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Ready for Spring!
March is almost here! I’m so ready for it! Not just because it’s my birthday month, but because we finally will start seeing a few signs of Spring. For those of us living in real winter weather, we desperately need some sun and warmth! But February wasn’t so bad! We discussed: Balancing professional requirements that conflict with our natural style; Keeping the winter blues at bay; And discussed a new creed for the Latina Lawyer. As we wrap up the month, I’m sharing some favorite stories from this month: New verse, same as the first–patronizing advice to women attorneys and what we wear. Slate offers a great analysis on revenge…
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The Latina Lawyer’s Creed
A few days after the Superbowl I read an article about Malcolm Butler, a player for the Patriots who had been working at a Popeye’s a few years earlier. He credited his “confidence, faith, and hard work.” as the reason he had made it. That statement resonated with me so much: confidence, faith, and hard work. It jumped out at me because I realized that this phrase outlines exactly how Latinas can succeed in the law. First and foremost, confidence is key. I’ve said my piece about humility and while that often is a virtue in our cultures, being too humble can lead to stagnation. Instead, when we strive to project self-confidence…
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Culture Conflict: Looking Latina
At Latinas Uprising, we talk a lot about forms of assimilation and how to “look” like an attorney. These discussions aren’t done because we believe that we should erase all forms of individuality or culture from our appearance; rather they are provided as a way to give guidance for those that haven’t had the chance to interact with the legal profession and want to learn how to be accepted by the legal community. Ultimately, the goal is to help people learn what it takes to be accepted as an attorney, but also encourage empowerment so that you are the one that decides what your appearance will entail, regardless of what the status…
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Chocolate for Work: Eyeshadow Options
I mentioned before that I really love makeup and I really love colorful makeup, especially a bright eye. When I was younger I would ignore the “don’t be matchy-matchy” rule and match my shadow to my outfit and I loved it! But, obviously, now that I’m older and working as an attorney bright blue shadow isn’t going to work while I’m talking to judges. Sad. But! that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with a neutral eye. So, today we’re comparing two palettes by Too Faced that are great options for work: Too Faced’s Chocolate Bar and their second edition, Semi-Sweet, offers a great variety of neutral eyes and mixes enough…
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One down, 11 to go.
I hope everyone is sticking to their resolutions or making moves to accomplish those goals! We’re excited for the start of a new month and are ready to double-down on work to help move us towards some of our objectives for 2015. One goal was to wake up earlier to catch a ride with my husband to work. That may not seem meaningful, but driving to downtown Chicago gives us an extra 20 minutes of quality time together and I get reminded regularly how much I love this city–exhibit A (which doesn’t do the city justice): As it’s the last Friday of the month, we’re sharing some of our…
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A Latina’s Worth: Combating the Wage Gap
One of Latinas Uprising’s focal points, when it comes to discussing women, equality, and progress is almost always on women and the workplace; most importantly, women and the income we earn. The sad reality is that we earn a pittance compared to other groups and that impacts our quality of life (and that of our families), our earning potential, and our economic capital. So any raised awareness on the income disparity and how to close gap is very much welcomed! At a recent dinner with friends, the conversation turned to a good way to negotiate a salary (one friend was starting a new job). My naïve, idealistic side—the one that’s never…
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Great Grades, Now What?!
A few weeks ago we talked about steps to take when you receive not-so-great grades in school. The likelihood of not doing as well you expected is very high in law school for various reasons. But that’s not to say that no one will do well. In fact, I know many Latinas students (both current and former) that excelled in school and that is worthy of acknowledgement! Aside from recognizing the fruition of hard work, there are still steps you have to take to ensure that you continue on a successful path. When I was in school, a friend earned very, very, very good marks, but was at a loss…
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A Saga: Finding Professional Winter Shoes
I have always disliked the patronizing focus on what women wear to work. I think it’s weird. The grand majority of us know how to (and do) wear appropriate clothing. But there is still a weird standard set upon women, especially in the legal field, that is much higher and seems to question every little thing that we decide to wear. Google “peep-toe shoes and work” and you’ll see debate after debate on their appropriateness. Shoes. As if there are not more substantial, important things that we should worry about, but this is a great reminder that there are rules of professional etiquette that we do have to learn…
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Off the Sidelines: Women in Political Office
Did everyone catch the State of the Union last night? It definitely has some buzzy moments, but one thing that caught my attention was a pundit mentioning that this is the most diverse congress the U.S. has ever had. That is true, even though the group looks as homogenous as ever. But what strikes me is that there are only nine (9!) Hispanic women representing us in the House and none in the Senate. I’m happy for the strides we have made, but still have a long way to go. We’ve spoken about the group Latinas Represent and their push to promote more Latinas into politics. I still encourage anyone…
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Makeup and Agency
Today’s post is a long road to a quick product recommendation, but before I get to that I really want to talk about our agency and control when it comes to wearing makeup (bear with me, it’s worth it!). First, do you use makeup? I love makeup–like, it’s a hoarding problem. When I first started using makeup, I was young and did it just because it’s what I thought that girls did. As I grew older, I became attached to the routine and thrill of new products. But I felt guilty because I felt that by using makeup I was perpetuating the idea that wearing makeup is something women “must”…