Hottie from Down Under Comes Out on Top: Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Siren Jessica Gomes Talks Beauty, Body, Being Biracial and Bullied, but Best of All, Staying Balanced and Moving Forward
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Jessica Gomes – of Chinese/Portuguese ancestry – is a beauty on the rise. Prior to her work with Sport Illustrated, Maxim and Victoria’s Secret, the Australian Ms. Gomes had her challenges to deal with. Working as a model, challenges still exist. However, speaking with Jessica it’s clear her good looks are matched by her desire to succeed.
Get ready for swimsuit season by reading the highlights of this CYInterview with Jessica Gomes or listening to it in its entirety below:
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While in school in Australia, Jessica tells us she dealt with racial criticism and bullying. She reflects back on that ordeal:
“I was but one of the only sort of Asian girls in my primary school and high school and I did deal with a lot of racial criticism and it sort of blew my mind because I grew up with a European father and an Asian mother…I wouldn’t change anything that has happened to me…I realized at the end of my schooling that, ‘Hey, I got something different. So I’m just gonna roll with it.’…Obviously it’s very harder to as a young girl, you know, growing up in a school where people are bullying you and teasing you about how you look and where you’re from. You know, I always felt sort of out of place and you know I guess it’s great that I was able to model and get out of there.”
When speaking of having a Chinese mother and a Portuguese father, Ms. Gomes express that it sets her apart. She also tells us what we should know about her:
“My mother is Chinese. My father is Portuguese and it’s great. It really is something different and I like to call it, I’m ethnically ambiguous…I don’t walk around in a bikini all day long. I swear. Because some people think you know, they’ll just look at those photos and think that you know, wow, swimsuit model. You know what I mean. But I’m also a fashion model…Obviously there’s a lot of other dimensions of me. I’m not just sort of a swimsuit pinup girl. I’m also a human being.”
Though Ms. Gomes agrees she hasn’t had a chance to showcase her Portuguese ancestry, as a person with Chinese roots she concurs that Asian people continue to be underrepresented in the American media and entertainment culture:
“I definitely think so. I think that there’s a real opening for you know, Asian actresses and musicians and you know I think that they’re should be more Asians and things on the cover of magazines. There’s such a big Asian culture in America and I think that it’s important that you know we acknowledge those people that are in the Asian community that are making history and doing amazing things. I just get really proud when I see an Asian person that’s doing great…I go for castings sometimes and they say, ‘Oh, we just don’t think you’re Asian enough you know, or we think that you’re too Asian.’ Like I’m a chameleon. It just depends what they’re looking for…I feel like I’m making game changes and I feel like I’m you know, inspiring people and I feel like I’m something that’s new and fresh.”
With summer season not too far off, the SI Swimsuit Model tells us how she stays in beach body shape and gives us some beauty tips:
“I eat healthy and I eat really good foods. I dance a lot. I work out at Tracy Anderson and I do aerobic dance classes in a heated room. I also try and get in occasionally some yoga to stretch my body and I just get plenty of rest and I don’t drink alcohol and I just eat really healthy and normal. Like you know, I have three meals a day, some snacks in between, I eat all whole foods. You know I try to keep it all organic and drink lots of water, lots of coconut water and just, I’m very active. I’m always moving around keeping busy and I’m a firm believer in happy mind, happy body…
I think that you’ve gotta keep it simple with beauty. I’m lucky enough that I get to try an array of different beauty products, but I think the most important tip I can give is make sure that you wear SPF on your face every day, you know if you’re out and about. I think that’s really important and just keep to the simple steps of you know cleanse, exfoliate moisturize. I think that’s really important and always use an eye cream and you know make sure you’re taking your makeup off every night before you go to sleep.”
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