Subculture Spotlight: Nuyoricans & The Evolution of Nail Art
The ‘Nuyorican’ or ‘Nueva Yorkino’ subculture encompasses those of Puerto Rican, Latino, and Caribbean descent, living in New York City (NYC). Nuyoricans are connected by their shared background and unique lived experiences, as well as their shared distinctive meanings such as the adoption of Spanglish - a fusion of both Spanish and English, used by this population to communicate in the diverse settings of NYC (Semenova). Nuyoricans are largely unrecognized in American society. Thus, the population’s outward expression of their culture rebels against the status quo and methods of gentrification.
Puerto Ricans and Latinx Caribbeans began emigrating to NYC in the middle of the nineteenth century, which is known as the ‘first wave’. In 1917, the Jones-Shafroth Act changed the status of Puerto Ricans to be official U.S. citizens, following the treaty arrangement of the Spanish-American War. This time sparked the second wave of migration to NYC, particularly because Puerto Rico was experiencing hurricanes that damaged both the island’s agriculture and infrastructure. The third and largest wave of migration occurred in the 1950’s due to the Great Depression, World War II, and the beginning of air travel - a time period known as ‘the Great Migration.’ This time period marked the first time a Hispanic group migrated to NYC in large numbers (Tenement Museum).
Throughout the waves of migration, new terminology developed and the term ‘Nuyorican’ initially started as an insult regarding assimilated Puerto Ricans who lost touch with their island roots. Nuyoricans resided in areas which became known as ‘Spanish Harlem’ in East Harlem, and ‘Loisada’ in the East Village - a Nuyorican pronunciation of ‘Lower East Side’ (Tenement Museum).
As a result of the period of migration, the ‘Nuyorican Movement’ was born. The Nuyorican Movement was a group of poets, writers, artists, and musicians whose work expressed the social, political, and economic issues Puerto Ricans and Latinx Caribbeans faced in NYC during the 1960’s and 1970’s. “The Nuyorican movement, however, came to represent not only the struggles Puerto Ricans faced in working-class New York City, but also the pride they had in their language, culture, and Afro-Caribbean and indigenous Caribbean identities. While the poems decry the rampant discrimination they faced in schools and workplaces, the lack of economic opportunities, poor living conditions, and the general marginalization of their community, they also tell stories of rebellion, resistance, and endurance in the midst of these struggles” (Poets). In the early 1970’s, Miguel Algarín began inviting fellow Nuyorican poets to read and perform at his apartment on the Lower East Side. Over time, the group grew and by 1981, they purchased a building on East Third Street to be their respective space. After a lengthy renovation process, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe opened in 1990 (Leon). In the introduction to the seminal anthology of Nuyorican Poetry: An Anthology of Puerto Rican Words and Feelings, Algarín writes, “‘The experience of Puerto Ricans on the streets of New York has caused a new language to grow: Nuyorican. Nuyoricans are a special experience in the immigration history of the city of New York’” (Poets).
Years later in February 2019, the digital archive and multimedia project, Nuevayorkinos was brought into fruition by Djali Brown-Cepeda and Ricardo Castañeda. As an effort to preserve NYC Latino and Caribbean culture by sharing family photographs, videos, and stories, the duo launched the platform on Instagram and their website, Nuevayorkinos.com. The platform accepts submissions from fellow Nuyoricans and members of the community, taken in the five boroughs of NYC before 2010 (Nuevayorkinos). The Nuevayorkinos website reads, “For historically marginalized communities, storytelling for the people by the people is both an act of decolonization and a way to combat gentrification. By showcasing a range of stories from El Barrio to Jackson Heights, Nuevayorkinos seeks to celebrate the collective beauty, love, and resiliency of immigrant New York.”
In a racially divided country, it is not widely understood or accepted for this group to be anything other than black or white. This presents a conflict of identity for an ethnic group which is inherently mixed race. Throughout time, Nuyoricans have sought to express themselves, being that their unique lived experience is not recognized by larger society.
In Claudia Rankine’s Just Us: An American Conversation, she explores the conflict of identity Puerto Ricans and Latinx Caribbeans face in the United States’ imposition of racial categories. “The United States census forces those with Latinx indigenous identity into a race/ethnicity framework that is not necessarily relevant to their lived experience” (Rankine 238). Rankine goes on to speak with various members of the Nuyorican community and finds that their responses to the question of identifying as black or white varies significantly.
In Robert Bedoya’s “Spatial Justice: Rasquachification, Race and the City”, Bedoya discusses notions of resisting gentrification through the Chicano practice of rasquachismo. Rasquachification or rasquachismo is essentially the Mexican American practice and aesthetic of making due with what one has through creativity and resourcefulness. In his article, Bedoya discusses how Rasquachification rebels against the ‘white spatial imaginary’ - “an antiseptic ethos that effectively deemed being poor and of color as civic imperfections to be expunged.” The white spatial imaginary suggests that any person of color and the aesthetics belonging to them are a threat. In his discussion, Bedoya concludes that the outward expression of Chicano culture, whether it be painting houses in vibrant colors or repurposing a tire into a flower pot, Rasquachification resists the white spatial imaginary and gentrification (Bedoya).
Thus, by simply being and continuing to outwardly express their uniqueness, Nuyoricans resist against gentrification and the status quo. The racially divided landscape of the United States marginalizes this community of Puerto Ricans and Latinx Caribbeans. Further, as conveyed in the offensive origin of the term ‘Nuyorican’, this population is marginalized by their native cultures. In reclaiming and embracing the term as their own, Nuyoricans seek to express and celebrate their unique lived experience.
Nuyoricans have a distinctive style and fashion that is recognizable to those who are familiar with the group. Puerto Ricans and Latinx Caribbeans incorporate their respective flags into their outfits or paraphernalia, as a means to express their pride for their heritage. Many Nuyoricans wear gold jewelry and nameplates to adorn themselves. The Instagram page, @DocumentingTheNamePlate is similar to Nuevayorkinos in that the platform serves to maintain the style and culture of Nuyoricans, while combating against gentrification. It is common for Nuyorican women to wear the hair with their ‘baby hairs laid’, a hairstyle that is common for Latinas historically, also referred to as caracolillos or buscanovios (Beauty Market).
The long, acrylic manicure covered in extravagant nail art is a staple for Nuyorican women. As a canvas to express one’s individuality, many Nuyorican women consider their manicure with utmost importance - never missing a monthly or even weekly session with their nail technician. Many will spend hours in their manicurist’s chair perfecting their nail art to their liking, whether it be air brush or bespoke hand-painted design (Scales). Nuyorican influencer, @WuzG00d’s collaboration with The M Jewelers, called “Herencia” (meaning ‘heritage’ in Spanish) features a collection of gold jewelry and nameplates that launched in October 2022. The ad campaign for the collaboration documents the experience of a little Nuyorican girl going to get her nails done with her mother. The legendary make-up artist Pat McGrath’s collaboration with Supreme Nail Polish in September 2022 also featured Nuyorican women sporting long acrylic manicures with the ‘Flicks and Dots’ nail art that was extremely popular among this group in the 1990’s and early 2000’s (Henao).
For years, larger society rejected the style of long acrylic nail sets with extravagant designs - calling them distasteful or tacky (Bero). The 1996 New York Times article, “Nail Art Creates a Fingertip Renaissance” discusses the rise of nail art being adopted by white women yet still describes the practice as “once considered an overwhelmingly African-American trend” featuring nail designs that range from “crude to kitschy and conservative.” It is not until recently that acrylic nail sets have become more accepted by larger society, but still several Nuyorican women who are prominent figures in the public eye continue to be criticized (Bero).
By continuing to wear long, acrylic manicures with extravagant nail art, Nuyorican women resist the status quo and Eurocentric notions of what is considered to be beautiful. Through nail art, Nuyorican women express and celebrate their individuality, which holds true to their culture’s values. Therefore, Nuyoricans’ outward expression of their culture rebels against the status quo and methods of gentrification.
@WuzG00D x The M Jewelers: Herencia Collaboration
Works Cited
“About Nuevayorkinos.” NUEVAYORKINOS, https://www.nuevayorkinos.com/about.
“Baby Hairs, o Los Caracolillos De Estrellita Castro Adoptados Por Rosalía y Beyoncé.”
Peluquería Profesional, Beautymarket, 16 Dec. 2019,
https://www.beautymarket.es/peluqueria/baby-hairs-o-los-caracolillos-de-estrellita-castro
-adoptados-por-rosalia-y-beyonce-peluqueria-20330.php#.
“Becoming ‘Nuyorican.’” Tenement Museum, 7 May 2021,
https://www.tenement.org/blog/becoming-nuyorican/.
Bedoya, Roberto. Tucson, Arizona. “Spatial Justice: Rasquachification, Race and the City.”
Creative Time Reports, 10 Oct. 2014,
https://creativetimereports.org/2014/09/15/spatial-justice-rasquachification-race-and-the-
city/.
Bero, Tayo. “As a Black Woman, My Acrylic Nails Will Always Be More than Just a Manicure
to Me.” Bustle, Bustle, 11 July 2019,
https://www.bustle.com/p/as-a-black-woman-my-acrylic-nails-will-always-be-more-than-
just-a-manicure-to-me-17862166.
By, MARGOT M. "Nail Art Creates Fingertip Renaissance: Nail Art Enjoys A Renaissance."
New York Times (1923-), Jul 14, 1996, pp. 33. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/nail-art-creates-fingertip-renaissance/d
cview/109636071/se-2.
Henao, Thalía. “9 Y2K-Inspired Manicure Ideas That'll Take You Right Back to the Year 2000.”
Allure, 22 Sept. 2022, https://www.allure.com/story/y2k-nails.
León, Concepción De. “The Early Days of the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.” The New York Times,
The New York Times, 6 Dec. 2018,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/06/style/nuyorican-poets-archive.html.
McGrath, Pat, and Supreme. Supreme Pat McGrath Nail Polish. Instagram, 26 Feb. 2023,
https://www.instagram.com/p/CiiPypjrzZu/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY%3D. Accessed 12
Apr. 2023.
Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, https://poets.org/text/brief-guide-nuyorican-poetry.
Rankine, Claudia. Just Us: An American Conversation. Graywolf Press, 2022.
Semenova, Marina. Code-Switching and translated/untranslated Repetitions in Nuyorican
Spanglish. vol. 273, EDP Sciences, 2021. ProQuest,
https://www.proquest.com/conference-papers-proceedings/code-switching-translated-unt
anslated/docview/2577582758/se-2, doi:https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202127312139.
Scales, Jeffrey Henson, et al. “Taking New York by the Hand.” The New York Times, The New
York Times, 3 Mar. 2018,
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/03/style/new-york-city-nail-artists-manicures.html.
Wuzg00d, and The M Jewelers. Herencia. Instagram, 22 Dec. 2022,
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkI7FbCjA6R/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_shee
t. Accessed 12 Apr. 2023.
“WUZG00D Links with the M Jewelers on 'Herencia' Capsule Celebrating Nuyorican Heritage.”
SNOBETTE, 26 Oct. 2022,
https://snobette.com/2022/10/wuzg00d-the-m-jewelers-on-herencia-jewelry-collection/.
