Brianna is a freshman attending Essex Street Academy. Brianna lives within a Hispanic household in Brooklyn, New York. She is a soft-spoken person and is typically very diffident when it comes to meeting new people. She has been interested in photography since age 11. Brianna does photography to present a message to the world. She additionally takes photos just for fun. In her free time, Brianna favors spending time beside her friends and family. She enjoys hanging out with people she loves. She also loves her two pooches named Elvis and Carmelo.
“I am not your expectations
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am the soul that lives within” -India Arie
When you think of the Latino population, you think of people with straight hair or lighter skin. Not many people think of the Latino population having curly hair or darker skin. We are an underrepresented minority. We are also rarely spoken about in the media. We need to change that. These photos demonstrate how I am continuing to embrace my curly hair. Afro-Latinos are receiving some attention today, but children are hesitant about embracing their natural hair, just like I was. Throughout history, within various parts of the world, numerous amounts people have been influenced by typical European beauty standards: straight hair, blue eyes and fair skin. I believed, similar to countless other people, having straight hair and fair skin meant that you were beautiful. At least, that is what society led me to believe. Now that I embrace my curly hair, I understand what true beauty means.