This Is How These Iconic Latinx Celebrities Have Inspired Me (and My Closet) Throughout My Life

By the age of 4, I knew all the words to Jennifer Lopez's "Love Don't Cost a Thing," even though I didn't know the words to the United States national anthem. Knowing my love for the song, my dad came home one day and surprised me with her album J.Lo. And that was the first time I put a face to the voice, to the song, and to the person who would inspire me for years.

I remember seeing photos of her white crop top, bandana, and matching pants look from the 2000 MTV VMAs in New York City, her famous Versace gown at the 42nd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, the long, elegant blush-pink gown she wore at the charity gala in the film Maid in Manhattan, and the iconic bedazzled bra looks she served when she played Selena in the Selena movie — I was always in total awe of her.
She was the first Latina I'd ever seen who truly was unafraid to wear whatever she wanted. Growing up, I watched as my older cousins, my tías, and even my mom doubted themselves and their style/clothes based on what others would think of them. And as a young girl, witnessing a Latina, aka someone "like me," exert this confident, beautiful, genuine energy in the public eye made me dream of wanting to do the same thing. However, puberty hit, insecurities came, and that confident girl I wanted to be was shut down.

One day after school, I sat on my abuela's couch and flipped through channels on her TV, and that is when 13-year-old me discovered America Ferrera. It was a rerun of Ugly Betty. I remember being in total shock seeing a Latina with braces and glasses on TV. The majority of Latinx women in TV and films at the time were your stereotypical white-passing beautiful skinny women who wore tight clothing, hoop earrings, and red lipstick and carried a fake Spanish accent. But America was different; she had braces like me, had glasses like me, had the same body type as me, was awkward like me, was Hondureña like me, and was getting the guy?! It was eye-opening for a teenage girl. Her wardrobe especially! Image Source: shutterstock

America's character, Betty, gave me a little more confidence in my wardrobe selections. I went from wearing anything black that would hide me from the world to bringing more colors, prints, patterns, and form-fitting clothing into my wardrobe. I thought, "If Betty can do it, so can I." Betty's character allowed me to relish in what made me different (even on days when I wanted to be angsty and wear my band tees and black jeans), and that confident girl from the beginning of my story started to peek out a little more again.

In my junior year of high school, I won a scholarship to go to New York City to visit colleges. During the trip, I saw my first Broadway show, On Your Feet!, and at 16 years old, I discovered Gloria Estefan. Now don't freak out; I knew who Gloria Estefan was because her hits "Conga" and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" blasted through the house at 8 a.m. when my mom decided to clean, but it wasn't until I saw this show that I knew of her story.

Christie Prades played the iconic Gloria Estefan at the time. I vividly remember the bright-colored costumes and Christie dressed in the leather-chaps outfit Gloria wore in the music video for her hit song "1-2-3," and the bedazzled red corset, cropped leggings, and ruffled skirt outfit she wore for the American Music Awards, and being so drawn in by the loudness and Latin-ness of the wardrobe. I was never one to wear anything revealing and was afraid to wear anything that drew attention to me. Taking a leap of faith for my high school senior prom, I was inspired by Gloria's boldness and the outfit-inspired costumes I saw on stage. I wore this long black gown with a mini train that had multicolored jewels throughout and had minor cuts on the sides showing the sides of my stomach. In my whole teen adolescence, it was the first time I felt confident and beautiful not only in what I was wearing but in my own skin. In my brown Latina skin.

Now at 22, my relationship with my style and clothing is intimate and a reflection of who I genuinely am versus who I want people to view me as. In Latinx culture, sometimes looks define you, and to older generations, it matters what other people will think of you. And the fact that we live in a visually driven society does not help. Throughout my life, following the styles of Latinx women such as Jennifer Lopez, America Ferrera, Salma Hayek, Gloria Estefan, Penélope Cruz, and more paved the way for me to be unapologetically Latina through the clothes I wear and guided me to the confidence and genuine attitude toward myself I needed to feel empowered in my own skin.