "I'm proud of the way I was raised, and we’re raising our children to share the same love and respect for both. Being vulnerable and pushing ourselves to learn and grow is what we've built our community on, and I hope to get back to the supportive and kind environment we’ve built together."

According to Baldwin, her family spent much of their time during her childhood in Madrid, Seville and Valencia when they visited Spain. She reiterated that she was born in Boston and grew up spending time in both Massachusetts and Spain. Her parents and brother live in Spain, and she decided to live in the U.S.

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Contributing: Charles Trepany, David Oliver

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hilaria Baldwin defends 'multi' cultured identity after controversy