The organization is striving to change the misconceptions of Latinas.
This past Tuesday, the Mexican-Lebanese actress Emeraude Toubia worked with P&G Orgullosa to host the #WeAreOrgullosa event in Midtown. Toubia worked in partnership with some P&G companies like Crest, Herbal Essences, Olay, Pantene, Venus and Secret to moderate a discussion highlighting the growth of Latina influence all across the country and how Orgullosa hopes to empower Latinas to share what makes them beautiful by their own standards.
Toubia sat to speak with some of the faces of Orgullosa, Georgina Morillo, Hilliana Devila and Ada Rojas, who worked with the organization to share their stories and help challenge the misconceptions of Latina beauty. When asked what their most ‘orgulloso’ moment was, this is what the panelists had to say:
Ada: I’m on a natural hair tour across the US, where we discuss Afro-Latinidad and culture. I just got back from Houston last night, and to go to these cities where you’re like ‘oh Houston, are there even any Latinas in Houston?’ and to have these girls that come out and some of them drove. When you’re from New York you just think, we live in a bubble here, but to go to Houston and have these girls who drove two hours to come to an event to talk about curly hair and to talk about our culture and how prideful they are and just being Afro-Latina. I was just sitting at the event like, ‘is this real life? Is this my real life?’, the fact that I get to travel the country and meet other women like us and see us all come together. I think that has been the most prideful moment, my most orgullosa moment in my career.
Hilliana: My most orgullosa moment is actually motivating others. It goes beyond what I said before, like just makeup tutorials. I really try to focus more on mental health and motivation, because as much as I’m creating a family that helps me and supports me through the times I need it the most, I want to create a platform where we can all help each other as women, as Latinas, because I don’t feel that there’s enough women empowerment or support. We have so many cultures and I want to create Latina magic. I want us to be seen as a powerhouse and not like were competing with one another. I feel so proud when people contact me and tell me how much I motivate them and just wanna talk on a more personal and deeper level, because I personally believe that God put all of us on this earth for a purpose. My purpose is to help others in any way, any outlet, any platform.
Georgina: My Orgullosa moment is seeing my sisters, my mom and even my friends start the transition process. Stop straightening their hair and embracing their curves and their curls. I love seeing that because my sister was actually the first one to start it and then I followed and it was this nice trend and my mom was like ‘okay I’m loving your curls, let me do it’ and then my father was like ‘wow I didn’t know your hair gets curly. My aunts are starting to embrace their curls and its like a whole movement.
Be sure to visit Orgullosa’s website, where you can see the three panelists talk about their stories in a docu-style video. The website also offers a digital look book featuring some of P&G’s brands and a photo gallery that offers downloadable photos of Latinals in all shapes, shades and sizes.
