Vanessa Alexandra Mendoza Bustos (born 25 July 1981), better known simply as Vanessa Mendoza, is a Colombian
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
, actress and
fashion model who held the
Miss Colombia
Miss Colombia (Formally ''Concurso Nacional de Belleza de Colombia'', English: ''"National Beauty Contest of Colombia"'') is the national beauty pageant organization in Colombia.
The current Miss Colombia is Sofía Osío Luna of Atlántic ...
title in 2001, being the first
Afro-Colombian to win that contest.
Biography
Mendoza is a native of the
Chocó Department,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. She grew up in a small town named
Unguía
Unguía is a municipality and town in the far north of the Chocó Department, Colombia.
Climate
Unguía has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), Ge ...
. Mendoza grew up in poverty, and she was one of sixteen children. Her father died when she was still young, leaving her mother to care for the family. Despite the poor conditions the family endured, Vanessa showed early interest in becoming a model, and began pursuing that career.
Mendoza became Miss Chocó in 2001, a year in which Miss Colombia was facing a
racial scandal. She became the first Black Miss Colombia, winning the title over first runner up,
Consuelo Guzmán Parra. Despite suspicion that she had won the contest so that rumors about racism in it would be eradicated, Mendoza became popular among Colombians, who gave her the nickname "Black
Barbie". Mendoza was the object of an official reception in
Cartagena after her victory, where she declared that she was about representing her race and country.
Mendoza replaced
Andrea Nocetti
Andrea María Nocetti Gómez (born 18 March 1978) is a Colombian model, actress, and former Miss Colombia 2000.
Nocetti started her career as a model. She became Miss Colombia, representing Cartagena, in November 2000. Her first television app ...
as Miss Colombia. Prior to winning Miss Colombia, Mendoza had the distinction of being the only contestant of the
pageant
Pageant may refer to:
* Procession or ceremony in elaborate costume
* Beauty pageant, or beauty contest
* Latter Day Saint plays and pageants, run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or by members local to the area of the pageant
* ...
's 2001 version not to admit having a
plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...
for the contest. Mendoza participated in the
Miss Universe 2002 pageant, winning the Best National Costume award.
On March 2, 2005, she and United States comedian
Chris Tucker
Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He app ...
were the key speakers at a speech in
Benedict College.
Politics
She won a seat as part of the black minority in Congress and became a member of
Chamber of Representatives from 2017 to 2018. Colombia's 10% black minority has the right to two of the 166 seats in the lower congressional chamber.
References
External links
Benedict.eduVanessa Mendoza and the Miss Colombia 2001 fairytale
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendoza, Vanessa
1981 births
Colombian female models
Living people
Miss Colombia winners
Miss Universe 2002 contestants
Afro-Colombian women
Beauty queen-politicians
People from Quibdó