American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrara: Research Guide

Meet the talented Latina Southern belle playing an East L.A. lesbian on the new America Ferrera-produced Netflix series, Gentefied.

WHEN AMERICA FERRERA WAS 17 and acting in her debut film, Real Women Have Curves, she stripped down to her underwear with other jiggly women and marveled at how beautiful their bodies were — cellulite, stretch marks, and all. A defiant Ana, played by Ferrera, said to her mom: “How dare anybody try to tell me what I should look like or what I should be when there’s so much more to me than just my weight?”

USC alumna and Academy Award nominee America Ferrera knew from an early age that she was destined to be a multihyphenate. Though she felt pressure growing up to “pick a lane” and conform to society’s expectations, she knew she wanted to tell stories but also wanted to change the world.