Selena Quintanilla was a Texas icon—a beloved, Grammy-winning artist who touched millions in life and continues to inspire people around the world. As her fiftieth birthday approaches, the writers we’ve gathered to celebrate her are part of a generation of Latinos who came of age after her heyday. Read more.
Collection
Celebrating Selena
The Queen of Tejano
Illustration by Chloe Cushman
Selena at 50: Celebrating the Life, Art, and Influence of a Tejano Legend
As her fiftieth birthday approaches, the writers we’ve gathered to celebrate her are part of a generation of Latinos who came of age after her heyday.
For Decades, Countless Young Latinas Like Me Have Regarded Selena as an Icon. Maybe It’s Time We Took Her off the Pedestal.
If we’re going to honor the real Selena—and find a way to carry her with us—we need to imagine what she might have done if she had lived a full life.
Selena Embraced Her Heritage and Championed Its Evolution in Style
Her ensembles, influenced by pop stars such as Janet Jackson, highlighted the sartorial choices of Texas’s Mexican American working-class communities.
In Selena, Queer Tejanos See Themselves as Brilliantly Transfigured and Free to Love Grandly
In the years since her death, the Queen of Tejano has become a gay icon, especially in Texas.
Why Selena Is Still the Queen of Tejano (and Punk Rock!)
Four Latina musicians chat about code-switching, role models, Freddy Fender, and the importance of growling.
Celebrating Selena and Her Legacy Over the Years
Dreaming of Her
On March 31, 1995, South Texas came to a standstill as the shocking news spread that the hugely popular Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Perez had been shot and killed in Corpus Christi. Fifteen years later, the people who knew Selena best recall the life and devastating death of a star
The Queen Is Dead
When Selena Quintanilla Perez was killed on March 31, Texas mourned—and around the world, the veneration began.
An Intimate Photo Exhibit at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum Immortalizes Selena
Photographer John Dyer’s iconic photos of the fallen singer are being shown for the first time.
There Is A Selena Wax Statue Going In At Madame Tussauds
The one in Hollywood, not the Louis Tussauds in San Antonio, so adjust your travel plans accordingly.
Selena Air Fresheners, Spoons, and Other Handmade Ways to Celebrate La Reina’s Birthday
In our current moment of Selenamania, Stripes and H-E-B have nothing on the dedication from crafty fans.
