special advertising section //
Celebrations
The Quinceañera Coming of age for today’s Latino girls
OUR COVER GIRL, ELIANA MARTINEZ, WILL CELEBRATE HER 4TH BIRTHDAY THIS MONTH. PHOTO BY THOMAS KUBIK DRESS PROVIDED BY SCELEBRATIONS FASHION IN BERWYN
BY CARMEN RIVERA
G
rowing up as a bi-racial Hispanic-American girl in Chicago, my friends and I dreamed about the day of our Quinceañera. A Quince isn’t just a big party that today can rival a wedding when it comes to the planning that can sometimes take years, the hair and the amazing dress. It remains a celebration of family tradition steeped in faith that blesses a 15-year-old girl on her journey as a woman. But today’s girls are putting their own signature stamp on their coming out event—and it’s not always without drama.
The dress The choice of a Quinceañera dress is as essential (and sometimes as costly) as a wedding dress. The outfit is the key to making the girl feel like a princess on what will be her biggest milestone to
date. The design signals that she is leaving behind childhood and entering adulthood. And today, there are no limits to how elaborate a Quinceañera dress can be, with costs ranging from a few hundred dollars to thousands. In many cases, the parents are more than happy to gift the dress of her dreams to their daughter no matter the financial burden, but do fight to keep it tasteful. The goal is to make the transition to womanhood a happy and elegant event that respects the family’s traditions.
The hair Mario Negron, owner of M2 Hair Salon in Oak Park who has been creating looks for Quince girls for more than 25 years, says traditional princess hairstyles are not always the go-to these days. “First, she wants what her mother doesn’t want, that’s for sure, so there ensues the battle,” he says. “They want to
emulate the pop stars in the music videos. So, sometimes, the experience of what mom originally hopes for isn’t the soft innocent look that she has envisioned her little girl’s perfect Quince hairstyle.” When conflict erupts, sometimes with arguing, screaming, tears, even a tantrum, dad gets called in to settle the dispute and chooses the hairstyle. Nothing is too extreme these days when it comes to hair and make-up, Negron says. He even had a client who brought in a wire bird cage shaped like the Eiffel Tower and insisted it be used as a “bump” to give her hair the right height and form.
La Comida y Familia Food and family play a huge role in the Quinceañera. No matter the family’s financial status, each Quinceañera has sponsors for all
CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 ChicagoParent.com October 2018 35
Celebrations_Oct2018.indd 35
9/13/18 12:18 PM