This Black History Month, Latino Alternative TV (LATV) will be premiering its original Afro-Latina-led beauty series, Shades of Beauty on Friday, Feb. 18 at 7:30pm ET. The series, hosted by Simone Mariposa and Yoe Apolinario, will focus on framing public perception of beauty to better understand its place in our culture and providing viewers with a sense of agency over their expression.
Developed under LATV’s inclusive content strategy spearheaded by LATV Co-Executive Directors Bruno Seros-Ulloa and Andres Palencia, Shades of Beauty solidifies LATV’s commitment to empowering creators who mirror their audience.
“A show like this would’ve been monumental if it was around when I was growing up. Maybe I could’ve avoided some of the things I had to unlearn and relearn in my adulthood,” said host Apolinario.
Shades of Beauty aims to redefine the beauty content genre. “We absolutely love how Ulta Beauty and, of course, Fenty Beauty have challenged outdated norms of the fashion, cosmetics, and beauty industries. Similarly, Yoe and Simone represent those who are more into defining beauty for themselves and on their own terms,” said Palencia.
Shades of Beauty was brought to life by a Latina-led creative team including seasoned LATV producer Aura Quiroz who also produces LATV’s Get it Girl and The Q Agenda as well as Beatriz Hernandez who also produces The Recap with Dramos and Blacktinidad. “This show is a place for education, representation, and inspiration. Our goal is to bring awareness to diversity in beauty, and to show that people of all shapes, sizes, and creeds deserve to know they are beautiful,” said host Mariposa.
Also premiering on LATV during Black History Month will be season 2 of Blacktinidad, which is set to air Friday, Feb. 18 at 7 pm ET. Blacktinidad will continue to explore the intricacies of the Afro-Latino experience through open conversations about topics like positive representation in media and Black American vs. Black Latino experiences. Season 2 will introduce new hosts Nadia Brooks, Jessica Antoine, Yanelis Francesca, and Kyo Figueroa with guest appearances from Austin Brown, Brian London, Reis Armstrong, and Alexis Garcia among others.
The addition of Shades of Beauty and Season 2 of Blacktinidad furthers LATV’s commitment to creating truly inclusive content. “One of LATV’s core objectives is to make sure our audience feels seen in everything we create. As such, we are continuously finding new ways to connect with them across platforms and meet them where they are – regardless of the medium. Accordingly, you can expect to see groundbreaking content that resonates with the broader themes of our Latino, Afro-Latino, and LGBTQ+ audience,” said Bruno Seros-Ulloa, Co-Executive Director of LATV.
