Born on this day in New York City, recording and film star Jennifer Lynn Lopez (1970-) grew up in the Bronx and attended 12 years of Catholic school. The athletic teen played softball and was a gymnast before grabbing the television spotlight as a backup dancer on In Living Color in 1990.

About her showbiz aspirations, "Jenny from the Block" said, "My parents wanted me to be a lawyer. But I don't think I would have been very happy. I'd be in front of the jury singing."

With a passion for entertainment and determination, she explained: "I was always a singer and a dancer, and I always wanted to be an actress. For me, it's all just one thing."

The Latin beauty's big-screen debut in the film biography Selena (1997) propelled her to international success. Lopez's albums, J.Lo (2001) and J to tha L-O! The Remixes (2002), both debuted at number one on the album charts. With Rebirth (2005), she continued to deliver catchy R&B to her fans.

J.Lo has worked hard and blossomed into a media magnet with her plunging outfits and tumultuous romances. (P. Diddy, Ben Affleck, and Marc Anthony come to mind). Her body has also celebrated the word callipygian, what Merriam-Webster defined as "having shapely buttocks."

"I could serve coffee using my rear as a ledge," she once said about her highly-publicized ample backside. "I have curves, I have hips and I have a big bottom. Men have always loved that look."

Indeed.

Go after what you want and hold your ground.