On Thursday, October 3, otherwise known as Mean Girls Day, PR Agency The Bonita Project held their second-annual Bonita Amplifies Mixer celebrating Latina Talent, Content Creators, and students but this time with a Mean Girls twist! Despite the agency’s New York City roots, the event took place in Austin, at the popular Taquero Mucho, a Latina-owned pink-themed taqueria. The vibes were truly immaculate, as everything was pink from the drinks to the decor to the dresses, and I was not about to stand out.
Wearing one of my favorite, out of many, pink-themed outfits, I fit right in amongst the other glamorously pink girls. However as I made my way towards the restaurant, I wasn’t exactly sure what sort of evening lay ahead of me. The idea of socializing with impressive women sounded as exciting as it did intimidating, and despite loving the film, the Mean Girls theme wasn’t exactly putting me at ease. Thankfully, the event aligned with the “You Can Sit With Us” name more so than the films. It honestly should have been called Friendly Girls for the amount of lovely and talented women I met there.
Strong Latinas, looking to uplift communities and each other throughout the evening. It was truly inspiring, but socializing was only one incredible aspect of the event. The Bonita Project had sponsors from Urban Decay and Shark Beauty offering makeup and hair touch ups for free. They also aimed to highlight local talent throughout the night with music from DJ Rosez and Latina-inspired goodies courtesy of Las Ofrendas. As I spoke to other Latinas about our shared love for social media and their budding careers as content creators, it dawned on me just how special this event was.
It’s rare enough to have an event aimed at the Latino community, but Latinas specifically, and then one so girly and fun. For once, it felt like a pop culture-obsessed pink-loving Latina like myself really belonged at an event, and it being aimed specifically at connecting Latinas together made it all the more empowering! Between the mingling, the music, and the makeup, I had an absolute blast, and when the evening was over The Bonita Project made sure everyone was well taken care of with some goodies filled with makeup and hair products.
It was an empowering experience, and one I can only describe as truly…fetch!