“I like to get the best of all the little things that I see and like in my travels \u2014 and I try to incorporate these into my daily life.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Long before there were any prominent young Latin women on American television, Daisy became the first VJ to be signed to both MTV U.S. and MTV Latino, which launched her career as an international TV star. Just as she was becoming increasingly popular with the MTV audience, cosmetics giant Revlon came calling and signed her to a multi-year, worldwide contract as a spokesperson \u2014 another first for a Latina personality. Since then, Daisy has appeared on countless magazine covers, starred in many national TV ads, hosted numerous TV shows and specials, been named to People Magazine\u2019s 50 Most Beautiful, and created the Daisy Fuentes brand, which includes everything from sportswear and sunglasses to fragrances, bedding and more.<\/p>\n Despite her many accomplishments, Daisy is more than her talents and signature style; she\u2019s also a celebrity who believes in the importance of contributing and giving back. Since 1998, Daisy has been the celebrity chairman for the annual St. Jude Angels & Stars gala in Miami, and she has also worked with many breast cancer awareness causes, including the Revlon\/UCLA Women\u2019s Breast Cancer Research program.<\/p>\n tg: Daisy, you were born in Cuba, moved to Spain and then to New Jersey. What role did your parents have in your career choice to become a model?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n DF: Modeling didn\u2019t really even dawn on me until I was in the eighth grade. I started to hear some comments, some people saying \u201cyou know you are really tall; you ought to think about modeling.\u201d I started thinking, you know, maybe I could do that. At that time I didn\u2019t have a clear vision of what I wanted to do. I learned a lot from my parents, from watching how hard they worked to get ahead and make life better for my sister and me. They worked so hard to better themselves. You can imagine their difficulties; they were young parents moving from country to country with babies and not knowing the language. They struggled and went through hard times and they were a wonderful example to me. They taught me to focus on what the task is, not to dwell on what the obstacles are and not to complain when things aren\u2019t going great.<\/p>\n No one in my family was in show business. When I heard the comments from others about modeling it was just a dream, a fantasy. Little did I know at the time that what you envision and what you think about can come true. My career rather fell into my lap. It was an opportunity that I made the most of when a neighbor knocked on my door and said, I am short a model for Saturday for the studio I work in (located in New York). He told me I was the right height and said that I would fit into the clothes. He told me he wanted to speak to my parents to see if I could do the modeling job. And that\u2019s how it started for me.<\/p>\n tg: You were the first VJ to be signed to both MTV U.S. and MTV Latino. I am curious, as a woman and as a Latina, did you experience any prejudice?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n DF: I was too young and too excited to feel any prejudice. It was out there and it did exist but I didn\u2019t notice it at the time. Looking back now I can see it but at that time my mind wasn\u2019t focused on the negative. I just went with the opportunity and I saw it as a fabulous break for me. I felt so lucky to have this chance. When I started the word crossover didn\u2019t even exist.I didn\u2019t know what it was; I was just happy to have a gig. I did what I do in my everyday life; I did my job in both Spanish and English. It came naturally to me.<\/p>\n “Women are and have to be stronger than men; not just in business but also in life.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n tg: Have you had more opportunities because you are a Latina?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n DF: Where a lot of people view being Hispanic as an obstacle I see it as an opportunity. I have something extra to offer; another whole culture. I have gotten opportunities to do campaigns and commercials in both languages and that\u2019s certainly an added plus. I know there is still a lot of prejudice out there; we\u2019ve come a long way since I started in the business and I never saw my being Hispanic as an obstacle.<\/p>\n tg: You became an actress as well as a model. How did that evolve?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n DF: I tried acting for a bit but it\u2019s not what I do; it\u2019s not what I\u2019m interested in. Starting out many people thought that\u2019s what I should do so I took their advice and gave acting a chance. I was very frustrated and I got stressed going to the auditions. People would open their doors for me but when I walked in people would say you don\u2019t look Hispanic enough, you don\u2019t look or sound Latina. That really confused me because I thought they wanted me to act. I can do an Italian accent, a Spanish accent but they couldn\u2019t think past that. They had an idea of what a Hispanic looked like and sounded like and it was warped. I decided to get out of acting to break the stereotype in a very realistic way by just doing more reality shows and showing more of who I am.<\/p>\n tg: You have to be a strong woman in this world to succeed.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n DF: Women are and have to be stronger than men; not just in business but also in life.<\/p>\n tg: I love all that Danny Thomas accomplished and that Marlo Thomas is continuing with the wonderful St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. How did you become involved in this most worthwhile charity?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n DF: St. Jude is really something extraordinary. I was invited to one of their events in Beverly Hills many, many years ago. I knew very little about the organization, but I was happy to go to the event and support it. Once I was there I was overwhelmed tg: You\u2019ve been heading a fundraiser in Miami for St. Jude for more than 10 years, the Fed Ex\/ St. Jude Angels & Stars Gala.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n DF: Yes, that fundraiser started quite small and has become one of the most popular fundraisers in the area. I\u2019m very proud of that.<\/p>\n tg: Would you talk for a moment about the Thanks and Giving Campaign for St. Jude?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n DF: The Thanks and Giving Campaign is a brilliant idea done around the time of the year when we all need to be reminded of what we need to be thankful for. I am thankful for the health of children and people in my life, and I really try to remember those who aren\u2019t as fortunate during this time and how difficult it must be for them. The Thanks and Giving Campaign includes participating retailers who give a portion of their proceeds to benefit the children at St. Jude who really need it. It\u2019s a wonderful charity. Visit St.Jude Thanks and Giving<\/a> to learn more.<\/p>\n tg: Travelgirl readers want to know, does Daisy Fuentes have a favorite travel destination?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n DF: I have so many favorite destinations. I love to go to St. Barth\u2019s and I love to go to Aspen. They are two different but luxurious locations. Big Sur is also one of my favorites for a real Zen, mind-calming experience. I am getting ready to travel to Singapore and I\u2019m excited because I\u2019ve never been there. I want to travel to as many places as I can; I love to observe how different people live around the world. I like to get the best of all the little things that I see and like in my travels \u2014 and I try to incorporate these into my daily life.<\/p>\n tg: What\u2019s on your travel bucket list?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n DF: An African safari. I would love to experience one, and I want to take an expedition type cruise to Alaska.<\/p>\n![\"Covergirl](\"https:\/\/travelgirlinc.com\/tgwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Daisy_Fuentes.jpg\")
During the past 22 years, Daisy Fuentes has helped define the perception of Latina beauty in the entertainment, fashion and merchandising industries. Born in Havana, raised in Madrid and New Jersey and currently residing in Los Angeles, she is the rare combination of All-American and Latina. <\/strong><\/em><\/h4>\n
\nby the turnout and by what I learned. What I saw on the video screen, the messages that were coming across and the statistics that I learned that night were phenomenal. I had a chance to speak with Marlo at that event and that\u2019s when she invited me to the hospital. Cut to \u2014 I took Marlo (Thomas) up on that invitation and once I made the trip to the hospital I vowed to tell everyone I knew what I had seen. I wanted to help St. Jude in any way that I could. I knew the best way to help was to spread the message and tell people what I saw and what I had learned.<\/p>\n![\"Daisy](\"https:\/\/travelgirlinc.com\/tgwp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Daisy_StJude-300x214.jpg\")