#SeeHer Story Praises Jennifer Lopez, a True Triple-Threat, in Episode 17
Jennifer Lopez may appear in the dictionary next to the definition for “triple threat.” The singer, dancer and actress (and overall brand mogul), born to Puerto Rican parents in the Bronx, has always made her roots essential to her success, spotlighting them in her work and reminding people to be proud of where they came from.
To showcase the life of such an inspiring woman, #SeeHer Story will celebrate Lopez in this week’s episode. The goal of #SeeHer Story, a digital video series from Katie Couric Media and PEOPLE, is to recognize female trailblazers throughout the past 100 years and celebrate how they’ve helped to shape history and culture.
As this year marks the centennial anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, the series hopes to commemorate such an important time for women in history by recognizing fearless women who have made strides for others to follow in their footsteps.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Lopez constantly credits her hometown for shaping her life; she famously sang “No matter where I go, I know where I came from,” in her 2002 hit “Jenny from the Block.”
Lopez stepped onto the entertainment scene early in her life, becoming a Fly Girl dancer on In Living Color in 1991.
Her big break, however, came at age 27 when she scored the role of Selena, the Queen of Tejano music, in the late singer’s self-titled biopic.
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The actress’s performance earned her a Golden Globe nomination and over a million dollars — a historic first for a Latina actor.
Lopez added music to her dancing and singing career in 1999, and soon made headlines for becoming the first woman to have a number one movie (The Wedding Planner) and a number one album in the same week.
To date, the triple threat has appeared in over 30 movies and sold more than 80 million records worldwide.
She attributes her tremendous success to her extreme dedication.
“You just have to work harder than everybody else,” she said in the clip.
Throughout her career, Lopez has used her platform to advocate for girls and women — opening health centers for mothers and children in Puerto Rico, Panama, and the Bronx through the Lopez Family Foundation.
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She continues to bring women’s issues to the forefront, most recently as a producer for her blockbuster Hustlers, which earned her a Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild nomination.
Keeping close ties with Puerto Rico also remains especially important to Lopez.
“It was like when something happened to Puerto Rico, it happened to me,” she said.
Lopez has raised more than $35 million in relief funds since the country experienced its devastating hurricane in 2017.
At 50, Lopez is still adding new titles to her long list of credits.
The performer is set to headline this year’s Super Bowl halftime show alongside Shakira.
“I think it’s important in this day and age for two Latin women to be standing on that stage when Latinos are being treated a certain way in this country or looked at in a certain way,”‘ she said of her upcoming show. “We have a really specific and beautiful culture and worth and value, and we bring something to this country that’s necessary.”
#SeeHer Story will also be a regular feature in PEOPLE’s print edition, the weekday morning newsletter Wake-Up Call with Katie Couric, on PeopleTV’s entertainment show PEOPLE Now as well as on PEOPLE Now Weekend.
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