Born on this day in New York City, Jennifer Lynn Lopez grew up in the Bronx, where her fierce sense of identity began to take shape. Raised in a Catholic household, she spent 12 years in parochial school and was an athlete from the start, playing softball, mastering gymnastics, and channeling energy into movement and music.

In 1990, she first lit up the screen as a backup dancer on In Living Color. From there, her star began to rise. “My parents wanted me to be a lawyer,” she once said. “But I don’t think I would have been very happy. I’d be in front of the jury singing.”

With determination, Lopez chased her dreams on her own terms: “I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it’s all just one thing.”

Her breakout role in the biopic Selena revealed a star who could carry a film and a movement. Audiences saw in her not only talent, but grace, range, and cultural pride. Her success ignited a career that would span decades and defy labels.

Jennifer Lopez became a global icon, commanding stages and screens with catchy pop and R&B hits, red carpet dazzle, and unapologetic confidence. Her presence redefined beauty standards, sparked conversations, and inspired the revival of the word callipygian. “I could serve coffee using my rear as a ledge,” she once joked. “I have curves, I have hips, and I have a big bottom. Men have always loved that look.”

Indeed. And women embraced the look, too. She showed the world that power and softness can coexist. That success looks many ways. That when you know your worth, you don’t just shine... you lead.