Photo of Jennifer Lopez performing.Mike Coppola/Getty Images
You know how you can tell if somebody has reached superstar status? When they’re better known for their nickname. Sure, everyone knows Jennifer Lopez’s name is Jennifer, but does anyone actually refer to her as that? No (except maybe her accountant, who probably calls her Miss Lopez). We call her J.Lo. She’s our J.Lo, and will forever be J.Lo.
From her early days as an In Living Color Fly Girl dancer to Selena to her wildly successful music career, J.Lo has worked for all the rocks that she’s got, but she’s still Jenny from the block—see what we did there?
She broke through in 1997 with her portrayal of Selena, the brilliant, young Tejano singer murdered before her prime, and went on to appear in a number of both critically acclaimed and commercially successful films including Out of Sight (1998), The Wedding Planner (2001) and Maid in Manhattan (2002) - we’ve conveniently ignored (but will never forget) 2003’s excruciating flop Gigi. In 1999 she shifted her focus to music with her release of On the 6 which featured Billboard Hot 100 top-ten hits “If You Had My Love” and “Waiting for Tonight.”
In 2001 she polished her public profile again as an American Idol judge. Currently, she stars in the NBC police drama Shades of Blue, has a Las Vegas residency at Planet Hollywood and produces and judges the NBC dance competition show World of Dance. So yeah, our J.Lo is still a busy lady.
But it is her sensual, sultry beauty that she’s bedazzled us with countless performances, music videos and on the red carpet that is really where J.Lo is at. Her looks have become iconic (that Grammy dress!), and she’s become a style-setter for many, from Latinas to top fashion designers to Hollywood.
Let’s go back and enjoy some of J.Lo’s most iconic moments and recall our girl from the block made good. Slide through to check out J.Lo at her most stunning.
Lopez arrives at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on March 7, 2010 in Hollywood.Lopez attends the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala: Anglomania at the Metropolitan Museum of Art May 1, 2006 in New York City.Marc Anthony and Lopez perform live on stage during the Juntos Tour concert at Madison Square Garden on August 9, 2006 in New York City. Lopez attends the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall August 31, 2006 in New York City. Lopez arrives on the green carpet at the 7th annual Latin Grammy Awards on November 2, 2006 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.Lopez and Marc Anthony leave the Hassler Hotel prior to the wedding of actors Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise at Castello Odescalchi on November 18, 2006 in Rome, Italy.Lopez and her then husband Marc Anthony attend the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala 'Poiret: King Of Fashion' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2007 in New York City.Lopez presents at 'Movies Rock' A Celebration Of Music In Film held at the Kodak Theatre on December 2, 2007 in Hollywood.Lopez arrives to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala, Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 5, 2008 in New York City. Lopez attends the 25th annual Night of Stars hosted by Fashion Group International at Cipriani Wall Street on October 23, 2008 in New York City.Lopez arrives at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009 in Beverly Hills.Lopez performs in Times Square for News Year's Eve on December 31, 2009 in New York City.Lopez poses in the press room during the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on January 31, 2010 in Los Angeles.Lopez introduces a performance onstage during the 78th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre on March 5, 2006 in Hollywood.Lopez attends the Costume Institute Gala Benefit to celebrate the opening of the 'American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity' exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 3, 2010 in New York City.Lopez arrives at The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards held at Staples Center on February 13, 2011 in Los Angeles.Lopez attends the 'Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty' Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2011 in New York City. Lopez performs at KIIS FM's Wango Tango at the Staples Center on May 14, 2011 in Los Angeles.Lopez performs onstage at the 2011 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on November 20, 2011 in Los Angeles.Lopez performs during the Q'Viva! The Chosen Live show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 26, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lopez performs at the 200th 'Wetten dass..?' show at the ISS Dome on October 6, 2012 in Duesseldorf, Germany. Lopez attends The 2015 MTV Movie Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on April 12, 2015 in Los Angeles.Lopez performs onstage during TIDAL X: Brooklyn at Barclays Center of Brooklyn on October 17, 2017 in New York City.Lopez performs onstage during the 2018 DIRECTV NOW Super Saturday Night Concert at NOMADIC LIVE! at The Armory on February 3, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Lopez attends the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City.Ben Affleck and Lopez arrive at the premiere of Daredevil at the Village Theatre on February 9, 2003 in Los Angeles.Lopez and her then husband Ojana Non arrive for the 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards on January 18, 1997 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. Lopez was nominated for a Best Actress award in the Comedy or Musical category for her role as Selena in the movie Selena.Lopez performs at the 1999 VH1-Vogue Fashion Awards on December 5, 1999 in New York. Lopez won the Most Fashionable Artist-Female award.Lopez in Versace at the 42nd Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles, CA on February 23, 2000.Lopez holds her MTV Video Music Award on September 7, 2000 in New York. Lopez won the award for Best Dance Video.Lopez performs during the 28th Annual American Music Awards January 8, 2001 in Los Angeles, CA.Lopez during a TRL taping at the MTV Studios in New York City on May 22, 2002. Lopez poses for photographers during the 73rd Annual Academy Awards March 25, 2001 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Lopez is wearing a Chanel dress with hair by Oribe and makeup by Scott Barnes.Lopez and Ja Rule onstage at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards held at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York City on September 6, 2001.Lopez dances with Spanish dancer Joquin Cortes September 22, 2001 during a performance in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Queen Elizabeth II meets Lopez backstage at the Dominion Theatre in London on November 26, 2001, after the Royal Variety Performance. Lopez poses backstage during the 74th Annual Academy Awards on March 24, 2002 at The Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA. Lopez waves to fans on the set of a music video on November 20, 2002 in New York City.Lopez, who plays Selena in the movie 'Selena,' performs with her band in one of the scenes from the movie. Selena is about the tejano singer who is murdered by her fan club president.Lopez shows fans her engagement ring to her former fiance Ben Affleck as she arrives at the premiere of Daredevil at the Village Theatre on February 9, 2003 in Los Angeles.Lopez, wearing Harry Winston jewelry, poses during the 75th Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater on March 23, 2003 in Hollywood.Lopez attends the premiere of Gigli on July 27, 2003 in Los Angeles.Lopez arrives for the 61st Golden Globe awards in Beverly Hills on January 24, 2004.Lopez arrives at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards at the American Airlines Arena August 29, 2004 in Miami, Florida.Lopez closes the runway at the Jennifer Lopez Fall 2005 show during the Olympus Fashion Week in Bryant Park February 11, 2005 in New York City.Lopez performs 'Escapemonos' on stage during the 47th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center February 13, 2005 in Los Angeles.Lopez performs on the NBC Today show on March 3, 2005 in New York.Lopez arrives at the 2005 Billboard Latin Music Awards at the Miami Arena April 28, 2005 in Miami, Florida. Lopez performs during Z100's Zootopia 2005 at the Continental Airlines Arena on May 22, 2005 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.Lopez arrives at the 2005 Macy's Passport Gala held at Barker Hanger on September 29, 2005 in Santa Monica, California.
