Photo, Getty Images.
Her award-baiting role as a pole-dancing boss in Hustlers confirmed what most of us have known for ages: J.Lo is a true force of nature. To mark her next major feat—the Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira (February 2), we charted the phases of her career so far.
The Bronx-bred Lopez broke out in 1991 as a smooth-moving, Spandex-clad Fly Girl on In Living Color. Over the next decade, she’d make her mark as a dance-pop singer (On the 6) and bankable film star (Selena, Out of Sight).
J.Lo decided to aim for the A-list, rolling up to the 2000 Grammys in a precipitously plunging Versace gown. (The voracious public appetite for photos of The Dress allegedly sparked the invention of Google image search.) She scored a bunch of number 1 hits, starred in blockbuster romcoms like The Wedding Planner—oh, and got engaged to peak-leading-man-era Ben Affleck.
Not all choices are good ones. Affleck proved to be a flop of a co-star—the pair’s Gigli was so bad it immediately became parody source material—and a flop of a fiancé as well. Bennifer officially split a few days before their planned wedding, in September 2004.
Bad romance and worse reviews were excellent catalysts for a full-scale recalibration. Lopez married pal Marc Anthony, with whom she had twins in 2008, and threw herself into parenthood. Three years later, she re-emerged, triumphant, with a new record, a L’Oréal deal and a spot at the American Idol judges’ table.
Lopez turned 50 with a concert tour, reaped the benefits of her dancer pedigree by starring in (and executive-producing) Hustlers, got engaged to A.Rod and walked Versace’s runway in a revamped version of The Dress—all signs that J.Lo’s appeal is anything but waning.
Subscribe to our newsletters for our very best stories, recipes, style and shopping tips, horoscopes and special offers.