econd generation Mexican-American with a dream to pursue modeling in Los Angeles, came with its fair share of No's and turbulence. But, that never stopped Angelina Love from conquering her pursuit to happiness.
"Someone, somewhere has an opinion of me but I've learned to love my body no matter the shape or size."
"Remember there is only ONE you, that's what gives you your character."
What is your ethnicity?
I am a mutt; Mexican, Puerto Rican, Spaniard, Lebanese, and Italian
What is your age?
I am 23 years old
How have you struggled in the past to appreciate or love your body and how have you overcome that struggle?
I've struggled loving my body my whole life. My body somehow seems to go against whatever the current beauty standard is. When the ideal body was stick skinny, my body was on the curvier side and vice versa. What helped me is not letting beauty standards and media affect the love I give my own body. This is challenging, but essential in today's world. We are all beautiful in our own ways and as a woman I can now say that our so called flaws really do make us stand out from the crowd.
How have you struggled loving your slender body?
It's been an interesting battle because many view my body as ideal, even perfect, and to some, I’ll never be perfect or ideal. They key was when I stopped listening to outside opinions about my body, that’s when I found peace with my myself. Beauty standards are always changing and that will never stop, so why pay any attention to it.
Many women might believe due to your slender ideal physique, that you do not have any self-love issues, is this true?
To believe only certain people face moments which they are unhappy with their body, is baffling to me. Just like anyone else I have my own insecurities. We live in a world where my body is constantly under scrutiny for imperfections. I’m constantly told I’m too big, too short, too tall, or too skinny. Someone, somewhere has an opinion of me but I've learned to love my body no matter the shape or size. I gained control of my own power, and nobody can take that away from me.
What do you love most about your body now?
The definition I see in my muscles, because that wasn't always a thing for me. I was always more on the slender side. I used to call my body type skinny fat, cause I never had definition and now I love my definition.
How was it shooting for the first time?
This was my first time ever showing skin. At first I was super nervous, because I had never done anything like this before in my modeling career. Facing completely new territory I surprisingly became much more confident and comfortable posing with my body oppose to shaping my poses around materials. I almost immediately felt very empowered in my body which made me proud in the moment. Also, knowing my story and photos will be shared with women around the world who may face the same difficulties about feeling comfortable in their own skin, made me feel even more empowered during my shoot.
How was it shooting with no makeup and topless?
I personally love the rawness of taking pictures with no make-up. I love to see the imperfections, in others anyway. Of course, it was a bit challenging at first because we are our own biggest critic. Finding and pointing out all of the flaws and shaming yourself for them is never the way to go, but it’s often how our minds operate. After taking a moment to appreciate my imperfections (dark circles) and truly understanding that those are what make me unique and beautiful, I once again gained all confidence I needed. As for shooting topless, I FOUND A WHOLE NEW LOVE FOR MY BREASTS! They've always been on the smaller side and I used to hate that, but now, I just LOVE their shape…cute lil things.
What message do you have for other women who struggle to appreciate and love their bodies?
Dear ladies, how can the world love and appreciate your body if you don't allow them to? If you don't give yourself the love first then it won't matter who calls you beautiful, you won't believe them. Remember there is only ONE you, that's what gives you your character, something no one can EVER take from you. So, I urge you to take the time to love yourself and your body in and out. We only have this one body in this life and what you want to do with it is up to you, remember to love the process. Never forget that everyone, including men, have body goals, or wish they could change or alter something about themselves, be one of the few who is happy regardless. much love, always spread it. nothing is worth closing your heart over, especially someone's negative comment.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Yes! I'd like to thank SundayMorningView for giving me this experience, for reminding me how much love there is to have. The modeling world is not an easy one but thanks to you I am able to step out and show up more confident than I was able to before. I now stand strongly in my body. Thank you for the endless love and to all readers, thank you for your time in hearing a bit about my story.
A little bit more about me. Being a second generation Mexican-American wasn't easy back home. It was a bold step to be the first in my family to pursue my dreams, and move across the country by myself to LA to take up modeling full-time. I’m the oldest sibling and have always had the burden of being the responsible one. Growing up I went to school with girls who didn't look like me, they were all stick skinny with straight hair and I was a bit thicker with hips and boobs and curly hair. I remember wanting to be like them, and wondering why we didn't look the same. As I got older my metabolism picked up and it has been very difficult to gain weight. I’ve been modeling since I was 7 years old and have been constantly battling with loving my physique. My body was always too big or too small or just not curvy and voluptuous enough, especially in today’s world of big butts and boobs. Going to auditions and being turned down all the time for my size or shape was a hard bullet to bite. Eventually you get turned down enough times that you start to build thick skin and then suddenly those no's turn into a yes. For a very long time loving myself wasn't easy for me, being with shitty people will make that even harder on you. With time I learned I had to put myself first and I have to be in love with myself before I can allow anyone else to. if I didn't take the time to love myself I would've listened and believed all those negative things said by others. Thankfully I've made it to this point and plan on going a lot further in my career. I am now a signed model in LA, hoping to soon release some of my music. Being comfortable in my own skin has lead me to be more confident in other areas of my life, like creating things. All judgement is gone. I am at peace.
