Hey! My name is Kay Galarza, I’m 18 years old and I live in NYC. I originally am from a small town on the border of Mexico (McAllen, Texas) but moved to NYC before my freshman year of high school. Now, I am a first-year at Columbia University hoping to major in political science and creative nonfiction writing. Aside from being a full-time student, I have been working as a researcher, facilitator, and community organizer with New York University and the NYC Department of Education since I was 14. My work centers around how students experience school segregation and disproportionality. I am also a model- I have freelanced since I was 15- but am looking to sign with an agency here in NYC!
my Instagram is @kaygalarza
First thing you do when you wake up/go to bed?
I am writing this deep into quarantine, so my routines have changed quite a bit from the normal bustle of everyday life. However every day (both pre and mid quar), I volley between either complete stillness or complete movement. I’ll either sit by my window and meditate or journal, or I’ll immediately start listening to music and dancing or doing yoga. If my day is particularly busy, I like to start with stillness- if my day is a bit quieter, I like to move more.
Any ritual health/beauty/wellness routine or products?
Not a product, but journaling to check in with myself physically, mentally, and emotionally, is my go-to routine. While I love self-pampering products as much as the next person, I've found that wellness culture and “self-care” culture has become increasingly centered around capitalizing off what we are told we are lacking. We are told that a product will fill that void, a la Goop’s “self-optimization” messaging. However, strengthening my intuition around how I feel without outside/societal influence is key for me. It only takes a couple of minutes to sit and recognize your feelings and begin to search for the root of them.
Favorite feature on yourself and why?
My favorite feature is a tie between my hair and my eyes! My mom and family have always said that those aspects of my features show my mixed background the most. She says my eyes are both Asian and Puerto Rican and my hair (although it weighs tons and is frizz central) reminds me of my Puerto Rican sides’ curls.
How do your job, lifestyle, and background affect your routine?
The nature of my jobs and of the city I live in both affect my routine by pushing it to be as natural, quick, and effective as possible. I’ve found that the least amount of products and a reasonable amount of time make me feel the most ‘me’ which in turn makes me feel ready to go into the outside world and get to a day of work! My background is not one of luxury- product wise or time-wise, so being as natural as possible is always my goal in a world where being anything but that is preferred! Much appreciation and admiration for people with the opposite routine- to each their own- but I hope a slower more elaborate and indulgent routine is something I can possibly adopt when I’m older!
What do you do to stay healthy?
Listen! As arbitrarily cliche as “listening to your body” can sound, I’ve come to begin to understand intuition. I try to find balance in everything- moving my body and feeling moved creatively is always coupled with stillness for me. Every day, especially in quarantine since I live on Zoom calls and the internet, is a constant bombardment of products and messaging, so I carve out the time to listen to how I feel and what I feel called to do for myself.
Any cultural tips/tricks you've learned from family and/or friends?
Vick’s vaporub or tiger balm solve everything haha! That’s on real immigrant parent tips. If you even feel a slight sniffle, lather up.
Beauty wise, from friends and makeup artists, use soap for your brows! Mine are bushy and thick and adding products doesn’t suit me, but I now have a mini Altoid’s tin that has a cut-up bar of clear soap in it for my brows.
How do you choose beauty products?
I always choose beauty products based on their ingredients- I’m not completely against chemicals as I think the right concoction can definitely help your skin (for me, it’s retin A!) - but I try to stick to natural remedies when possible! I also care a lot about the brand's mission/founding principles and their workers' conditions. It’s hard to shop ethically when corporations and companies have mastered virtue signaling while putting their money and time into causes I don’t support- but aiming to be more aware of where I put my money means a lot to me!
What is your ethnic background?
My mom is Filipino and my father is Puerto rican. So Asian and Latina!
How do your ethnicity and identity intersect and affect your beauty preferences (or grievances)?
Being a non white person complicates every aspect of life, especially in the realm of beauty and especially when I work in an industry with pressing beauty ideals. I have definitely felt a range of reactions and emotions: from feeling excluded to feeling tokenized etc. I've never seen someone who looks like me in the media in authentic manners, rather I've seen over glorification of eurocentric ideals and hyperfixation on people that I will never look like or sudden glorifaction of my features in the name of exoticizing them. My beauty preference now is simply to not cover up or hide anything. Beauty has become synonymous with creating a whole new image, but I think beauty, for me, is exploring and creating from who you are already. It may sound trite, but beauty is not hiding behind anything- it’s showing who you are!
If you were to create the perfect beauty/wellness product for yourself, what would it be?
I’ll always be on the hunt for the perfect moisturizer and sunscreen! Trying to find a product with all the best vitamins and minerals that’s not oily, and without comedogenic properties feels never-ending.