Beauty & the Braid

So, I’m Mexican American. One look at me, and I’m sure you’d probably think to yourself, “Well, duh.” Sometimes I am asked if I am Armenian, or Italian; but I am proud of my culture and my heritage, and there are so many beautiful things to appreciate about my background that I always try to incorporate little nuances of my heritage into my personal style. Things like Tory Burch sandals or billowy peasant tops with delicate embroidery remind me of the Mexican woman in me, maybe even of the somewhat bohemian looks my Mom and her sister wore when I was very little, and the comfort and style that go hand in hand. But the one thing that always reminds me of being Mexican is when I braid my hair.

As a little girl, I remember my Mom braiding my hair to dance folkorico; sometimes with ribbons braided through my hair. I remember my Dad telling me I was the most beautiful little princess in the world after my brother’s girlfriend (now his wife) had braided my hair in two French braids on either side of my head. I remember my long, dark hair being braided into a tight braid for school, because my Mother swore if she let me wear my hair loose, it would look unkempt and disheveled by 10 am. (She was right.)

So it is no wonder I am loving all the braids on celebs these days, and on the covers of magazines and the pages of lookbooks. I think they look feminine, delicate, and vaguely reminiscent of my Mexican American childhood. They remind me of being a woman, of feeling pretty and sexy and uninhibited, all at the same time. And they are very of-the-moment right now.