Aimee Walker
Anya Taylor-Joy was described as a ‘woman of colour’ after an award win and it’s left the internet confused.
Taylor-Joy, 27, is an award-winning actress who has starred in films such as The Menu and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
She’s also known for her role as chess prodigy Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit.
When Taylor-Joy picked up a Golden Globe for her role in the Netflix drama, people were left confused afterwards.
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Taylor-Joy picked up the award for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for her role in The Queen’s Gambit.
Following the win, Variety initially described the young actress as a ‘woman of colour’ – not reflecting that Taylor-Joy identifies as white Latina.
The statement originally read: “Argentinian Taylor-Joy is the first woman of colour to win this category since Queen Latifah in 2008 and only the fifth woman of colour to win overall since 1982 when the category was introduced.”
This was brought to light by writer Valerie Complex, who took to Twitter and said: “I love her as an actress but THIS article has her listed as the FIRST WOMAN OF COLOUR to win in this category and I legit give up.”
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 https://t.co/1mv7lzbggd
— valerie complex (@ValerieComplex) March 1, 2021
Many others took to social media and had their say on the statement.
One person wrote: “Anya Taylor-Joy is very beautiful and very cool but she is not a woman of colour.”
In agreement, another added: “Anya Taylor-Joy is a woman of colour?! Is this a f***ing joke?! She is white and she is from Latin America.
“There are white people here too. Latin American is not an ethnicity, in any case, it makes reference to a geographical or cultural area.”
While somebody else said: “Friendly reminder that being Latina and being a woman of colour is not always the same thing.
“Congrats to Anya Taylor-Joy (Argentina) for her Golden Globe win and for speaking up.”
Variety has now updated the story so it better reflects Taylor-Joy’s ancestry.
On the website, a notice now reads: “UPDATED: This story has been updated. A previous version identified Anya Taylor-Joy as a person of colour. She has said she identifies as a white Latina.”
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Taylor-Joy was born in Miami, Florida, to her Scottish-Argentine father, Dennis Alan Taylor, and her mother, Jennifer Marina Joy.
The Witch actress lived in Argentina up until the age of six before moving to the UK, while she’s also fluent in English and Spanish.
In an interview with Vulture, the Last Night in Soho star addressed her childhood and how she doesn’t want to take roles away from Latina actresses.
Taylor-Joy explained: “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.”
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