“My womanhood, identity and even my individuality is something I reflect on quite often. As a Latina and descendent of the Puerto Rican / Caribbean diaspora, i look at my privilege to live as my empowered self as a gift inherited from the resilient women who came before me. I view Latine traditions of adornment and beauty as markers of a collective identity and self-expression unique to our existence. As I live today in self love, I am preserving legacies of feminine power and practicing self-care in the face of pressure to tone down and assimilate to more white, patriarchal standards of femmehood. These rituals are not merely superficial; they carry deep cultural significance and serve as a form of self-expression and collective identity for those of us to which the Beauty Supply is sacred, lipliner is mandatory, and no one leaves the house without their hard-earned jewelry collection on display.”