10 Things You Didn’t Know About Alicia Machado
Anyone who watched the Presidential Debate between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton now knows the name, Alicia Machado. Anyone who watches the news, read a newspaper or is active on social media should also have heard her name. Machado was a contestant in the 1996 Miss Universe Pageant as Miss Venezuela and she won. The controversy started when Donald Trump made derogatory comments about her weight, and he called her Miss Piggy.
He also made racist comments about her Latina heritage, calling her Miss Housekeeping. After saying these things about her in public, he credits himself for keeping her from getting fired. With the presidential election close, Hillary Clinton used this information to prove to voters that Trump is a racist and a sexist. To understand the situation better, you should get to know Alicia Machado.
Below are 10 things that you may not know about the beauty queen.
Early Years
Alicia Machado was born on December 6, 1976, in Maracay, Venezuela. Her father is a Spanish immigrant and her mother has Cuban roots.
Pageant Years
In 1996, she represented the Estao Yarcuy in the Miss Venezuela pageant and she won. In early 1996, she became the World’s Coffee Queen. Finally, in 1996, she became Miss Universe and was the 4th woman from Venezuela to win the pageant. Not only did this start her career, it also created a huge controversy that continues today, 10 years later.
Donald Trump Comments
During her reign as Miss Universe, she gained a bit of weight and Donald Trump has a controversial reaction to it. He went as far as making her exercise in from on reporters in New York. When questioned, he answered by saying, “To that, I will plead guilty.”
Body Issues
Winning the title of Miss Universe should boost a woman’s confidence, however, due to Mr. Trumps’s comments, her reign had the opposite effect on her. After being treated so poorly, she began struggling with anorexia and bulimia. She also had to see a psychologist for the past 20 years.
Acting Career
In 1998, after the Miss Universe controversy died down, she became an actress. She got her big break in a popular Venezuelan soap opera, Samantha, where she landed the leading role. She won two awards for her performance, which opened up more doors for acting jobs. Over the years, she has appeared in 10 Telenovelas, 4 television series, 2 films, and two stage productions. She was nominated for 5 awards and she won 3.
Singing Career
Alicia is a singer. In 2004, she was nominated for a Grammy and a Billboard Award for her first album, titled, Alicia Machado.
Posing for Playboy
Machado appeared in the Mexican edition of Playboy twice. The first time was in February 2006, where she appeared on the cover of the magazine. The second time was in 2010. She is the only Miss Universe to ever have posed naked in Playboy. There is speculation that she will soon be posing for the American edition of Playboy. These rumors, however, have not been confirmed.
Professional Modeling Career
Since becoming Miss Universe, Machado has had a very successful career in modeling. She has appeared in over 35 international campaign ads for top companies such as McDonalds, Pantene, Kellogs, Danone Light, Budweiser, and Snapple. She has also appeared on over 100 international magazine covers, including Vanity Fair, Vouge, Elle, People, Cosmopolitan, and Hola. Despite the damage to her self-esteem caused by Donald Trump, she was still able to have a successful career. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Machado is worth $4 million.
Alicia Machado’s Daughter
Twelve years after being crowned Miss Universe, Machado became a mother. On June 25, 2008, she gave birth to her daughter, Dinora. There ha been controversy surrounding her daughter. There have been many reports that the father of her daughter is a drug lord named Gerardo Alvarez-Vazquez, who is connected to the notorious Sinaloa cartel. She has denied these reports, claiming that he is not the father of her daughter. Machado has denied this claim and has come forward with the identity of her daughter’s father.
She has claimed that he is a respectable businessman named Rafael Hernandez Linares. She has also stated that she never had any type of relationship with Alvarez-Vazquez, who was arrested in April 2010 and charged with drug trafficking and running a cartel. Many critics of Donald Trump believe that this was a rumor made up by his campaign in hopes of discrediting Alicia Machado and the message that she has when it comes to Trump’s views of women and people of other races. As of yet. there is no proof that Machado’s daughter is the child of the notorious drug lord.
Alicia Machado’s U.S. Citizenship
After many years of living in the United States, Machado became a United States Citizen in August 2016. On the day she became a citizen, she told reporters that it was a very important day for her and that she was proud to be a citizen. In front of reporters for Inside Edition, she waved a miniature American flag and said, “Mr. Trump, haha”. She singled him out because she will be eligible to vote in the 2016 Presidental Election between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, and everyone knows who she is going to be voting for.
Final Thoughts
The controversy regarding Alica Machado ended years ago after her Miss Universe reign ended. She likely thought that she would no longer be in the spotlight. With Donald Trump running for President of the Untied States, her name, again, has become a household word. When Trump made his comments about her weight 10 years ago, chances are he didn’t think that it would come back to bite him the way that it has. Hilary Clinton used his words to prove her point that he is racist and a sexist.
She also reminded him that Machado is now a United States Citizen, and she will be voting in November. There is not much that Trump can do to defend himself against her claims. She has become famous for speaking out against weight shaming and since June 2016, she has been publically campaigning for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
