Latino Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Hispanic culture. In addition to commemorating Hispanic people, places, and food, it is also an opportunity to recognize the barriers we confront and strive to break through. The beauty industry is one of the many areas where Hispanic identity is not always accurately represented, especially from an Afro-Latinx perspective.
Hispanics come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. But until recently, the beauty industry has primarily marketed us in terms of idiosyncrasies. Thankfully, Afro-Latinos are breaking boundaries by making a name for themselves through the power of social media. Through every beauty post we do, we represent young Afro-Latinx girls and remind them that they are beautiful too.
In the spirit of giving Afro-Latinx sisters a moment to shine, we spoke with several sisters to learn how they continue to move forward during Latinx Heritage and beyond. I learned more about Noka. Below, learn more about these pioneering beauties and give them flowers.
Dennis Rodriguez
As a child, beauty and wellness content creator Denise Rodriguez would hang out at her mother’s hair salon in the Dominican Republic and admire the women around her. Her mother’s salon played a pivotal role in how Rodriguez thought about beauty in the future. “Beauty has always looked like women in general, every part of us,” she tells ESSENCE. “My first memory is of the beautiful women who surrounded me in that salon.”
These days, she follows the motto “less is more.” In other words, Rodriguez is trying to embrace her natural features, her textured curls, wearing mascara without extensions, and her freckles. Rodriguez added, “I’ve heard other people reject and hate those beautiful marks. What breaks my heart is the fact that we truly feel that those marks make us unique.” I believe it’s connected to our purpose and our light.” Her journey of self-acceptance helps advocate for young Afro-Latinx girls to do the same. I did. Her words are a constant reminder that our characteristics represent our ancestors.
Anaika Shepherd
TikTok’s beloved Anaika Shepherd is a light within the community. She radiates confidence by sharing her thoughts online on a variety of topics, not just music. Growing up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, Shepard was surrounded by a wealth of style and expression. She actively sought accurate artistic expression within Panamanian culture, which she found more difficult. “I hadn’t seen many singers or actresses with dark skin and big features,” she told ESSENCE. “And even if I did, they weren’t portrayed very positively.”
Shepard ultimately drew inspiration from women like Tatiana Ali from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Learning Ali’s background made Shepard respect her even more and was deeply influenced by how she wanted to appear in the world. “Through my music and social media, I aim to show little girls who look like me and come from where I come from that we can succeed and be celebrated. “I did,” Shepard says. She fulfills this mission by appearing before audiences and continuously expressing Panamanian culture in the music and social media spaces.
“For me, redefining beauty as an Afro-Latina is about seamlessly merging my culture without fear of criticism.” For example, “Panamanian jewelry is very different from American jewelry.” I felt out of place when I was a kid. Now I wear Panama jewelry in every photoshoot, event, and TikTok. It’s beautiful and I’m proud of it.”
Shepard hopes that Afro-Latina girls can continue to step out into the world with pride. “Being Afro-Latinx shows that blackness shines through in any culture or country. No one will ever do anything to you that will override the fact that you are still Afro-Latinx.” I can’t say. Sometimes people are very strict about who is considered “Hispanic or Latino.” She pushes back on this reality, saying, “They want you to look a certain way and talk a certain way, but you don’t have to be anything other than yourself.”
brenda smith
Brenda Smith, who represented Panama in the Miss Universe pageant, spent many beautiful years with her grandmother from an early age. The two of them prepared together before she went to school. Her grandmother’s passion for feeling good always made Smith feel like a true queen. However, as he continued to immerse himself in society, he no longer felt that his unique characteristics were accepted.
“I often felt like I had so much going on… and then nothing all at once. I didn’t feel represented in the media or the beauty industry in the early days.” I don’t have much recollection of that,” Smith says. She used to watch TV novels with her mother, but she had never seen a woman who looked like her. Her thirst for expression led her to turn to magazines and other media outlets. Additionally, Smith recalled having trouble finding makeup shades in Hispanic countries and dealing with critical comments about her hair.
Smith continued to pursue her love of beauty anyway. Her resilience ultimately led to her winning the Miss Mexico City pageant and being featured in a two-page spread in a national newspaper titled “Beleza Afro,” meaning “Afro Beauty.” “It was national news that I was the first black woman to hold that title,” she says. “I hope that as time goes on, there will be fewer ‘firsts’ like this. But seeing it unfold was an experience that healed my inner child. ”
Astoct Flor Lorenzo
“Oh, I remember it so well!” says Astoct Lorenzo excitedly as he recalls his first memory of beauty. Given her recent campaign for La Roche Posay, it would be natural to think that the model and actress’ journey has been easy. But that is far from the truth.
“Growing up in a poor neighborhood in the Dominican Republic, in a barrio mosque, beauty was thought to belong to the girls on TV,” she told ESSENCE. In other words, “a Barbie doll with white skin, straight hair, and blonde hair,” Lorenzo says. She embraced beauty standards by relaxing her hair, something her mother didn’t want her to do. “I finally felt successful. I was ‘pretty.'” Isn’t it ridiculous to sometimes feel like we have to change ourselves to fit standards of beauty that weren’t even created for us? Isn’t there?”
As more Afro-Latinx people push back against this label of “pelo malo,” or “bad hair,” we’re starting to see a shift in the way the Latinx community embraces their coils. Lorenzo is a perfect example. “I’m redefining beauty by living it! For me, beauty is freedom. It’s the freedom to embrace every part of me: my dark skin, my afro, my roots, my story. It’s always been this way. Not.”
Marilyn Melo
Beauty and lifestyle content creator Marilyn Melo’s relationship with beauty stems from her family, and she recalls deeply admiring her mother and sisters. “This is a powerful reflection of how beauty standards are influenced by our intimate relationships rather than social norms,” says Melo.
Conversely, “I always felt disconnected when I watched TV shows like Telemundo or Univision.Unless I was a maid, I’ve never seen a novel where the actress had a dark tone.” ” says Melo. Her experience is similar to that of many other Afro-Latinos who feel they are not being accurately represented. These forms of expression deeply damage the way we see ourselves. But healing begins when we continue to seek and see change.
“I’m making an important statement by coming out as Afro-Latina and showing young girls that they can embrace their identity with pride. , I could never imagine standing on a billboard or anything like that,” she says. “I want to be represented in a way that I never saw growing up. My pride in being part of the Black community highlights the diversity of Afro-Latino Americans.”
