Today we’d like to introduce you to Rina Puri and Sonia Shah.
Two years ago, Rina and Sonia (sisters) sought to empower women, especially Moms, and South Asian females to get more out of life through fashion, friendship, and fun! They built a team of stay at home Moms to each share their journey on a platform called Chicks And Salsa – named after their favorite snack and also the symbolism that it came with. “We always have chips and salsa when we are hanging out with our friends and having a great time, those are the best nights!” Rina said. Today, they talk about everything from fashion, beauty, travel, and more and have created an actual lifestyle blog that hopefully speaks to all kinds of women!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The “Empowered South Asian Female” is kind of a new phenomenon. Our Mom has been a housewife for most of her life and she did a great job raising a family with four kids AND grandparents at home. Our Mom made constant sacrifices for others always putting herself last; her dreams and her personal ambitions. Our generation sees family a little differently; we prioritize ourselves a little bit more and carve out time from our lives to do things that make us happy – whether that is a girls night out a visit to the spa! This has, of course, comes with a little judgment for being “selfish” from our community from time to time, but sharing how making time for ourselves has made us better partners and mothers have helped change the discussion and perception.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Chicks And Salsa – what should we know?
We love sharing what we are doing with our followers, it is our hope that when they see us doing something fun or wearing something unique that they are inspired to get up and do something themselves. We love making the most of what we have and live life with the glass half full, even when things are tough!
As longtime Chicago girls, Rina and Sonia have been around for a while! “We love this city and all of its diversity we are proud to represent Mothers and South Asian from this great place!” Says Sonia.
We’re interested to hear your thoughts on female leadership – in particular, what do you feel are the biggest barriers or obstacles?
Generally, women have been supportive of our efforts and we are grateful for that! When it comes to blogging, there is truly space for everyone so the community in Chicago at large has been generous with their ideas and compliments. We would love to see more ethnic bloggers take the scene in Chicago in the future.
We think that the most challenging thing this day in age is changing the way we see each other on social media and accepting what we see for what it is – a moment in time captured by someone who wanted to share something. It is easier to be happy for each other than to cut each other down. We are all one – we need to cut each other some slack over insecurities, judgment, and fear and celebrate one another as often as possible! We have found that positive energy can manifest in the same way negative energy does, so we all have to make that choice!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chicksandsalsa.com
- Phone: 478-363-3160
- Email: chicksandsalsa2@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicksandsalsablog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChicksAndSalsa/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChicksSalsa
Image Credit:
Chris Urquia
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
