Aubrey Plaza: surly, sarcastic, sassy and the best resting bitchface the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department has ever seen. But did you know that the comedian is Latina? Most people don't.
Plaza, who is starring in the new film, Life After Beth, is a proud Puerto Rican. She addressed her heritage in Cosmopolitan for Latinas last fall and has reiterated her Latina pride in a recent Latina Magazine cover story.
The actress comes from a mixed racial and cultural background and feels “very connected” to the Puerto Rican side of her family.
“A lot of people don’t assume I’m Puerto Rican because I’m fair skinned,” she said in her interview with Cosmo.
As a mixed race person I can attest to the criticism that comes with “not looking” like the ethnicity people assume you should radiate. The uncomfortable and maddening position of having to convince people of your heritage is enough to make anyone second guess their identity.
“I was winning the diversity awards and people were always calling bullshit on me. I won the Hispanic teenager of the year and I felt terrible. I always felt like I didn’t deserve to win because I was really half [Latino].” -- Plaze in her interview with Latina
It’s always awesome when people, especially celebrities, express support and pride for their culture. And we love that Plaza's interview comes just a few weeks before Cesar Chavez day—and in the same month as an advance screening of the biopic about his life.
Let's not forget that Plaza is first and foremost a straight-up hilarious human being. This dark and ‘lol’-worthy parody of an 80’s Ring Pop commercial totally highlights the snappy gloom of her comedic charm. Enjoy!
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
