It’s time to celebrate Latinx Heritage month with our Aerie fam!
Every year from September 15th – October 15th is Latinx Heritage Month, a time dedicated to honoring the rich histories & cultural legacies of Latinx, Hispanic & Latino-identified Americans. In honor of our diverse Aerie fam, we asked a few of our Aerie Ambassadors how they’re celebrating, what Latinx Month Heritage Month means to them & how they’re styling their Aerie for their favorite events.
Keep reading to hear from Destiny, Génesis, Anais, Katalyna and Ziare as they share their AerieREAL Voices, celebrate their heritage and tell us their plans for this month.
Aerie: Tell us about one event or activity you’re doing to celebrate this month. How would you style your Aerie for it?
Destiny: One activity I am doing to celebrate this month is playing dominoes! Dominoes is a Puerto Rican game played amongst people of all ages. Every Friday, my family would get together and play dominoes. It was always one of the most competitive, but fun nights of my week! I would style my Aerie outfit for it with a bralette, skirt and jacket – the perfect cozy and cute combo.
Aerie: Why is it important to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month?
Destiny: It is important to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month because so much has been fought for Latinx people to uphold and share their identities. We want to celebrate feats in this, and overall just celebrate all of the vibrance and beauty in the Latinx community. I know especially as a Puerto Rican, there is so much pride in our culture and flag. Part of this pride stems from the Gag Law, where it was illegal for Puerto Ricans to display their flag. Now, Puerto Ricans display their flag proudly! There are Puerto Rican flags all over my house.
Aerie: What makes you #AerieREAL?
Génesis: What makes me #AerieREAL is the Mexican grito that comes out of my mouth when I hear the music of my childhood. The uncontainable groove of my hips and tapping of my feet when the sounds of the tambor (drum) meet my ear…as if the beat of my heart was synchronized with the beat of the music. It’s the lyrics that I carry in my heart – or as Miguel from Coco would say, in my “Proud Corazón” – that make me feel known and understood.
Aerie: Tell us about one event or activity you’re doing to celebrate this month. How would you style your Aerie for it?
Génesis: This Hispanic Heritage Month, I want to focus on encouraging and enabling Latinx women to break into or advance in the tech industry. I want to use my platform, organization (Latinas in Tech), and career learnings for the good of others.
Additionally, this Hispanic Heritage Month, I will be sure to support Latinx-owned businesses in Austin (where I live). I will make my way through restaurants, food trucks, bakeries and other places to support their businesses and meet new people to celebrate our culture. I’ll also be intentional about spreading the word about those places to show my support and help bring in more business.
To eat out at Mexican restaurants, I will wear my favorite Aerie top: The Aerie Crochet Vacay Top in navy, with any of my Aerie bottoms (like the comfy cargo pants or the everyday high waisted shorts in rusty peach) or even my AE denim skirt. Anything with flowers and bright colors is perfect for Hispanic Heritage Month!
Aerie: Tell us about one event or activity you’re doing to celebrate this month. How would you style your Aerie for it?
Katalyna: I’m celebrating my Colombian heritage this month by spending time with family from multiple generations. The best way to experience company is around the dinner table! I’m styling my Aerie Chenille Sweater with my Aerie pleated skirt for a cozy, feminine dinner look.
Aerie: Why is it important to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month?
Katalyna: It’s important to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month because our culture and history are rich with trials, determination, overcoming and family! America is a beautiful melting pot of so many different kinds of people. We can learn so much from one another! If we don’t celebrate our heritage, it can fade away. Celebrating it helps us remember the legacy that we carry forward.
Aerie: What makes you most proud of your heritage and the people from your community?
Katalyna: What makes me most proud of my heritage is the resilience of my family and people like them. For generations, Latinx families have worked tirelessly to foster love, community, and hard work. There are many obstacles Latinx people all over the world face, but it’s when we rise to the occasion, and fight for ourselves + each other is when we are truly successful.
Aerie: How are you celebrating Latinx Heritage Month?
Anais: One activity I do every day as a celebration of being Latinx is having my morning cup of cafécito. Growing up, cafécito was something that brought people together. My abuela made Cuban coffee when we had guests over, and now I use it to bring myself to my heritage every morning. I sit with my cafécito to empower me through the day and remind myself why I have so many opportunities in this country, but to not forget where my roots started.
I would style this activity with a new set because I love wearing outfits that are comfortable to get through the day. While my coffee is brewing, I’ll put on the OFFLINE The Hugger Longline Sports Bra and matching OFFLINE The Hugger High Waisted Foldover Legging.
Aerie: How do you use your AerieREAL Voice to shed light on your heritage and share its amazingness with the world?
Anais: Sharing my culture and my experiences as a Cuban-American is so important to me. I use my AerieREAL Voice to shed light on my heritage by opening up conversations about what is happening in our home countries. I use my voice to talk about politics from the past and present, and how that affects me and my family day-to-day. Not being afraid of these conversations makes me AerieREAL. I share my culture with my audience and how I implement small, everyday habits and traditions that make me…me!
Aerie: How are you celebrating Latinx Heritage Month?
Ziare: Oh boy, how am I NOT celebrating this month? Haha, I plan on doing a couple of things. I’d really like to hone in on my cooking skills. My mom is from Puerto Rico and has a Puerto Rican cookbook with tons of recipes that I grew up eating and still eat today. The last time I made something from that cookbook was in 2018, so it’s definitely time to dive into that again. I also have a “Spanish Music” playlist on my phone that I plan on expanding this month. I also have a few TikToks saved that have a ton of music that I grew up listening to, so I need to add those to my current playlist.
Aerie: Why is it important to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month?
Ziare: I find the celebration an amazing point of pride, honor & joy. As a Black, Latina woman, I find it important to remember that there is also so much diversity in these various communities that people should recognize. We come in so many beautiful shades of color and from Latinx backgrounds that are rich with so much culture, which I believe should always be celebrated.
Aerie fam, how are you celebrating Latinx Heritage Month? How do you celebrate throughout the year? Let us know in the comments!