Latina Power at Super Bowl LIX with Alejandra LaPilusa and Stephanie Nogueras

Latina power was present at the Super Bowl LIX and you may not even know it. If you watched the game on Sunday, February 9, you may have seen Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show or cheered on the Philadelphia Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs, but did you notice these two Latinas’ impactful contributions?Lamar’s featured surprise guest SZA wore a monochromatic red outfit as she performed with the Compton rapper and the stylist behind the look was Argentinian and Peruvian-American stylist Alejandra LaPilusa. The first-generation Latina stylist, who regularly styles the r & b artist, dressed her in a red leather ensemble featuring low-rise lace-up pants, a lacy distressed top, and a custom Born X Raised jacket with “CRYBABY” on the back and Lana, the name of SZA’s newest album, on the front. LaPilusa also styled the dancers, who wore red, white, and blue workwear sets by LA-based brand Born X Raised. In a post on Instagram, she reflected on what the experience meant to her:

“I’m still processing the magnitude of tonight’s experience on the biggest stage in our country’s culture. But one thing is certain – I’m beaming with pride. Proud of @sza, our team, our work and tour family, and my own team of unsung heroes. Proud to represent LA,” she said. “A daughter of two immigrants, who grew up in a big ass city, that worked hard on her own with no family, power, money, or connections made it to the EFFING SUPERBOWL !!! I know I’m just a stylist, but I hope I really just made some little first generation Latina girls with big fashion dreams proud today.”

LaPilusa grew up in the San Fernando Valley, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, and found inspiration in her parent’s style. Her Peruvian mother was a jeweler who loved stacks of gold necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, and her Argentinian father sold Levi 501s and other American-made denim at his small shop in his native country before immigrating to the U.S. According to her website, LaPilusa’s sense of style was also inspired by films and shows like Clueless, Moesha, She’s All That, and Sex and The City and influential women like famed costume designer and stylist Patricia Field, Madonna, and Rosie Perez.

While LaPilusa’s contribution was behind the scenes, another Latina, Puerto Rican actress Stephanie Nogueras, was front and center on stage. For both the national anthem and Jon Baptiste, Trombone Shorty and Lauren Daigle’s rendition of “America the Beautiful,” Nogueras performed the songs in American Sign Language. She became the first deaf Puerto Rican actress to perform ASL at the Super Bowl. The Boricua actress and advocate for deaf and disabled inclusivity and accessibility has made appearances in shows like Switched at Birth, Criminal Minds, and Grimm and starred in the horror film Unfriended: Dark Web. In a video shared by Deaf Equality on Instagram, the Boricua actress, who is from New Jersey and was born deaf, looked back on her journey leading up to the moment:

“I feel so much honor for my family; they’re all very proud, very proud of who they are, as Puerto Ricans. We’re very proud, and we’ve been through some really complicated things. A lot of stuff has happened, my parents and I both have just been through so much,” she said. “My parents worked really hard to provide me with a better life. I wouldn’t be here without them, so I wanna say thank you. I love you.”