In the last few months, Yalitza Aparicio has looked fabulously on magazine cover after magazine cover. On Monday, we learned that she’ll appear on another one: People en Español’s Los 50 Más Bellos. Dressed in a cream suit dress, Aparicio poses alongside a few other of today’s biggest Latina/Latin American stars, including Kate del Castillo, Eiza Gonález, Gina Rodriguez, and Natti Natasha.
Though Yalitza doesn’t need the validation of a magazine, it is an important moment. Magazines don’t feature Indigenous women like Yalitza (or Afro-Latinas or Asian Latinas or other women of color) enough. There’s also the fact that as she campaigned for the Academy Award for Best Actress, other celebrities and people focused on her looks. In Mexico, as in other parts of the world, people who with darker skin (particularly, those who are Indigenous and Black) are not considered beautiful. They’re judged against Eurocentric beauty ideals instead of celebrated for their own.
Despite all the criticism she’s faced, Yalitza has remained gracious. In an interview with Vogue, she once again reaffirmed her pride in her heritage. “Stereotypes that only one type of person can aspire to be in a movie or on the cover of a magazine are being broken,” she said. “They’re getting to know other faces from Mexico and that’s something that makes me so happy and proud of my roots.”
For now, People en Español has only revealed its cover stars. The rest of the list will be available on May 2.