LOS ANGELES
justyce
Empowerment. Hoops are my super powers. They allow me to freely express myself as a strong independent women. They give me the confidence to get shit done and not let anyone get in the way of that. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was starting chemotherapy. I was absolutely terrified, but I made sure to feel as protected as possible while walking into that cancer center on that first day, hoops and all. At first I felt silly with my makeup done wearing my late grandmas earrings in the cancer center, but the confidence I felt honestly helped get me through.
amado “ethical punk”
I am a TRANS CHICANO who is not scared of being seen. Brown, Proud and Downs to Rep and Stand as I am. Hoop earrings allowed me to claim my masculinity by adoring my feminine spirit. It's more than style for me, it's who I am y mi VIDA!
nneka
As a Black girl growing up on the east side of Buffalo, NY and in America, hoops were a rite of passage. As a little girl growing up, I assumed that larger hoops meant a fellow Black girl was somehow more mature, instantly creating a kindred friend in a neighbor and point of aspiration. As a woman today who’s been able to use her West African hair-itage as a vehicle to reauthor my narrative, hoops are not only a rite of passage worn primarily in one’s ears but an adornment tool when I create braided looks that pay homage to melanated female ancestors past and present.
JENNY
Growing up, I fit a mold prescribed onto me. For instance, I often heard messages such as "Wear light and neutral colors so you don't look so dark." I was to dress and present myself in a way that limited attention to myself. I'm sure my mother had her reasons, perhaps in an attempt to keep me psychological and physically safe, and for those reasons, I extend my grace to her.
At the age of18, when I transitioned to college, hoops became an emblem of my identity. I could have the most racoon-looking eyes, and yet, I felt so beautiful and powerful with my hoops. Hoops were part of my daily outfit. I wasn't leaving my dorm/apartment, unless I had them on. They were my secret power.
To this day, I love rocking my hoops and in all spaces possible. I could be backpacking in nature and you'll find me in my hoops because who ever said we can't be sexy in the outdoors? In professional settings, I also deliberately choose to wear my hoops. Why? Because whoever convinced us that wearing hoops was not "professional" enough? My hoops state, "It's time to decolonize our perceptions of professionalism." Lastly, I proudly wear my hoops in any place I'm visiting because it's a reflection of how I choose to celebrate my Oaxaca- California identity. Yes, I am of Mixteco indigenous background, proud to have been born in Oaxaca, and a child migrant to Southern California, and by intentionally choosing to wear my hoops, I celebrate all aspects of my identity, choosing to live live authentically, boldly and unapologetically.
julia
Hoop earrings represent the purity of my love for my culture. Ever since I can remember my mom would scold me for taking/playing with her jewelry box, I was a little girl infatuated with the beautiful gold glimmers of my mama’s simple gold hoops, one of the only things she managed to save from her life in Guatemala. I would bury her gold like treasure in our garden. I spent a lot of my life resenting the darkness of my skin, the language of my family and ancestors, etc as I was surrounded by model minority narratives and a daily community of white oriented spaces/people/cultures/standards. Even throughout the issues I encountered in my journey to adulthood, I always felt some unique essence added by my hoops, as if they allowed me to carry a reminder of the love I should have for myself, and an emblem of the women in my family who all owned their own version of a gold hoop. Years of growth and reflection showed me the power of [me + my hoops], my hoops became an embrace of my identity, my power, confidence, and creative expression. They are my love and fun and at least if I’m sad I still got my hoops [pretty & sad]. Hoops are a state of mind!
KARINA
I am a first generation, Queer, Mexican, Non-binary person from Tongva Land. Hoops for me means connecting back to my cultura. It reminds me of my tierra, mi mami, and the strength of my ancestors. Wearing my hoops connects me back to me, it gives me strength, and confidence. It reminds me that I am a badass!
AMBER
Hoops to me are the epitome of what it means to be a bad ass mujer. Everyday before I go to work it’s ritual that I put them on before I leave the house. That routine, with my hoops on, sets the tone for the day. It’s sort of like my cup of coffee before I head out. When I’m having a bad or sad girl day I put them on and somehow I’m able to gather myself and keep going. It’s like, ok you can cry, put your hoops on and then keep it pushing. They are the boost of confidence every mujer needs.
MARIÁN
I grew up in Huntington Park, California. Hoops are ritual and ceremony. They are remembrance, a lighthouse on days when I've forgotten who I am, where I come from. Hoops are my mother, and my tias at weddings, they are my cousins at quinceaneras, my homegirls at school and me. They are me. Me at home, me in college, me at work. Me showing up as my whole self, brown skin, gold hoops, red lipstick, loud laugh, slick tongue.
Hoops are both a call and response- a call to those who will see them and know where we stand, understand our shared language, and a response to the women who have guided me, carried me, paved the way, a way to honor them and carry them with me.
SHARON
I’m a makeup artist from Los Angeles! Born in Mexico raised in K-Town. Hoops have ALWAYS been a staple for me. I always feel the prettiest when I wear them and I feel like they go with just about anything! Anyone that knows me Can describe me as the curly haired girl with hoops. Even before being able to afford my own earrings in middle school, I would buy metal bracelets at the dollar store and break the bracelet to make them into hoops.
HONEY
I love hoop earrings since middle school and now I’m a vendor. I sponsor photoshoots and I love making everyone’s outfit stand out with a pair of hoop earrings. Everyone calls me the HOOP PLUG. I sell at local events and pop ups. I’m an immigrant from Mexico my parents brought me here at the age of 8 and I was able to fix my papers and pay for everything with my small business selling hoops. I love how a simple pair of hoops can transform you and make you feel better.
CHRIstina
Hoops are a symbolic for many of us especially in our Brown & Black communities. When I had my hoops on, you know it was on and poppin. Takes me back to the good ole days, growing up I seen my mom, tias, the comadre’s & homegirls and even my abuela with her hoops on.