Congratulations to Maria Gimena, the winner of Torrid’s 2017 Model Search! The 24-year-old stunner was born in Uruguay, and now lives in New Jersey. Torrid released a congratulatory video on their website, giving those interested a chance to get a better look into Maria's life.
My favorite quote from Maria? “Every day is a new opportunity to show the world how you kick ass.” But this girl is more than just good looks: when Maria immigrated to the U.S., she learned English as a second language. She believes that if you work hard enough towards a goal, whatever that goal is, you can eventually achieve it. Listening to her speak, I think it's safe to say that we can add inspirational speaker to her growing résumé!
Maria discusses body positivity, and how important it is to love your body at every size, which is just one of the reasons she is so perfect to represent the inclusive brand (which caters to women sizes 10 to 30). She cheerfully calls her stretch marks her “tiger stripes” (who else is adopting that ASAP?). She’s not the only one who thinks that she looks great; the Model Search that she won wasn’t decided by Torrid executives, but rather by voters. Torrid received over 10,000 submissions from hopefuls, and narrowed this pool down to four final contestants. Once the search was narrowed down, they took to social media to let their followers decide who the lucky winner would be.
In her new position, you can expect to see Maria as the new “Face of Torrid,” meaning that not only will she star in the brand's fashion campaigns, but she will host their openings and events, act as a brand ambassador and appear on their social media channels. Sounds like a busy schedule, amirite? Luckily, she will also receive a brand new Torrid wardrobe, which I’m sure will come in handy throughout the year!
Congrats again to Maria for putting her words into action, and working hard to achieve her dreams!