July 3, 2025

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is near the end and the final on this Sunday is every Mexican-American’s worst nightmare, or maybe ideal situation? As the U.S. takes on El Tri for the title. Or maybe this is a Donna Kelce moment with the split jersey? Who’s to say, but one thing’s for sure: loyalties will be tested, the family Whats chat will blow up, and somewhere, someone’s about to get called out for not picking a side.

YOUR (LATINA) LOCKER ROOM

The stories and accomplishments of the greatest Latina athletes

Angela Barón’s Journey Home

Angela Barón, whose journey from Texas high school standout to international soccer star embodies the power of embracing one's heritage. Born in Texas to a Colombian mother, Barón has become a cornerstone of Colombia's national team renaissance, representing her mother's homeland at the sport's most prestigious stages—the FIFA Women's World Cup and Summer Olympics—where Colombia defied expectations by reaching the quarterfinals in both tournaments.

Barón's meteoric rise tells a broader story of Colombian women's football emerging as a global force, with the defender serving as both witness and catalyst to this transformation. Since 2022, she has been an ever-present figure in Colombia's golden generation, appearing in six major tournaments and helping forge a new identity for Las Cafeteras.

Now at Racing Louisville Barón brings not just international experience, but the inspiring story of a player who found her true calling by honoring her family's legacy while forging her own path to greatness.

Beautiful Rebellion

Latina creators have transformed fashion into a powerful form of advocacy—advancing representation, autonomy, and cultural pride.

They’re leveraging style not just as a form of self-expression, but as a way to challenge systemic underrepresentation—especially in an industry where 68.6% of Latina influencers say they aren’t fairly represented in marketing campaigns, according to a 2022 survey.

That movement now includes fútbol. As women’s soccer grows across the U.S. and Latin America, Latina creators are fusing fashion and fandom in bold new ways, rocking vintage kits, remixing team merch into crop tops and corsets, and pulling up to matches like they’re fashion week runways.

And it’s not just about the clothes. Hair, too, is becoming a battleground—and a billboard—for representation. The “hair is political” movement has gained traction among Latina and Afro-Latina creators who are reclaiming their natural curls, braids, and protective styles in a space that has historically pressured assimilation.

Whether it’s showing up to games with baby hairs perfectly laid or wearing a silk press with a protest tee, these choices are layered with meaning.

In rejecting Eurocentric beauty standards, these creators are honoring their roots—literally—and making it clear that beauty and resistance can (and do) coexist.

Fashion, hair, sport—it’s all connected, and it’s all personal.