Christina Mendez Makes Grand Entrance Back Into the Industry
You know her face, but do you know her story? Successful model, actress, host and personality Christina Mendez notoriety in the world of fashion and entertainment is merely one of her exceptional achievements as a person of character, charisma and class.
In 1993, the Dominican descended, Ms. Mendez embarked on her childhood dream of a successful modeling career. As the grand-daughter of meringue king, Joseíto Mateo, Ms. Mendez was well versed in the world of entertainment, ready to work hard to bring her dream into fruition.
On the brink of stardom, Ms. Mendez and her high school sweetheart discovered they were pregnant. Delighted by the news, Ms. Mendez put her career on hold and had a son in 1996. At the age of 2, her son was diagnosed with severe autism and a promise that he would never speak or eat alone. Putting her rising popularity on hold, Ms. Mendez took over her son’s 24 hour, full-time care.
Determined to make her dream a reality, Ms. Mendez made a grand return to the world of modeling and acting in 2006. To date she has graced the pages of Glamour, Latina, All You, DTM and Urban Latino Magazine, rocked the runway for BET’s Rip the Runway, Art of Curves, and Lane Bryant’s In-Store Fashion Show in NYC. She has also become one of the first real-size, Hispanic Urban models to work as the featured model for Baby Phat, Apple Bottoms, Rocawear, Dereon and more.
Many national television segments have also enjoyed Ms. Mendez’s talent and beauty, including The Rachel Ray Show, Fox News, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, BET News, Lifetime’s “Matched in Manhattan” with Matt Titus and others.
No stranger to the spotlight, Ms. Mendez was one of four models featured in BET’s one-hour special “Rip the Runway Model Search 2008”. This behind the scenes, model search show followed Ms. Mendez through auditions, makeovers and a day in the life. Ms. Mendez opened the “Size Sexy” portion of the “Rip the Runway” show modeling a dress from Qristyl Frazier Designs.
Recently making the move into television and film, Ms. Mendez can be seen interviewing celebrities for one of television’s hottest hip-hop shows, “The VIP Section TV”.
Career accomplishments aside, Ms. Mendez counts her greatest achievements among her volunteer work, especially involving autism. Heavily involved with Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to providing information on medical breakthroughs, treatment, coping and ways to raise awareness, Ms. Mendez participated in the 2006 Autism Speaks Walk, celebrating her son learning to speak, sing and write.
Additionally, Ms. Mendez served on the national board for Hispanic Support Organizations. Her HSO work includes organizing a scholarship gala for New York area students, working with Habitat for Humanity and the Dress for Success Campaign. Ms. Mendez was also a member of political advocacy group, Women Barack! The Vote. As the only Hispanic woman in the ads, Ms. Mendez delivered the message in both English and Spanish.
For more information about Christina Mendez, her talent, her passion and her volunteer work, please visit http://www.christinamendez.com/.
christinamendezpress@gmail.com
In 1993, the Dominican descended, Ms. Mendez embarked on her childhood dream of a successful modeling career. As the grand-daughter of meringue king, Joseíto Mateo, Ms. Mendez was well versed in the world of entertainment, ready to work hard to bring her dream into fruition.
On the brink of stardom, Ms. Mendez and her high school sweetheart discovered they were pregnant. Delighted by the news, Ms. Mendez put her career on hold and had a son in 1996. At the age of 2, her son was diagnosed with severe autism and a promise that he would never speak or eat alone. Putting her rising popularity on hold, Ms. Mendez took over her son’s 24 hour, full-time care.
Determined to make her dream a reality, Ms. Mendez made a grand return to the world of modeling and acting in 2006. To date she has graced the pages of Glamour, Latina, All You, DTM and Urban Latino Magazine, rocked the runway for BET’s Rip the Runway, Art of Curves, and Lane Bryant’s In-Store Fashion Show in NYC. She has also become one of the first real-size, Hispanic Urban models to work as the featured model for Baby Phat, Apple Bottoms, Rocawear, Dereon and more.
Many national television segments have also enjoyed Ms. Mendez’s talent and beauty, including The Rachel Ray Show, Fox News, The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, BET News, Lifetime’s “Matched in Manhattan” with Matt Titus and others.
No stranger to the spotlight, Ms. Mendez was one of four models featured in BET’s one-hour special “Rip the Runway Model Search 2008”. This behind the scenes, model search show followed Ms. Mendez through auditions, makeovers and a day in the life. Ms. Mendez opened the “Size Sexy” portion of the “Rip the Runway” show modeling a dress from Qristyl Frazier Designs.
Recently making the move into television and film, Ms. Mendez can be seen interviewing celebrities for one of television’s hottest hip-hop shows, “The VIP Section TV”.
Career accomplishments aside, Ms. Mendez counts her greatest achievements among her volunteer work, especially involving autism. Heavily involved with Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to providing information on medical breakthroughs, treatment, coping and ways to raise awareness, Ms. Mendez participated in the 2006 Autism Speaks Walk, celebrating her son learning to speak, sing and write.
Additionally, Ms. Mendez served on the national board for Hispanic Support Organizations. Her HSO work includes organizing a scholarship gala for New York area students, working with Habitat for Humanity and the Dress for Success Campaign. Ms. Mendez was also a member of political advocacy group, Women Barack! The Vote. As the only Hispanic woman in the ads, Ms. Mendez delivered the message in both English and Spanish.
For more information about Christina Mendez, her talent, her passion and her volunteer work, please visit http://www.christinamendez.com/.
christinamendezpress@gmail.com
When I was in High School, my Spanish teacher was a runway instructor and he started a Fashion Committee. I hated school and never stayed 1 minute passed last period but when I joined the Fashion Committee I worked on my runway walk and poses after school everyday. That's when I fell in love with the craft.
If you could work with anyone, who would it be?
I would love to work with the Cover Girl brand. I love the feel of their ads and I always feel "
Easy, Breezy, and Beautiful", LOL.
What was your most accomplished moment and shining glory?
Actually every moment (big or small) in my career is a shining glory and special in my heart, so it's hard to point to one in particular. But if I had to pick one I would say being picked to represent the only "real size / plus size" model in the one-hour BET special "Rip The Runway - Model Search". What made that opportunity stand out the most, was the fact that besides showing my modeling world I was able to share my personal journey and introduce my son to millions.
Please give your advice to someone who wants to pursue your career?
My advice to others is to come into the industry with a plan of action and goal. A clear understanding of where you want to end up will allow you to aim towards that and not be easily steered into gigs that you might not feel comfortable doing or might regret in the future.
Also, with the help of the Internet you can serve as your own agent and I strongly suggest trying that for the first couple of months to a year. This will give you more flexibility to try stuff, decline stuff and work some non-paid gigs for experience and exposure. Helpful sites are www.craigslist.org, www.modelmayhem.com, www.backstage.com, www.linkedin.com, www.nycastings.com (for my new yorkers).
Comments
Post a Comment