Yamilka Mendez (The Remix)
(My, my, my, check how she's come along by CLICKING HERE!)
On June 4th, 2006, the editor of HipHopDX came up with an idea to try and bring in more traffic. He proposed an idea that would combine KING and XXL magazine’s focus; matched with a deeper sense of curiosity about the female intellect… as much as their physicality.
On that day, Beauty & Brains was cultivated and the first interviewee was a young 20-year-old Clevelander by the name of Yamilka Mendez (check out her 1st interview by CLICKING HERE!). The naiveté of the newborn section and its first model was apparent. The questions weren’t too in-depth and the pictures were amateurish – finding the young model-in-training posing in her living room modeling her own wares. The criticism was harsh, mostly, brutal at others – but the now 21-year-old model has grown and so has the section. Ms. Mendez sits down with Beauty & Brains, again, to rehash about her first interview, how criticism birthed a model and talks about a change in her life that she’s learned from.
B&B: You were our first Beauty & Brains interview – what were your thoughts when that first question was asked?
YM: When you first asked me that question, Kevin, I was excited and I was happy that the world was going to have an opportunity to see who I am beyond just the photos. I wanted people to know who I was beyond my looks. I was happy to know that people would be getting a chance to meet my personality and understand me for more than what was put forth in those pictures.
B&B: Well, the criticism was harsh and most people wouldn’t take too kindly to what a bunch of user names were saying about them. What was your first reaction when you read the comments?
YM: I was like, “Wow… they’re really being harsh.” But everyone is allowed their opinion. I mean… come on, it’s the Internet! A lot of people can hide behind their usernames to say whatever it is that they feel is on their minds. It’s only constructive criticism in my eyes. But through this interview, through Beauty & Brains, it’s where my modeling career started off at and took off from there. The ones who had nice things to say would always be like, “Don’t let the guys put you down.” Or they would say, “You have potential, Milky!” It was nice to see that. It was beautiful to see that there were people actually looking beyond the pictures and they didn’t let the negative comments influence their words.
B&B: How has that made you stronger?
YM: I take criticism a lot better now. I don’t let it get me down. I take everything, even if it’s a negative, as a positive and use it to my advantage. I’m not going to lie – at first, it was hard to take in what everyone was saying, but I figured that these guys are hiding behind a username and its only words they can’t hurt you. They can only make me stronger in the end.
B&B: You went from taking pictures of you in your living room to professional pictures. How did you get into that?
YM: I have a friend her name is Myra and she introduced me to my first photographer. His name was Eli Anthony. That’s when I saw everything starting to take off. I started to experience what it was like to be a professional model. I wasn’t just taking pictures at home with family or just to take pictures of an event, I was now in a studio doing real work. It was a fun and exciting experience.
B&B: Now, you’ve made a lot of strides in Cleveland with modeling. What are you doing now?
YM: I just finished doing a magazine called Intro. It’s a new Cleveland magazine. I’ve been on fliers, I’ve participated in fashion shows and have been a part of shoots for a lot of private companies. I have a lot more offers on the table. I’m just going through them and picking my options out carefully.
B&B: You’ve recently started a new relationship and your boyfriend is serving in Iraq. How does he feel having to see your pictures online?
YM: He likes them. He respects me as a professional. So, anything that I do that makes me happy, he’s behind me 100%. He backs me up in everything that I do and I love that.
B&B: Does he have any gripes about you modeling? Or that men all over look at you?
YM: No. At least he tells me that he doesn’t have a problem. But I guess when someone is dating a model, of course a lot of people are going to look at you and criticize you. But he knows that when I’m modeling, I’m a professional. I don’t involve anything personal into my career. So, he knows and respects that I am a professional, first.
B&B: What is next up for you?
YM: I have a fashion show in the middle of July that I have to do. I am going to be in a few advertisements for some clubs. I’m currently looking for a new modeling agency. Right now, I’m independent and when you’re in an agency, it’s a lot easier to find a job. It’s a lot easier to cope with. Modeling is not just about taking pictures, it also has a lot of work involved.
B&B: It’s been a year since we first interviewed you and you’ve made plenty of changes in your life. What has been one change in your life where you’ve learned something from it?
YM: Right after I did the interview, my step-father passed away. Actually, it was about twenty days after we did the interview. So, afterwards, it had showed me that you cannot take people for granted. I know that people say that, but I really learnt the meaning behind that. Once he passed, I learned that you have to tell people that you love them everyday. When they’re gone from this life, you can’t turn back the hands of time and you don’t always have the opportunity to tell someone that you love them before they leave. So, I learned to emphasize it to the people who I care about and cherish in my life. I learned to appreciate everybody so much more.
Want to know more about Yamilka Mendez? Check her out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/yamilka.
On June 4th, 2006, the editor of HipHopDX came up with an idea to try and bring in more traffic. He proposed an idea that would combine KING and XXL magazine’s focus; matched with a deeper sense of curiosity about the female intellect… as much as their physicality.
On that day, Beauty & Brains was cultivated and the first interviewee was a young 20-year-old Clevelander by the name of Yamilka Mendez (check out her 1st interview by CLICKING HERE!). The naiveté of the newborn section and its first model was apparent. The questions weren’t too in-depth and the pictures were amateurish – finding the young model-in-training posing in her living room modeling her own wares. The criticism was harsh, mostly, brutal at others – but the now 21-year-old model has grown and so has the section. Ms. Mendez sits down with Beauty & Brains, again, to rehash about her first interview, how criticism birthed a model and talks about a change in her life that she’s learned from.
B&B: You were our first Beauty & Brains interview – what were your thoughts when that first question was asked?
YM: When you first asked me that question, Kevin, I was excited and I was happy that the world was going to have an opportunity to see who I am beyond just the photos. I wanted people to know who I was beyond my looks. I was happy to know that people would be getting a chance to meet my personality and understand me for more than what was put forth in those pictures.
B&B: Well, the criticism was harsh and most people wouldn’t take too kindly to what a bunch of user names were saying about them. What was your first reaction when you read the comments?
YM: I was like, “Wow… they’re really being harsh.” But everyone is allowed their opinion. I mean… come on, it’s the Internet! A lot of people can hide behind their usernames to say whatever it is that they feel is on their minds. It’s only constructive criticism in my eyes. But through this interview, through Beauty & Brains, it’s where my modeling career started off at and took off from there. The ones who had nice things to say would always be like, “Don’t let the guys put you down.” Or they would say, “You have potential, Milky!” It was nice to see that. It was beautiful to see that there were people actually looking beyond the pictures and they didn’t let the negative comments influence their words.
B&B: How has that made you stronger?
YM: I take criticism a lot better now. I don’t let it get me down. I take everything, even if it’s a negative, as a positive and use it to my advantage. I’m not going to lie – at first, it was hard to take in what everyone was saying, but I figured that these guys are hiding behind a username and its only words they can’t hurt you. They can only make me stronger in the end.
B&B: You went from taking pictures of you in your living room to professional pictures. How did you get into that?
YM: I have a friend her name is Myra and she introduced me to my first photographer. His name was Eli Anthony. That’s when I saw everything starting to take off. I started to experience what it was like to be a professional model. I wasn’t just taking pictures at home with family or just to take pictures of an event, I was now in a studio doing real work. It was a fun and exciting experience.
B&B: Now, you’ve made a lot of strides in Cleveland with modeling. What are you doing now?
YM: I just finished doing a magazine called Intro. It’s a new Cleveland magazine. I’ve been on fliers, I’ve participated in fashion shows and have been a part of shoots for a lot of private companies. I have a lot more offers on the table. I’m just going through them and picking my options out carefully.
B&B: You’ve recently started a new relationship and your boyfriend is serving in Iraq. How does he feel having to see your pictures online?
YM: He likes them. He respects me as a professional. So, anything that I do that makes me happy, he’s behind me 100%. He backs me up in everything that I do and I love that.
B&B: Does he have any gripes about you modeling? Or that men all over look at you?
YM: No. At least he tells me that he doesn’t have a problem. But I guess when someone is dating a model, of course a lot of people are going to look at you and criticize you. But he knows that when I’m modeling, I’m a professional. I don’t involve anything personal into my career. So, he knows and respects that I am a professional, first.
B&B: What is next up for you?
YM: I have a fashion show in the middle of July that I have to do. I am going to be in a few advertisements for some clubs. I’m currently looking for a new modeling agency. Right now, I’m independent and when you’re in an agency, it’s a lot easier to find a job. It’s a lot easier to cope with. Modeling is not just about taking pictures, it also has a lot of work involved.
B&B: It’s been a year since we first interviewed you and you’ve made plenty of changes in your life. What has been one change in your life where you’ve learned something from it?
YM: Right after I did the interview, my step-father passed away. Actually, it was about twenty days after we did the interview. So, afterwards, it had showed me that you cannot take people for granted. I know that people say that, but I really learnt the meaning behind that. Once he passed, I learned that you have to tell people that you love them everyday. When they’re gone from this life, you can’t turn back the hands of time and you don’t always have the opportunity to tell someone that you love them before they leave. So, I learned to emphasize it to the people who I care about and cherish in my life. I learned to appreciate everybody so much more.
Want to know more about Yamilka Mendez? Check her out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/yamilka.
one moment...
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