Latinos Go Back To School (Then & Now)

Growing up, there were three times a year we looked forward to. The first was birthdays, the second was the holiday season and the third was Back to School. Going Back to School shopping usually meant we had free reign of picking any style and look of school supplies that our young heart could desire.

Millennials might remember the excitement of running to Target to snag pencils with original Trolls figurines on top of the eraser, or metallic gel pens with glitter, or even more exciting, those circular pens that had 12 different inks that would change with the click of a button. And when it came to our Back to School wardrobe, Target was also our one-stop-shop since it’s always up to date with the newest styles. But we know that trends change. Some come back and others fade off into a distant memory that our own kids will never know. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the excitement of bringing home all those cool supplies.

We took a trip down memory lane and asked Latino millennials to share their favorite Back to School photo with their child and ask him or her what they think of their style. Some responses were extremely sweet and others were quite unexpected. We then flipped the script and let these little style experts fill us in on what’s cool when it comes to Back to School supplies and style. They reminded us how times have changed, but the one thing that has stayed the same is that Target has always had everything kids need and want for Back to School success. 

Cindy (older sister) & Isabella (younger sister)

By looking at her older sister’s photo, Isabella says she can tell her Cindy played sports. Isabella’s guess is that Cindy played baseball and handball. When it comes to her own personal style, Isabella says “I don’t have a style. I don’t know how to describe it at all. I haven’t formed one. My favorite outfit is colorful. I like graphic prints that are cartoony. I like pants with flowers. I just like black pants too.”

Click here to shop floral leggings available at Target.

Dalia (mamá) & Dalila (mija)

Dalila describes her mom as “fancy girly” in this photo of her. But Dalila is all things trendy and practical. “Pop! I love all things pop. But I also like to be comfy. My favorite outfit is jean shorts. For back to school style I am very into cute, comfy, matching sets. I just got two the other day with my mom. One was tie-dye and the other was flowery. I like colorful clothes too. My favorite prints right now are shirts with sunsets, unicorns and tie-dye — I love all things tie-dye. My favorite characters are Mal & Eve from The Descendants, Mavis from Hotel Transylvania, and The Little Mermaid.”

Click here to shop kids tie-dye clothing available at Target.

Yolanda (mamá) & Mia (mija)

Mia is very admirable of her mom’s style. “I think you look pretty. You look fierce. You don’t like to dress fancy, but casual everyday clothes. You rarely get dressed up and only for a special occasion. Your style stands out, though. Sometimes your colors are bright, but mostly your style is simple,” says Mia. 

When it comes to her own style, Mia follows in Mom’s footsteps, who is also casual and colorful. “Sometimes I go through my closet to find a t-shirt to pair with the right shorts and skirts. 

I like bright colors and I mix it up with a hairstyle. I’ll wear a high ponytail, a bun or my hair down,” says Mia.

When she’s looking for Back to School supplies or books, Mia has a handful of characters she turns to. “My favorite characters?! From the movie, The Game Plan is Payton, a silly, funny, brave young, brown girl.” Mia is also a fan of a character who shares the same name as her from the book series “The Cupcake Diaries.” She says she relates to the character not only because they share the same name but because they both have interests in fashion and designs and sketches.

Click here to shop girls’ shorts available at Target.

Vanessa (mamá) & Carmela (mija)

When Carmela saw her mom’s school photo, she was in awe of her mom’s features and even recognized how much she looks like her brother. Carmela was also a fan of the bow that tied her mom’s picture day photo. For her own Back to School style, Carmela adores rainbow prints. Carmela’s mom, Vanessa, says Carmela had a pair of rainbow shorts from Target that she would wear so much she tried finding another pair. But when Carmela isn’t wearing her absolute favorite pair of rainbow shorts, she’s usually running around in rainbow-printed leggings and unicorn sweaters. When Carmela starts shopping for Back to School supplies she will probably turn toward anything Pinkalicious, Barbie, or Elsa and Anna (from Frozen) since they’re her absolute favorite characters. 

Click here to shop girls’ unicorn printed styles available at Target.

Cynthia (tía) & Mia-Rose (niece)

Mia-Rose is about to start pre-school in the fall and she’s very excited to shop for Back to School supplies. She’s currently obsessed with Barbie, baby dolls, and My Little Pony. When Mia-Rose’s aunt, Cynthia, was in elementary and middle school, she wanted all of her school supplies to have characters from Hello Kitty. If she spotted something with Keropi on it, forget about it, she had to have it. Cynthia also says that gel pens were the best and she was always excited to color using those retractable colored pencils. 

Click here to shop all things My Little Pony

Jessica (mamá) & Darla (mija)

Like mother, like daughter, Jessica and Darla love playing with high ponytails. When she was in elementary school, Jessica was a fan of matching sets — something that is now trending again. On the flipside, Darla says she “likes all the girly styles with Sparkles.” “My favorite outfit is cute dresses and crop tops for kids with shorts and boots,” says Darla of her style. Some of her favorite school supplies have prints of The Little Mermaid or Mel, Eve and Audrey from The Descendants. 

Click here to shop girls’ dresses available at Target.

Wendy (mamá) & Nick (mijo)

Nick looks at his mom’s school photo and describes her having a “fancy and old school” style. He, on the other hand, describes his style as “cool.” “My favorite color is blue and red. I like to wear those colors. I love to wear my Fortnite shirt with a pair of jeans and tennis shoes.” Whenever he goes Back to School shopping he is on the hunt for anything Drift from Fortnite.

Click here to shop boys’ Fortnite clothing available at Target.

Alfredo (papá) & June (mija)

The 90s brought many memorable trends and Alfredo remembers being a fan of the Los Angeles grunge and colors as bright as highlighters. “At that age, I was starting to listen to early grunge music and probably wanted my mom to stop picking out my clothes,” he says. “I’m not sure I knew it was picture day because I’d lose all those forms haha. The trends at that time in L.A. were neon-colored surf wear.” Alfredo’s daughter June is now in high school and her dad says that when she is shopping for her back to school wardrobe, she loves band tees. “June in the last couple of years became interested in skate culture style with her twist of vintage,” says Alfredo. “She has actually started wearing some of my old band t-shirts,” he adds. 

Click here to shop band tees available at Target. 

Jenny (nina) & Alessandra (goddaughter)

This godmother and goddaughter duo are big fans of big bows to jazz up their hairstyles. Jenny was always on the hunt for Mr. Sketch scented markers when she was in the middle of her Back to School shopping. “I really enjoyed scented markers,” she says. Now that Alessandra started her first year in school (preschool!) she is all about crafts. Anything that helps her bring her colorful masterpieces to life is what she gravitates toward, things like “crayons, markers, tracing books and coloring books,” says Alessandra’s godmother, Jenny.  

Click here to shop school supplies available at Target.