Jennifer Lopez has checked off more than all the bucket list life experiences “Jenny from the Block” could have even imagined, but there’s still one more she yearns for: to live abroad in a small town in Italy or in Bali and enjoy the simple things in life. The 50-year-old singer, actress, producer, and businesswoman has graced the cover of Vanity Fair alongside an in-depth interview that affirms the importance of Latinas gaining power in the U.S. and a long-held desire to leave it all behind for a “more simple and organic” life. In the wake of J.Lo’s recent Academy snub for her role in “Hustlers,” she confirms that she is very intentional about why she’s only hired female directors for all her productions to date. “It’s about breaking the mold of what people are used to,” she told Vanity Fair’s Britt Hennemuth.

It’s clear that J.Lo is committed to breaking the glass ceiling for Latinas and all women alike here in the United States, but that hasn’t stopped mayors across the Italian countryside from wooing Jenny from the Block to move to their idyllic town.

Lopez revealed that all she wants to do is “ride a bike, and buy bread, and put it in my basket, and then go home and put jelly on it.”

For Lopez, that kind of life may only be possible somewhere very far on the other side of the world, more removed from her celebrity. “I would love to live somewhere other than the United States, in a small town in Italy, or on the other side of the world, in Bali. Find another life where it’s a little bit more simple and organic and where I get to ride a bike, and buy bread, and put it in my basket, and then go home and put jelly on it, and just eat and paint, or sit in a rocking chair where there was a beautiful view of an olive tree or an oak tree and I could just smell. I have fantasies like that,” Lopez told the magazine.

“If you ever do move overseas don’t forget to take Arod with you,” one Twitter user implored of J.Lo. While it doesn’t seem like Americans are taking her fantasy too seriously, the rest of the world certainly is. 

Several mayors around Italy have publicly reached out to the Puerto Rican Renaissance Woman.

The mayor of San Quirico d’Orcia, a town in the Tuscan countryside, announced, “We are the Italy that Jennifer Lopez is looking for. We are a small but beautiful town surrounded by endless olive groves and a landscape recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage area.” Mayor Bartoli didn’t forget to mention that “we have great bakeries that produce wonderful bread.”

Cagliari’s mayor, Paolo Truzzu, tossed his beloved town into the running as well. “Dear Jennifer, come and live with us in Cagliari” to enjoy “good things to eat, a slow rhythm of life, contact with nature and a lovely climate,” he said. The residents of some of these towns have reached out to Lopez to second their mayor’s invitation. “Hey @JLo! Did you receive the invitation from Cagliari’s mayor Paolo Truzzu to come to live here? He’s available to host you. Let us know!” one Cagliari resident tweeted at J.Lo. “JLo, come to live in Italy there are many beautiful villages!! come on the Amalfi Coast or in Cilento,  I recommend also San Valentino Torio the land of lovers, 20 min from  Pompei,” another Italian Twitter user informed the superstar. 

Lopez also emphasized the importance of hiring female directors.

Vanity Fair aptly acknowledged that Lopez had mostly been directed by men, but that she has an exclusively female line-up of directors for her future projects under her own production. “It’s about breaking the mold of what people are used to,” Lopez added, saying, “There are so many great female directors; why aren’t we using them more? It’s hard to break patterns, even in yourself, so we have to make a conscious effort to change the paradigm.” The 2020 Oscars snubbed all women when they only nominated male directors during a time when there are more female directors than ever before. 

“It’s also a great time for Latina women to take the stage at the biggest all-American event,” Lopez said of her upcoming Superbowl Halftime show with Shakira, emphasizing its importance “with everything that’s going on in the country right now.” Lopez added, “I’m super-happy to represent my community, to represent women, and to represent everybody, you know? “

READ: Defamation Of Character Is One Reason The Inspiration Of ‘Hustlers’ Is Suing J.Lo’s Production Company

The highly anticipated sequel to Showtime’s iconic lesbian drama series, “The L Word,” is moving far and beyond the Latina tropes and giving us two very different Latinas of different classes, wealth, and family support systems. And they’re in love. The original series was set in West Hollywood, California, a place as sexuality-diverse as it is accessible only to the wealthy, thereby excluding racial diversity. The sequel, however, is set in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood in East LA that has become the de facto capital of queer for a new generation of LGBTQ+ people. Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals) is running for mayor of Los Angeles, but is facing setbacks because of the queerness of her love life. Shane McCutcheon (Kat Moennig) has become a successful androgynous model, which hasn’t prevented relationship problems with her wife. Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey) has become the new Ellen Degeneres, with a foundation set before her by the talk show host, Alice is able to offer a provocative talk show defined by feminism and queerness instead of just making people laugh. That very show becomes the grounds where we meet Generation Q. We meet two women who work together and are roommates and follow them back into their home to meet their roommates, girlfriends, and very hot property manager.

Instead of a Persian woman playing a Latina, “The L Word: Generation Q” has two main cast members who are Latina and are surrounded by their Latino family members who become the source of support or conflict in their relationship. Relatable already, no?

Dani Nuñez and Sophie Suarez are the central couple to
“Generation Q.”

Sure, Alice is starting up throuple’s with her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s ex-wife, but that drama feels far too out there to hit home. Dani and Sophie, however, offer a story we’re all familiar with, especially if you, too, are a queer Latina. Dani Nuñez (left) comes from a wealthy background. She is essentially the heiress to her father’s company, Nuñez, Inc, which deals in promoting opioids. In this alternate reality, the Nuñez’s are reflective of the Sackler family, which has faced harsh criticism as the face of the opioid crisis. America has turned to question crisis by questioning the insular morals of a singular family which has built an empire. “Generation Q’ re-envisions that moral conundrum by giving us Dani Nuñez, the Director of Communications of Nuñez, Inc., who begins to question her morals after Bette Porter asks her point-blank: “How do you sleep at night?”

Meanwhile, Sophie’s morals are perfectly aligned in her career as a producer for Alice’s feminist, queer talk show of the same name.

Sophie comes from a different class of Latinidad, which includes the perks of a tight-knit family unit. She exudes confidence while wearing a Wildfang coverall suit instead of an expensive business suit. Sophie enjoys the support of her family and knowing exactly who she is and what she wants out of life.

Meanwhile, Dani’s father’s homophobia becomes intolerable for Dani as the two take their relationship to the next level.

As a queer Latina literally named Dani with a homophobic father herself, I couldn’t feel more seen by how “Generation Q” portrays the psychological hardships that family homophobia can place on a relationship. Dani grew up with an implicit understanding that if her feelings didn’t fit into her family values, that the only way she could feel and process them was in isolation. That learned behavior trickles into her relationship with Sophie, and Sophie has a problem with it. Sophie’s family is constantly around, supporting them, and openly processing their feelings. There are no secrets.

“Generation Q” illustrates the nuances in how the child of a homophobic parent learns to navigate life and how it has much larger effects on their personal relationships. 

So far, the show hasn’t just given us an Afro-Latina and a brown Latina. It’s given us a range of family dynamics that feel so familiar to so many of us. Whether you have Sophie’s family, who’s constantly bringing over tin-foil wrapped homemade food, even on a tour of a ritzy wedding venue, or Dani’s family, who, in order to please them, you have to compromise too much of your self. 

You can stream Showtime’s “The L Word: Generation Q” on Sundays.

READ: ‘The L Word: Generation Q’ Trailer Is Here And There Are Latinas Playing Latinas