PLUS MODEL MAGAZINE September 2015 Latin Issue | Page 85

Wow, I sound so old! Back then, having an agent and being signed was IT!! Now models have the opportunity to create their brand, voice their opinions and share their knowledge and personalities. We didn’t have bloggers back then either. I love what bloggers are doing and admire all the girls that have such huge followings and are using social media as a positive platform for the plus community. Many of the top plus size models today are now also moms. How do you navigate motherhood and a modeling career? As a mom, this has to be by far the most difficult part. Balancing motherhood and modeling can be challenging, especially because of the travel. Thankfully, I have a great support system at home. I’m very close with my boys. I try to take this as an opportunity to talk to them about the importance of hard work, sacrifice and going out to pursue your dreams. I want to be an example for them and show them that it’s not “do as I say, it’s do as I do”... As a Latina model, can you tell us about some of the challenges you have faced and how you have worked to overcome them? In the early 2000’s, I was told over and over again that there wasn’t enough market for Latinas. It was during the time of the Latin boom. Jennifer Lopez, Penelope Cruz and Salma Hayek were all over the screen. Shakira, Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin were invading our stations with Latin rhythms and Narciso Rodriguez, Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera were dominating the red carpet. So I found it so hard to believe but I was young and very naive so I just believed it. Then, with time, something interesting happened. I started getting directly booked and the clients were asking me why they had never seen me before. They hadn’t seen my portfolio or comp cards or at castings, which meant I was never marketed to begin with. It was a lesson. I don’t know if I can say that I did