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-Dayanara
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Life is funny with its twists and turns. Although we never know where it will lead us, we laugh and we cry, we buck and we yell, but we ride it anyway, sometimes with our eyes shut and sometimes wide open, riding wherever LIFE takes us! This is exactly what Dayanara Romero has and continues to do. Born in Los Angeles, CA in 1974, this beauty would eventually leave the ’City of the Angels’ for the humidity, beaches and everglades of Florida, the ‘Sunshine State’. Ambi’ance Uncut was excited to catch up with Dayanara and see what she’s been up to these days. We decided to let her tell her story as only she can, about how she took a leap of faith as a young single mother moving across the country to start a new life for her and her children.
Dayanara: Oh, my God! Twenty years ago! Yes, it’s been incredible! Most people go to other places or stay where it’s hot. Well, twenty years ago I left Los Angeles where I was born and raised and moved to Florida. But, L.A., that’s my city, my birthplace, my everything, I left my whole livelihood over there, and it has been the most amazing experience! I came here as a single mom, two babies and one on the way. My daughter was four at the time and my older son was two and I was expecting my second son any day. I moved to Florida because I had the opportunity to start over and complete my college education. The transition was hard because I was used to tall buildings, subways and trains and all I saw here were cows and greenery!
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Ambi’ance: That was taking a leap of faith, not only to leave everything behind, but to do so at a very vulnerable time. You had two very small children and were expecting a third one. Then to attend college with its own set of demands. Most people have a hard-enough time doing this without any of those extras, but you did it!
Dayanara: Yes, I was nine months pregnant when I flew from California to here. I had an amazing nurse who helped me out because you're not allowed to travel at nine months. It's considered high risk. I was lucky to say that I was six months pregnant and expecting twins, so I could travel, and I made it! So, first of all, let me start by saying that I must thank God! He has been there during every step of my life! My angels have been with me, too! I'm a very spiritual person, and my parents; who have been married forty-three years and counting, have been my supporters. My siblings, my beautiful siblings have also been there for me from day one. I have always had the mindset of ‘I’m gonna do this, I’m gonna do that. But in the back of my mind, I said, “I want to be a businesswoman.” I have a passion, so I had to go through a lot of hurdles to get
6 where I wanted to be, and that’s what I did. I studied Criminology at Florida Metropolitan University and later Business Administration at Rasmussen College. I also did massage therapy and now I am the owner of my own company! I am the Owner and CEO of Beautiful International Women (BIW), where I represent the words, no, neither or the other! This means that there is no height, no gender, no weight, no size, no color. I also do runways and fashion shows and I am the State Regional Coordinator for the Glamour Society Models of Tampa. I also model and represent plus-size models and all of the models. And I represent the word. No, neither or the other.
Ambi’ance: No, neither or the other? what made you come up with that and what does that mean?
Dayanara: I'm actually a poet. I write poetry as well and one night I was sitting down and I had said, “I want my own company. I don't want nobody tied to me, or above me. I just want my own and I started it two years ago! So, my journey started when I met an amazing woman, Maria, who I later adopted as my godmother. We met when we were working together three years ago. I was a certified Spanish interpreter, with CyraCom and we were on the same team. One day we started talking and she kept looking at me, but I never asked any questions. She was like, “Can we have a conversation?” and I said, “Yeah, you want lunch?” So, we were sitting there in the break room, and you know, you never know where you are at or who's with you. Anyways, it turned out that she was actually the first model for David's Bridal in New York! So, she asked me, what I was doing in January? I’m single and when I get bored on the weekends I travel. I’ll catch a plane to Atlanta, California, Texas and that’s what I told her, “I’ll be traveling.” She said, “No, you’ll be modeling for me.” I looked at her and said, “Who me? Modeling? There’s no way, I’m plus-size. You know, I'm big. I'm not huge, but I'm big. I'm still a plus-sized woman, and I’ve gained some weight.” She's like, “Where?” You know, I see myself every day in the mirror. Needless to say, in January I was doing my first bridal fashion show here in Florida with Maria, and that was close to a year ago.
From then on my runway fashion shows have been my passion. I had originally been modeling from the age of fourteen up until I was twenty-five, so this was a great opportunity for me to rediscover that love.
Ambi’ance: You know, I like the concept of ‘no’ because now, especially with young ladies that may want to come into the modeling profession, there’s so much competition out here as to what they think women should look like. The ‘no’ enables them to have the necessary self-esteem of accepting and loving themselves for who they are and not for the look that they believe is desired in order to model. Even as adults, we get hung up on our body images and become self-conscious. Like you said earlier, when you were asked to model, the first thing that came to mind was the idea of being a plus-sized model. So, when we think of the tweens and their struggle of just being accepted by building their self-esteem, I think it’s a really good idea of incorporating the no, neither or other. To think that just two years ago, it took the words of another to jump start your passion and vision, re-igniting your self-esteem.
Dayanara: That is so true. Most definitely! That is true because I see models, don't get me wrong, but Victoria Secret models are beautiful! However, so are every other woman. Every woman is beautiful in her own way, her own style. But I love collard greens, I love chicken, and mashed potatoes, I love tortillas and hey, if you love me, then you're gonna have to love me, and love me with my love handles. Now, if you want to work on yourself, of course, go ahead, no problem. But do it for the right reason. If you feel comfortable with who you are right now, love yourself. Look at yourself in the mirror and say, “You know what, you’re beautiful and I love you!”
Ambi’ance: That's where it starts and it works! When you truly love yourself and your flaws, it radiates on the outside, and I think that is more beautiful than any superficial image portraying the perfect body. I mean everyone has an opinion of what a beautiful body should look like, and every woman should build the next woman up instead of judging her flaws. But if the outside image does not match the true inner feelings, it will show regardless of her size.
Dayanara: That is true. If you love yourself from the inside as well, you’ll love yourself from the outside. Just remember you're going to get to an age where, your youth was your youth. You get into middle age and then you get to that age, I call the ‘wise age’. So, I now have models who love themselves from the age of fifteen to sixty-five!
Ambi’ance: Where do you find your models?
Dayanara: I do castings, meet them at other shows, or sometimes I meet them through amazing designers. I actually started my photoshoot with Jacka Saldana, a beautiful designer, here in Tampa, and an amazing woman. She was my first photographer. I started out with her design and her pictures. I also did one of her shows as well, a masquerade gala here in Tampa. I met other women and men, so in my shows, just because it’s called, Beautiful International Women, every gender is represented, therefore the other! So, you just don’t have to be a woman!
Ambi’ance: Life is funny because sometimes you never know when things are meant for you. You just automatically do it, and you can't stop. So, would you say that this was your first introduction to the runway and not only did you take to it like a fish to water, but you then brought others into the profession with you?
Dayanara: Yes exactly! But I put my own twist on it. 7
There are so many runways and fashion shows, and they’re all beautiful but I wanted mine to be unique. I wanted them to be themselves during the model castings. I would meet them at Applebee’s. They're like, “Applebee's, hmmm, that’s different.” I will spend a beautiful afternoon with them talking. I want to know what their passion is, what they are hungry for. That question always stood out to me. What was I hungry for and how would I get it? So, that became my question to my models when I interviewed them. Finally, I’d ask them to show me their runway walk right here in the parking lot. They would be, “Right here?” Yep, right here. If I see and feel your charisma, then I can feel your heart. When you are in my company, you are not attached to me. You sign a contract to take pictures to model, but you're a freelancer, and you can go to whoever you want.
Ambi’ance: Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me and I like your interviewing style. It makes sense. The thing is, if you’re being genuine, it’ll come out naturally because you don’t have to think about it. You’re not doing it because someone else wants you to, it’s your passion and it will radiate in your presentation, your stance, your stride.
Dayanara: Yes. And that's what I love. I actually had my first show on December 14th of last year called, ‘Divas and Divos of Royalness”.
Ambi’ance: Sweet! With that being your first one, how was that?
Dayanara: Being the first one, wow, you learn a lot! You learn who is with you and who is not, and who has the passion for what you are trying to accomplish. I have a staff member and I have to name this amazing young lady who is my goddaughter. Her name is Amber Joy. She is my Personal Assistant and my Makeup Artist/Hairstylist and has been with me from day one, even before this concept was written on a piece of paper. This young lady worked with me as a Spanish interpreter and quit her job a week after my first pho8 to-shoot. When I asked, why, she simply said because she believes in me! Wow! So, on December 31st of last year, I knelt down and asked God to leave the people that will be with my company and take away what is not for me because I wanted to grow. I want my models to grow. I want my staff to grow. This is not just for me because there is no I in the team. So, my team now consists of Amber Joy, of course, an amazing woman, Kesha Tiller known as ‘Queen’ my Executive General Coordinator/Queens Productions & Photographer. My amazing, Jules Blaze, “Swedish” Assistant Coordinator. I have Kemaul Benyah Yashira Burns, Videographer/ Website Designer/Photographer, Sharon Ricks McNeely, Event Consultant, Miss Maria, and my newest member, Nevaeh McNeely, Junior Brand Ambassador of Glamour Society of Tampa, and who is also Sharon’s daughter. We are located here in Florida and our second show will be January 23, 2021 at the Tampa Heights Civic Center! It’ll be my nickname, ‘L.A. Divas the Best of the Best Fashion Designers’ and you have to come down! I'm going to have amazing designers and right now, I have a total of nine designers!
Ambi’ance: I’d love to come down and January is a good time of the year to be in Florida. Yes, I’ll place it on my calendar!
Dayanara: Awesome! I had another amazing adventure. You know, living in L.A. as a little girl, you know you walk on Hollywood Boulevard. Well, I lived in Hollywood and Wilcox, so I walked where all of the beautiful stars are. Well, this year, I had an amazing time as I actually went to the Oscars, and I wore an amazing design from Odalys Marino’s Nory’s Design Boutique! She is an amazing designer here in Tampa and a top international model.
Ambi’ance: How was that experience?
Dayanara: It was beautiful and amazing! I was invited by Chonzel Martin and I want to give a shout out to him because he is the one who gave me the opportunity of being the State Coordinator for the Glamour Society Models of Florida. He is the owner of Be Unique Magazine. and the Glamour Society Models of North Hollywood, Anaheim. So yeah, it was an amazing experience, and I met some beautiful people! All I can say is that it was a dream come true!
Ambi’ance: Well, Dayanara, this has been amazing, and a pleasure and I am looking forward to seeing you in January. But before we go, tell us a little something about yourself that no one knows. (laughing)
Dayanara: (laughing) Hmmmmm, Okay, let's see. I'm a box of surprises and people don’t know what I have coming next! A lot of people do not know that I am a fifteen-year cancer survivor or that I used to be a car racer! An illegal car racer! (laughing) Yes, like the Fast and the Furious! That’s who I was! (laughing)
Ambi’ance: Love it! (laughing) That’s all part of being yourself and not conforming to what people think you should be or who they believe you to be! This is you being YOU! 9
Dayanara: Also, not even two weeks ago, I was invited for the first time to be a model for the St. Petersburg Arts Fashion Week where I got to model for an amazing designing company called Kuen Closets, and I walked for Candace Christian an amazing plus-size model. It was a beautiful night and I met so many wonderful people and photographers.
Ambi’ance: I've heard that St. Petersburg is beautiful.
Dayanara: Yes, it is. It is also where my future husband has been living, so yes!
Ambi’ance: So, on top of everything else, you have found love?
Dayanara: Yes, I found love after I had given up on love. I had asked God for him and he had asked God for me, our story is incredible! It's amazing that we both had asked for each other! I was not looking for a boyfriend. God was preparing me to be his wife, and the ancestors were preparing him to be my husband!
Ambi’ance: Awwww, I'm such a sucker for love stories. I just am!
Dayanara: Oooooh, would you like to know how it went?! Well, we met in August. Yeah, it was August! I was called by a friend who said that a designer was looking for models for an upcoming show in October, so we went to St. Petersburg. As I was getting ready to get out of my car, I sat there for a minute to zip the heel of my shoe, I looked up and I saw the most amazingly chocolate man! I was like, oh my God, that brother is delicious, but girl, you are here to do a job! So I......
As we continued to talk about her amazing story of new-found love, her vision for her company, the love and support of her family and friends, we thought of her journey. We thought of the courage it took for that single mother twenty some odd years ago with two babies and one due any day to take a chance on herself by leaving everything that she’s ever known to fly across 10 the country into the unknown and fulfill her vision of becoming a businesswoman! It makes so much sense, you know, regardless of what you go through in life, our destinies are already in place for us to achieve. The day she stepped on that plane was already in the stars and she reached for them! Now she’s the Owner and CEO of Beautiful International Women (BIW), where she represents the words, no, neither or the other. We at Ambi’ance Uncut tip our hats to you and we will always be there with love and support throughout the remainder of your journey!
“Yes, God is good all of the time. My favorite hymn is Amazing Grace! My other quote is ‘Never let your sadness judge your thinking.’ We sometimes get caught up in emotion and we predict the past as our future. The past is not something that’s permanent. It passes, and the future is waiting to be written, so yes, never let your sadness affect your thinking.--Dayanara
Dayanara sends love, thanks and acknowledgments to:
Parents: Jesus Quezada (Hero and First Love) Rosa Quezada (My Warrior) Siblings: Dalila (La Gorda, My Bestie) Jesse Quezada (Baby Bro JJ)
My Children, my world, my pride and joy:
Angie (Fierce & Princess) Eros (My Ojos) Luis (Bubba Heart of my Hearts)
Last but truly not least, my future husband:
Enden Reed-EL (My Best Friend & Soulmate)
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Dayanara Romero @Bora1974Bora
