When supermodel Patricia Velasquez
was growing up in Venezuela, she lived in poverty, one of six children
raised by educators. After high school she studied engineering, but was
sent off course when a local hairdresser noticed her modeling potential,
leading to a casting call and a turn in the Miss Venezuela pageant.
Suddenly, Velasquez found herself at the precipice of a successful
modeling career — and she chose it, wanting to earn money for her
family. In the years that followed, she walked runways for Chanel,
Gucci, and Carolina Herrera; modeled for Victoria’s Secret and the
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue; and acted in the various incarnations
of “The Mummy” movies. She lived in Paris before moving to New York as a
Ford model, falling in with a glamorous crowd and finding much success
in the fashion world. But behind the scenes, the model was struggling
with a newly discovered secret — that she was gay.
