Nuyorican State of Mind: Puerto Rican Influence on New York Style

*Article from Lexington Line Spring/Summer 2023 Issue, page 87

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As a woman of Puerto Rican descent, I treasure countless aspects of my culture—from the food to the music to our keen sense of style. My parents are both from Brooklyn, so I have had opportunities to relive some of their experiences as a Nuyorican (a Puerto Rican from New York). Puerto Rican culture is ubiquitous in New York City, and everything down to the graffitied buildings and bustling streets is soaked in.

I had the fortune to inherit a little taste of that New York culture from my parents. When discovering my style, I always tried to push the envelope while embracing my eclectic culture. Puerto Ricans are known to be clamorous, assertive, and carefree. While this can be seen in our attitudes, our style shows it off the best.

My parents grew up in the era of Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. & Rakim, Doug E. Fresh, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and Biggie Smalls. Salsa artists such as Hector Lavoe and Willie Colon still ran through their veins, but hip-hop played a big part in influencing their style, as it has influenced me tenfold.

Growing up, I watched my father dress in baggy clothes and New York Yankees fitteds in different colors. I remember the first time I wore a pair of 3X jeans to school with Butters on (Timberlands). While other students were baffled and found humor in my oversized looks, I was proud to embrace the fashion that was passed down from the culture.

My mother adorned her Afro-Latina skin with a brown-glazed lip and gold bamboo door knockers that were just as ostentatious as the nameplate necklaces I wore as a child and still wear today. I was always trying to implement any of the styles and trends that I saw on my parents and in the street.

I became obsessed with shopping on 5th Ave. in Brooklyn because of my godmother. Spending almost every summer with her in Red Hook was the highlight of my childhood. Her Puerto Rican light radiated through countless blocks from Hick St. & Mill St. and beyond. Back then, I did not have an idea of how my personal style would evolve, but I could feel those Red Hook summers playing a critical role.

It is safe to say that my culture is easy to identify in New York. You can see us in your local bodegas and swimming pools, and the taste of our food in every borough. “Before I am anything, I am a Puerto Rican,” photographer and Nuyorican Edwin Ortiz Jr. on his Instagram. “These are my people. This is our culture.” Capturing the hypnotic allure of Nuyorican culture is hard to do with just a single picture, but photographer and fellow Nuyorican Edwin Ortiz Jr. excels at it. Looking at his photos can get a sense of how proud we are to stand for and express our culture in one of the toughest cities in the world, and how it ultimately coaxes out style.