Manolos, Manicures & This Mom: I Want to Hispanicize!

My Billboard in Times Square

At the Old Navy Showroom in NYC meeting amazing editors

@Univision talking back to school trends.

NY1 interview at Old Navy in Soho

With Terra.com talking men style.

Holiday trends for Acceso Total in Miami

NotiMujer on CNN Live!

Being a Latina in America is a mix of being the modern woman and still holding on to those traditional values you grew up with. I find it to be challenging at times and fascinating at others. My career is something I work really hard at and being the idea of the perfect mom as well. This year, I became a Latina Mom Blogger. It happened by chance.

I used to love writing but when I started working in the beauty industry and later the fashion industry as a stylist, I found no time for it. While on limited bed rest during my pregnancy with my daughter, I discovered blogs. I thought it would be fun to write a blog as a hobby but the sensation quickly faded and I dropped the ball on my blog. Once I picked it up again and started writing about what I know beauty, style and what my kid wears because there are a million personal style blogs but no one dresses cuter than my princess, I picked up some amazing I opportunities. More notably, I became the Latina spokesperson for Old Navy, appearing on Univision, CNN, a Billboard in Times Square and many others but what was truly amazing was that this was their first Latino campaign ever and I was a part of that. To me it felt like history. It is the moment I realized that people actually read my blog and that it no longer was a hobby, it was a business even thought my blog is still at times personal. In January I finally made my blog bilingual because I am not a blogger who happens to be Latina and is a mom, I truly am a Latina Mom Blogger. I'm still toying with that as I need not be defined by my tongue.

One would thing is that I would strive to make it to New York Fashion Week. I missed it this year but do plan on working hard at being there in September but right now what really has me on the edge of my seat is Hispanicize 2012. When I was 19, I joined the Miss Puerto Rico Chicago pageant not to win a crown (though the Princess one still looks good, thank you) but to meet girls my age that speak my language, eat the same food and love the same music. It was and is important to me to be surrounded by the powerful and inspirational Latina woman . It is important to me that to my daughter, today I am that woman and tomorrow she will be also. Being part of Hispanicize is like being part of a movement and I plan on making waves.

Siendo Latina en los estados unidos es una mezcla de la mujer moderna y la mujer tradicional. Es difícil pero maravilloso a la misma vez. Siendo una “Latina Mom Blogger” fue algo que sucedo sin pensar.

Mi primer amor era la escritura pero cuando comencé a trabajar el la industria de la moda y la belleza, no tenia el tiempo para dedicarle. Cuando estaba embarazada con mi hija, estuve en cama casi todo el embarazo. En ese tiempo fue que descubrí lo que era un blog. Era el tiempo perfecto para comenzar de nuevo pero rápido lo deje porque no sabia que escribir. Poco a poco empece de nuevo, escribiendo sobre la moda, la belleza y la moda de mi hija. Con eso me llego una oportunidad increíble. Me contrataron para ser la estilista y experta de moda Latina para Old Navy. Salí en programas de televisión como CNN y Univision, en revistas y hasta tuve mi foto en Times Square en Nueva York. Pero, lo mas impresionante es que esto fue la primera vez que Old Navy le dedico un programa exclusivamente para los Latino, y yo era parte de eso. Para mi es como ser parte de historia. Fue el momento en que note que la gente leían mi blog y en Enero mi blog se convirtió en bilingüe.

Como trabajo de experta de moda y belleza, uno se cree que New York Fashion Week es algo que quiero y si pienso ir algún día pero es Hispanicize 2012 que me tiene bien entusiasmada. Al los 19, participe en un concurso de belleza puertorriqueño en Chicago, no para ganar aunque si tengo una corona pero para conocer otras Latinas jóvenes como yo. Era y es importante para mi tener al rededor Latinas influyente. Es importante que para mi hija yo también soy una Latina influyente y que en el futuro ella también sea. Ser parte de Hispanicize 2012 es como ser parte de ese movimiento social que me lleve a donde pienso llegar.