Doralys recognizes that more brands are making a symbolic effort to be inclusive. She chooses to pursue partnerships with brands that deeply believe in genuine diversity efforts, where she can build relationships and ultimately be a thought partner.
Doralys Britto doesn’t follow beauty conversations — she shapes them. From Los Angeles, the Dominican-born creator builds work that blends cultural awareness with modern beauty, focusing on presence, intention, and long-term impact rather than trends.
Susan: You’ve spoken about of everyone finding their own sense of beauty. What inspired you to make the video last year about your dreadlocks and embracing natural hair?
Doralys: I wanted to celebrate who I am. I am half black and I am so proud of it. Growing up, however, I sometimes didn't feel like I should have. I got my hair straightened at a very early age because that was something that many curly-haired Afro-Latina girls do. We wanted that "euro-centric" look, as if having big curly hair was something I should be ashamed of. As I grew up and started to learn more about my heritage, I became more and more proud of who I was. So getting dreadlocks was really my way of both embracing my roots and celebrating them and also breaking a stigma that dreadlocks were a bad look. I believe the only way to break that stigma was to, first, help to normalize it by showing girls that we can have dreadlocks and be a successful business woman, and second, to educate people about the story behind it. That's what I did.
"According to Britto, this realization led her to go just beyond embracing her curls to locking her hair, a decision that she was deeply rooted in identity. "I am a proud Afro-Latina, and I wanted to embrace that side of my culture and history," she says. "At first, I was scared because there's a huge stigma around locs." Unfortunately, in many societies, there are still harmful stereotypes associated with locs, a style deeply rooted in Black history and culture. "I knew that following my gut would be a beautiful opportunity to break that stigma," she says.
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