When Pope Leo XIV was elected on May 8, news outlets raced to capture the sentiment of Peruvians rejoicing both abroad and locally. But long before this mainstream media spotlight, content creators and conveners “Peruvian Sisters” have been tapping into authentic dialogue at the intersections of identity, family and culture.
The brand and social media platform launched in July 2020, when Whitney and Samantha Dobladillo aimed to connect their community through relatable cultural storytelling. Nearly five years later, pride continues to pulsate in posts on everything from the first pontiff to hold Peruvian citizenship to the first Peruvian group to play Coachella.
The “Peruvian Sisters” are biological sisters, equally proud of being New Yorkers and Peruvian Americans, whose parents immigrated from Lima to Long Island. The Dobladillos started the platform because they struggled with finding a community where they felt seen.
Hen soup and green rice
Growing up in Nassau County, the sisters rarely saw other Latinos, let alone Peruvians, in their classes up until high school. Their mom would “lovingly” pack full Peruvian lunches. “Then you bring that to a school full of white kids and they’re so unfamiliar with what you’re bringing or what these smells are,” Whitney said. “It’s a bit isolating when you hear, ‘why is that rice green? or ‘why does that look like that?’ and it makes you feel outcasted.”
One food incident still sticks in Samantha’s mind from first or second grade: she was getting over a cold and her mom packed her caldo de gallina (hen soup) for snack time.
“Everyone had their PB&J sandwiches or their Cheez-Its and their cookies, and then I’m over here bringing out this Tupperware of soup with one big hard-boiled egg,” Samantha said. “As soon as I opened it up, people were just looking at me and I remember this one girl was like, ‘why are you eating soup for lunch?’”
During these early experiences, the sisters didn’t yet know how to clap back at classmates.
“We’re all Peruvian”
This othering continued even as the sisters encountered more Latinos at school. Whitney remembers, years ago, saying something in Spanish to her friends at the time: “Maybe it didn’t verbally translate correctly in Spanish and … another Latino kid was like, ‘your Spanish is not great,’” she says, recalling these schoolmates then called her a “fake” Latina. “That was just like, wow, just because I’m not speaking like you, you’re trying to invalidate me.”
For Samantha, similar experiences happened abroad and on the job. At a family gathering in Peru, some of her relative’s friends made remarks about the way she spoke Spanish. And while working retail, her interactions with Latino customers were often tinged with judgment. When Samantha answered questions about her background, a few Peruvian customers told her she didn’t have a Peruvian accent. “I didn’t know what to say at that point,” she said. “I don’t have an answer, nor do I owe you an answer either.”
She and her sister soon realized they were part of a swath of people navigating similar challenges. They were meeting others who had also grown up in predominantly white towns. They saw the highest engagement on their platform when they posted a simple mantra on social media: “I am Peruvian enough.” It started a cascade of comments around shared experiences from people who had felt or been told they couldn’t call themselves Peruvian.
Telegraphing the fact that Peruvians aren’t a monolith while facilitating a safe space for community dialogue is one of their biggest challenges. “We have people that comment, ‘well, this is not how my family did it,’ but it’s like, you’re valid because that’s your experience, but you shouldn’t invalidate other people’s experiences,” Whitney said. “There’s so many different stories and they’re all valid. Because we’re all Peruvian.”
Being in community
In this outpouring of online engagement, the Dobladillo sisters saw the need for in-person meetups so people could share their experiences and connect on a deeper level. Their first gathering, in the summer of 2021, brought 35 people to Prospect Park. They laid out a blanket and snacks and talked in the park until sundown, then kept the night going at a nearby pizza spot.
Since then, their community has only deepened. The meetups now pop up in cities like Chicago, L.A. and Miami, often based on suggestions from their growing online following. The sisters are happy to oblige when their funds and PTO allow, recently hosting one in Los Angeles while out there for Coachella.
“We filled up a restaurant on a Wednesday night in L.A., with traffic and everything, and people were willing to do that,” Whitney said, “because they’re like, ‘oh, I didn’t know there were so many Peruvians.’ I think we’re all just spread out.”
Still, most of their gatherings are in New York, where they’re based (Whitney lives in Brooklyn and Samantha in Long Island). And they’ve been intentional about keeping the intimacy of that first time in the park.
“With the meetups, the more people we meet, I feel more seen,” Samantha said. “And I feel like everyone can relate on a level where we’re not just strangers, we share something culturally.”
They’re looking forward to more collaborations with Peruvian creatives and content creators in their meet-ups, as well as with other Latino communities.
Being in sisterhood
The sisters have also grown closer since launching the platform. “Had we not collaborated with each other in this specific way, I don’t think we would have gotten to know each other in this aspect,” Whitney said.
As part of their regular process, they share sister-related, Peruvian-related and family-related memes and posts with each other. If someone comments something funny on their page, they’ll laugh and talk about it. On more than one occasion, posts have sparked stories and funny memories of their parents.
“There was something missing on a deeper level because of the age difference,” Samantha said, “versus going on interviews together, sharing each other’s stories, constantly updating each other on what’s next and our ideas bouncing off of each other.”
It’s what their mom wanted all along. When they first shared their idea for “Peruvian Sisters” — back when they still weren’t sure whether they were going to sell merch or what their brand would be — their mom was one of their biggest supporters. “She was like […] ‘as sisters, you guys could stick together,’ like such a Latino mom. “‘You guys are all that you’ve got, like amiguitas,’” Whitney said.
Their mom has been a big supporter in other ways, adding razzle-dazzle to her daughters’ social videos with her now famous dance moves — captured in a recent tear-jerking Mother’s Day reel set to viral audio. Their dad is also down to be part of their projects: one especially candid video features him simultaneously hyping up and making fun of their mom while she dances in the kitchen.
Her pride in the platform is just as real: “If we’re out eating somewhere, or at an event, [our mom goes,] ‘you should tell them you’re “Peruvian Sisters!’” Whitney said.
Peruvian Sisters
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