Procter & Gamble's Orgullosa program unveiled its Nueva Latina campaign, an initiative that aims to empower women to define what it means to be a bicultural, modern Latina—the Nueva Latina. As part of the launch, Orgullosa debuted its production of the Nueva Latina Monologues in New York, which personifies the unique and complex Latina experience in the U.S. Orgullosa teamed up with Latina director and writer Linda Nieves-Powell to bring to life some of the real-life stories, topics and cultural themes that surround today's Latina in an effort to spark national dialogue and participation via its online community.
The campaign kicked off at the Helen Mills Theater where it celebrated with over 100 VIP guests in attendance. Guests were treated to an exclusive Chicas Night Out experience filled with entertainment, access to a beauty bar where stylists touched up hair, and special beauty care sampling of Olay, Venus, Clairol and Pantene products, among other gifts. Special guests Roselyn Sánchez and La La Anthony were present as honorary guests and shared their personal anecdotes as bicultural Latinas.
"I'm so happy and honored to celebrate what it means to be a Latina of today. As Latinas we have so much cultural pride on where we come from and where we are going,” said Sánchez. "It's important to be able to share our blended cultures with others. It makes me proud to highlight everything that makes us unique and everything that we have accomplished as a community."
While the U.S. Latina experience is vast and broad, Nieves-Powell focused on developing scripts that reflect topics and themes that many bicultural women could identify with and rally behind such as: the blending of two cultures, balancing family expectations and traditions, sustaining language and breaking Latino cultural idiosyncrasies and stereotypes.
“I was excited to partner with Orgullosa to give a voice to the bicultural Latina,” said Nieves-Powell. “I wanted to capture the evolution and journey of this woman, from her cultures colliding while growing up, to her triumphs in successfully balancing the two worlds. Ultimately, it portrays that today’s Latina is proud of who she is and is fully embracing her dual lifestyles.”
Through its Nueva Latina campaign, Orgullosa aims to showcase the diversity of the Hispanic experience by soliciting real-life testimonials from its online community. It also celebrates the undeniable bond that Latinas share as “mujeres con La Falda Bien Puesta”, which literally translates to “women who have their skirts well placed”—or women who don’t settle for walking the same path, but make a new one every day.
A recent study conducted by ORC International on behalf of Orgullosa found that while almost all Latinas (98%) are proud of their culture, an overwhelmingly 89% of those surveyed feel equally as American as they do Latina. However, a little over half (54%) feel media portrayals of modern bicultural Latinas are not accurate representations; and over half (57%) feel being a bicultural Latina can sometimes be stressful.
"At P&G, we understand that there is no singular definition to describe the Latina experience or her ongoing efforts to balance two cultural worlds," said Luis Restrepo, brand manager for Orgullosa. "The Nueva Latina campaign offers a unique forum for Latinas to discuss their own opinions, observations and even share stories of their own experience through the Orgullosa community."
