Mothers

Illustrated By Jacqueline Davis Moranti 

It hasn't been until recently that I started realizing how important family is. For me as a woman of South American descent, most of my family unfortunately do not live in the same country. As a kid I always wondered why my family's reunions were always so small and then going to friends' family reunions were such a big difference. Growing up in the Dominican culture taught me a lot, especially about mothers. As I've grown older, I've come to understand my mother so much more and vice versa. The way a family grows stronger with time, it is a beautiful way of blooming. My mother is inevitably getting older, even though her spirit is so young that she may seem not much older than myself! I know time flies and I want to make the most of the time that I have with her, she is in fact, my favorite person. And I owe so much of who I am to her. As an adult, I want to give her everything. Even more than what she has given me. Because she definitely deserves it. My family life is a unique experience, and I feel blessed to say that it is mine.

Spring Cleaning

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

Winter is finally looking like it's coming to an end, the days are longer, the layers are lighter and i'm sneezing a little bit more! With the dawn of the new spring season comes the daunting task to 'spring clean' and not just your wardrobe but also skin/ hair routine. As a naturally kinky/ coily haired woman, switching up my routine can be quite overwhelming because you don't quite know what to expect since naturally textured hair can have a mind of it's own! Honestly, having coily hair is a lot of work, not even going to lie! Additionally, the fact that people tend to take women of color less seriously when their hair isn’t "maintained" and there you have a nice cocktail of social, societal, and personal pressures to look "decent" at all times. Even today, in 2019, hair is still constantly politicized, which is ridiculous to say the least, but at the same time, we don’t really have a choice but to take good care of our hair because of how different it is. Hair routines are a big part of being a WOC since our hair is part of our identity. You have to take care of your waves, kinks, and curls. And adjusting your hair care routine for the season is just as equally important. This season I'm taking it a bit further by trying to stick to all natural products for my hair, for which i'm secretly telling myself, "Buckle up, cuz this venture is going to be a long ride!"

Pink Is Not Cancelled

Photos by Derrick Hogue

As we all know by now, Living Coral was named the Pantone color of the year. And honestly i'm not impressed with that one! That’s not to say that the luminous pastels and bright neons are going anywhere. In fact, if fashion week’s recent runway shows and this years’ red carpet looks are any indication, colors like marigold, fiery reds, bold blues, and vibrant pink will be on everyone’s style radar. Pink is and will always be my forever color, it's feminine, chic, modern, playful, and undeniably a strong stand out color! For me pink is the color of women independence, and it's no surprise that it's a popular color for the month of March!

Sleep Or Bust

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

Lately I feel like i've been hearing a lot of talk about "circadian rhythms." Probably because half of America barely get's the adequate amount of sleep, including myself. At best, I usually bank on 6 steady hours of sleep before my body decides to wake me up before the alarm goes off. Sleep experts say that we need no more and no less than 8 consecutive hours of sleep to feel energized, accomplish our goals, go for gold, etcetera. But sleeping is much harder than that! With the LED screens that we're constantly staring at, all the work to be done, who actually sleeps?! There are essentially 5 stages of sleep, but what happens to our bodies and minds when we go to sleep? The most important stage being REM.

Hair Care Lately

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

I may be biased in saying this, but I believe curly/ kinky/ coily hair is the best hair! As a member of this hair group community, I think highly textured hair is where the party is. However, as many curly and coily haired gals can attest, maintenance can be brutal. Using countless products that do nothing, going on an endless search for that holy grail product, battling frizz and buildup, and hairstyles that just don't work. Sometimes changing your routine can feel daunting but the benefit is that it can revamp those dull hair days and keep your wild mane looking glamorous and frizzless. Keep reading to find out my latest hair care routine!