Jacqueline Giraldo a Colombian model in New York City, and we’re talking to her about her life, living in Brooklyn, quarantine by herself, and life as an Ex Playboy Bunny!
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Alice: So I’m pressing record, right? So, you might recognize her face as she’s been part of the Jubilance sisterhood from the beginning, but we’ve never sat down and talked to her. So I’m Alice, the social media manager for Jubilance, and I’m talking today with Jacqueline Giraldo. She’s a Colombian model in New York City, and we’re talking to her about her life and living in Brooklyn. So welcome, Jacqueline. Thank you so much for joining us.
Jacqueline Giraldo: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me, Alice.
Alice: So I want to start with some more fun questions. So sneakers or heels?
Jacqueline: Definitely sneakers. I love being comfortable. And also if I could go to the club wearing sneakers, I definitely would.
Alice: Amazing. That sounds great, especially for right now.
Jacqueline: Yeah, exactly.
Alice: Chocolate or cheese?
Jacqueline: I have a weakness for both of those things, but I’m more of sweets, so definitely chocolate.
Alice: Okay. Amazing. Lip gloss or lipstick?
Jacqueline: Probably lipstick just because you can get like a variety of colors of lipstick, so lipstick for sure.
Alice: Okay. Perfect. Okay, Joker from The Dark Knight Rises or the Joker by Joaquin Phoenix?
Jacqueline: Because they both did an incredible job and I kind of have a thing for like dark, dark things, so I don’t know. I guess I would say Joker played by Joaquin Phoenix.
Alice: Oh, perfect. Can you talk about where you’re living now?
Jacqueline: Yeah, so I live in Brooklyn. I love it. I mean from where I was before, I used to live in Connecticut. I lived in Connecticut most of my life with my parents. And then I decided to move out to Brooklyn and I’m really glad I did. There’s just like so much more here. There’s a lot more diversity, like where I was, it was just kind of like more of white American, so. There also was just like a very very very very very small town, so there wasn’t really a lot going on and I just.. I don’t know. I always kept like wanting to look for more and I just always loved being on camera, so I figured why not just move to New York?
Alice: Amazing. And what are part about living in Brooklyn?
Jacqueline: I mean it definitely isn’t the city which is kind of nice because it’s, you know, like going into New York City, it’s just louder, there’s a lot more traffic there, but I also love that about New York City. But living in Brooklyn, I just kind of like… I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just there’s different neighborhoods. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but there’s just kind of like that variety. I don’t know how to explain it. I wish I thought about this more but it’s just… I don’t know. There’s just so many different neighborhoods in Brooklyn and there’s just different parts of it and there’s… I don’t know. I just… I love it here. I don’t know how to explain.
Alice: That’s okay. Yeah, it makes sense. Do you have a favorite restaurant in your area of Brooklyn for when were allowed to go to them again?
Jacqueline: Yeah. That’s honestly kind of hard to answer just because there’s… Like literally there’s too many restaurants. Not that I’m complaining but it’s just so hard to pick from, say like, you know, “Oh, I love this restaurant for pizza, or I like this burgers or Mediterranean food or Caribbean food,” like this really hard and I’m a humongous foodie. So that’s really hard to just pick one restaurant.
Alice: Amazing. Can you talk me through the step-by-step process of becoming a model, deciding to go for that, and what you’re up to you now?
Jacqueline: Yeah. So, there wasn’t ever really like a step-by-step process, I guess. I just fell into it. I mean, when I was little, it was probably my idea. My parents put me through a modeling school. And I remember we did our first runway and it just clicked for me, and I wasn’t nervous at all, which is very interesting ’cause usually when I have to talk to a group of people or even when I do casting in auditions in front of a table of people who are judging me, I get really nervous doing that.
But when I’m on camera or when I’m doing photo shoots, things like that or on runway, I don’t get nervous at all. Like I just clicked into being this other person, I guess, and I do my thing. But yes, I did that, I started off doing a modeling school when I was very little.
And then I found out about this website called Model Mayhem. I’m sure a lot of models have heard about it and most of photographers as well. So it’s a website where you can meet group of other people. Like, they post small gigs through there and you can just network. So I started out doing that and then my network started getting bigger and bigger while I was living in Connecticut.
And then I started doing a little bit more work in Boston and then… There wasn’t really a whole lot going on there because obviously the smaller market. But then I saved up quite a bit of money and then I was like, “I definitely do need to move to the city,” and I didn’t know anybody here. I literally moved here on my own and then… yeah, so I don’t know it. The first two weeks is really awful like being here by myself. I cried a lot honestly, but then… I don’t know. I just started meeting people. I don’t know why New York gets a bad wrap for being like the rudest city. I think if anything we’re just really crazy, but we’re not really that rude.
Alice: Yeah, that’s a lot of sense.
Jacqueline: Yeah, I don’t really… I mean, I think anywhere you go people can be rude but… I don’t know. People have been really great to me here and then sometimes little things have happened, like my backpack has been left open or something has fallen on the ground from me and people are like, “Hey, close your backpack.”,” Hey, you dropped this,” things like that. That’s why… I don’t know why New York is considered to be so unfriendly.
Anyways… so, yeah, that’s kind of has been a process for me. I’m not signed to an agency right now. It’s a little bit difficult just because New York is still a little bit old school. They still want a little bit tall and super thin, but obviously things are changing still. But I haven’t found an agency that like what work for me at. So I’m finding everything on my own, which can be a little bit difficult, but I’m grateful for the whole process. Honestly, I’ve been working really hard at it. So that has been happen to me.
Alice: That’s amazing. What’s been your favorite shoot that you’ve been on?
Jacqueline: Oh, that’s hard. My favorite shoot… I would probably have to say was… I’m going to say it was a music video shoot, which I know is a little bit different, but I really love doing music videos just because there was this whole creative process to it. It was with this Canadian rapper, he sings, he’s a funny man. It was actually shot in Boston. I was already living in New York, but I went back to Boston for it, and it was just this whole like process. He was actually with somebody I knew and then I met his friends as well who were part of the crew of making music video and it was three days long, and it was probably the best three days that I had doing the shoot. Everybody was great. We were getting along really well and then we even went to a club to do a shoot and then we ended up staying out till 3 or 4 in the morning just like dancing, and then getting food after. It was really great. Having that connection with a crew like that is something that makes a shoot even better, because I’ve been on shoot where sometimes… I don’t want to say that there are mean, but they don’t necessarily make you feel welcome. So it definitely affects how you perform during a shoot.
Alice: What’s been the craziest modeling experience that you’ve had so far?
Jacqueline: Craziest modeling experience, definitely doing New York Fashion Week. I never expected it to happen. I was still living in Connecticut with my parents at that time and I went to audition. I went all the way like a three-hour bus ride to New York to audition and they said that they were looking for models like of all height and this was like a legit New York Fashion Week show, so I was like, “I have to go. Why not?” So they never mention that they were also looking for models who could dance and I apparently dance but when I’m at the club, I’m not put on the spot. So there were actual dancers there at the audition and suddenly they started playing this EDM like trans type of music and I’m like, “Oh my God. How do I do this?” Because they set up a fake runway, so while we’re walking down the runway, we also had to dance. So I was like, “I don’t know how to do this,” and everything happens so fast.
There were so many people, but it all happened so fast. Like I would say I was there for a maximum of 10 minutes, and I was awful. I felt like I was awful and I’m like, “How do I dance like model while walking down this imaginary runway?” So that happened. And then there were these people who were calling out people by numbers, I obviously didn’t get it.
So after that I just went home. And then suddenly, I think it was a week later or two weeks later, I get a call from them saying that they wanted me to be part of the New York Fashion Week Runway for this designer who’s from China. I was in the kitchen with my mom and I remember that because I’m like, “Mom! Mom!” like I’m freaking out like, “Mom, they want me to be part of the runway!” We were just so happy and then… yeah, so it was for this Asian designer. We did the runway at the Intrepid Sea Museum.
Alice: Cool.
Jacqueline: Yeah, that was amazing. Marie Claire was there, I think. Seventeen magazine was their. Fabolous, the rapper was there. That was really exciting. The whole setup of everything, it was just incredible. And it was just crazy to me because I went from doing this thing that I didn’t think I was going to be a part of, and then I finally actually did New York Fashion Week Runway. It was just bizarre, and the whole set of event. I’ve never been part of something so big like that.
Alice: Wow.
Jacqueline: So amazing and that like really just bizarre.
Alice: That’s so cool. What was your last job? Let us know what that modeling gig was. Before quarantine struck.
Jacqueline: I know. I kind of think it will because honestly all of the days have blended in together. Oh my God, I don’t remember. I think it was for… Yeah. Oh, yeah, so, I’m sorry. I have to think for a second. Yeah, so I did.. I actually just got signed to a hand modeling agency and did a job for American Express. It was literally just like me flipping through this sticky note pad. It was actually very difficult which was kind of annoying. Didn’t like doing that supervised there for like a couple hours just like trying to flip through this sticky note pad thing. And, yeah, that was actually the last one I did. It just for hand modeling shoot for American Express, though. I think I was my last gig.
Alice: That’s so cool. And can you talk about– I know like our Jubilance time was a million years ago now, but talk about being on that video shoot and what that was like for you.
Jacqueline: It was really good. I really enjoyed it. Just because I feel like I don’t get enough time to talk about something that personal to me and you know, because I’m just trying to be all glam and whatnot. So I was really glad that I was asked to be part of this jewelries video shoot and being able to express like this is how it is for me and I’m sure millions of other women, you know, like I’m not alone and you’re not alone. I’m just like the crew, they were really great. They were just letting me talk. So I really love to talk about my experience of like how it is for me when I’m in my period.
Alice: Thank you and something that we always ask on this podcast is what is your definition for being a woman today? And I know it can like shift it within the next 30 seconds or something, but what is it right now?
Jacqueline: For me, I think it is not just looking at yourself but also looking at other women too for inspiration, because for me I look up honestly to so many women. Not even just big celebrities but my friends. I have so many friends that [inaudible] and even like people that I also follow as well, like small women artists who are so creative. And I think for me, that’s what define a woman. Like being able to look at yourself and look at other women and find inspiration.
Alice: That’s wonderful. Do you have recommendations of who we should be following or looking at? Who’s in your network that we should know about?
Jacqueline: There’s actually a couple people, I wish I could look at my phone. There’s this makeup artist. She does really interesting makeup, and it’s just very different. Her name’s likes Somthing Brown, I think. I can’t remember off the top of my head.
Alice: I just threw that at you.
Jacqueline: That’s okay. There’s also another girl, because I also used to be a Playboy Bunny at Playboy Club in New York. It was a restaurant and totally closed. There’s another girl, I actually never met her but I found out that she was also a bunny there as well before I got there. Her name is like Lauren Chin, I believe. I think she has her own lingerie line and all that stuff. So I really enjoyed seeing other women who are super creative. Actually, this whole quarantine has caused me to be a little bit more creative as well.
Alice: Yeah, wait. But also tell me about being a Playboy bunny. Was that amazing?
Jacqueline: I loved it. I really really loved working there and we had our own dressing room. Honestly the girls there were amazing. We all got along so well and we kind of like formed our own sisterhood, even after it closed and even during, we gather together like our own little get-together. We even have our own shirts that we made just when we all get together people would know like, “Oh my God, these are all Playboy bunnies.” Oh, yeah, also another thing that we did, obviously this quarantine has cause challenges and things like that, so we didn’t know rush challenge. So we did before like how we’re just chilling at home during quarantine and after all glam up and stuff like that. So we all put together our own video. We just like posted on social media just for fun.
Alice: Oh, that’s so fun. Is that on your Instagram? I’ll have to look at it.
Jacqueline: I could post it back on a bunch of other girls have done it too.
Alice: Oh, that’s amazing.
Jacqueline: It’s definitely out there.
Alice: Very cool.And if you had one piece of advice to give a woman that you just like ran into on the street, what would it be about really anything?
Jacqueline: I would say do whatever you want and live your life because honestly, I still have to live by that advice because I sometimes find myself not doing that, but you really have to do whatever you want, as long as you’re not hurting anybody. Follow your dream. Just do it. Don’t wait for it. Don’t think like, “Oh, I’ll do it tomorrow,” or like, “I’ll get to it eventually.” Just do it and follow your dream. And honestly don’t listen to other people have to say because if it’s going to make you happy then honestly, that’s all that matters.
Alice: That’s amazing and it sounds exactly like what you’re doing. Just pursuing your dreams here in New York.
Jacqueline: Yeah, I mean, it’s a little bit difficult and sometimes my mom’s kind of like, “Are you going to ever go back to school?” And I’m just kind of like, “Oh, I don’t know yet. Let me figure this out first, Mom.”
Alice: Perfect. Well, thank you so much for being on. Do you have anything else you want to add to our listeners?
Jacqueline: I just really hope that everybody is getting through this quarantine fine. I know that there’s a lot of difficulties right now and just keep safe and stay creative, if you have that flow in you and maybe if you don’t just keep watching Netflix. I don’t know in ordering takeout.
Alice: Perfect. Thank you so much for being on Jacqueline [crosstalk]
Jacqueline: Thank you for having me. I really really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
Alice: Yeah, stay safe. Nice meeting you.
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