Anya Taylor-Joy being called a ‘woman of color’ after an award win has sparked confusion across the internet.
The actress, known for her roles in The Menu, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and as chess prodigy Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit, picked up a Golden Globe for the latter role in 2021.
After her win, an article by Variety described Taylor-Joy as a ‘woman of color,’ which left many people puzzled and sparked debate online.
The original Variety statement read: “Argentinian Taylor-Joy is the first woman of color to win this category since Queen Latifah in 2008 and only the fifth woman of color to win overall since 1982 when the category was introduced.”
Writer Valerie Complex called this out on Twitter, saying: “I love her as an actress but THIS article has her listed as the FIRST WOMAN OF COLOR to win in this category and I legit give up.”
Many others shared their thoughts on social media, with some pointing out that Taylor-Joy is white and from Latin America, and explaining that being Latin American does not automatically mean being a woman of color.
One user wrote: “Anya Taylor-Joy is very beautiful and very cool but she is not a woman of color.”
Another commented: “Anya Taylor-Joy is a woman of color?! Is this a joke?! She is white and she is from Latin America. Latin American is not an ethnicity — it refers to a geographical or cultural region.”
Others reminded people that “being Latina and being a woman of color are not always the same thing,” while congratulating Taylor-Joy on her Golden Globe win.
In response to the backlash, Variety updated the article with a note saying: “UPDATED: This story has been updated. A previous version identified Anya Taylor-Joy as a person of color. She has said she identifies as a white Latina.”
Taylor-Joy was born in Miami to a Scottish-Argentine father, Dennis Alan Taylor, and her mother, Jennifer Marina Joy. She lived in Argentina until she was six before moving to the U.K., and is fluent in English and Spanish.
In an interview with Vulture, she spoke about her heritage and the challenges of being cast in Latin roles, saying: “I’m aware of the fact I don’t look like a typical Latin person, and that’s not fair. I don’t want to be someone that you can just sub in for that role when I’m really white and blonde.”
