Victoria doesn’t like to hide. from very young refused to wear prosthetic arms because they were not functional and she felt that they were only there to cover her up or to give her something to hide. And after experimenting for a while with a sponge to cover her prosthetic leg, she took it off, and Until today, she uses her metallic extension with which she goes for walks, dances, models and travels.
“I suffered a very strong impact on my body, but not on my mind and my soul,” He says about the accident he had at the age of 4. “There is always that voice that tells me that I am good, that I am enough, that I am doing the best that I can and that I am evolving and transforming myself to be better.”
[La sensacional Victoria Salcedo, quien no ganó la corona de Miss Ecuador, pero impresionó al periodista y esposo de una ex Miss Ucrania, Dmytro Komarov]
She found a space for that transformation in modeling, a career she dreamed of since she was little. “I have been a girl in connection with herself, and I think this is very important to be able to express myself in photography and on the catwalk. I think safety is the main item for this type of work, because we are communicating, bringing emotions to other people”.
The key, he says, is to listen. “My own, my expectations, my opinions, my desires and what I feel counts. The strategy is not to forget to listen to ourselves, and to disconnect from the things that do not fill our soul, not to take away the importance that we exist, that our experience is life”.
The next component for Victoria is authenticity. “I like the world of beauty, where I can put my essence, because That’s what entertainment is all about, not invading other essences, just giving your own.”
Then she talks about faith in herself, something that has been strong in her since she was little. “I had certain limitations, I had an accident that could have collapsed my dreams or my life expectancy. There were also people who did not believe that I would achieve my wish. I prepared myself to be the woman that I am, with shadows and with a lot of light”.
And finally there is her desire to be seen and heard, to show others other perspectives on beauty from modeling. “Modeling is transmitting emotions, being able to discuss beauty, how you want to feel, how you want to see yourself, from the Show that the exhibitor has created. I consider that I have many beautiful things to give, I see it as art”says Victoria, who trained with Paola Castillo in Esmeraldas and also in CN Modelos.
A book to overcome fear
Victoria Denisse Salcedo Portocarrero’s birthday is in December, something she is amazed at. “I can’t believe it’s 27, it’s unbelievable,” she exclaims, and she adds that almost everything she thought she would do when she was little has come true (be a model, speaker, writer), regardless of the forecast. “I have stayed in a couple of things (like getting married), but I am very happy because I was able to fulfill the majority”, including modeling.
She notes that little by little her own experience is reaching other people and that is why she has decided to share as a speaker and soon as a writer. “I have an internal voice and I have considered it, because it is positive.” Positive, not naive. “I consider what is closest to the light, because it lets me see reality, even if it is not the reality that I hopeand in the truth are the answers”.
One of those truths is that Victoria has learned to wait and be patient with herself and with others. That’s why she values the breaks, taking her time on simple tasks like putting on her makeup, getting dressed or taking her documents out of her wallet to pay for her coffee while she takes a walk alone, one of her favorite activities.
“Life has not been subtle with me, nor did I expect it to be. I feel that I am a very strong woman and that is why I have gone through this, because I have the exact virtue to bear what I have to live ”.
And the book he is writing goes along these lines and he hopes to finish (and perhaps publish) in 2023. In preparation for that moment, he is getting ready to give motivational talks in the country. It is currently running as influencer, She belongs to the AA Management Talent Group and is followed by more than 175,000 accounts on Instagram and 720,000 on TikTok.
“Since the accident, it was clear to me that when I grew up I had to share my life experience and that enthusiasm to be alive and to be grateful.” So she decided to take this year off to write a book that doesn’t have a title yet, but is focused on limits. “I have realized that many times abroad there are no limitations, it is you who is telling yourself that you cannot, that you are not pretty, and my book is aimed at that, at the story that you are telling yourself, because that It will mark your destiny, and I say it because it happened to me. I have heard many voices about what a person without arms can do, but I see that there are also limitations for people who do not have disabilities and are themselves.
So Victoria does not give in to the fear of what others say. “I remember it, because when I was a child I had it. So I was discovering myself, but once you discover yourself, you live your beauty and your life in a noble way.
in search of independence
One of Victoria’s acts of nobility was to use only the prosthesis that works for her. “As a child I did not like to show the prosthetic leg or arms that were only aesthetic and made me feel useless. And I know that I was not born to be useless, I do many more things with my skin. Then, despite her young age, she realized something: her extensions were not for her, but for others to see her ‘complete’. “But she really wasn’t!”
The prosthetic leg was different, because with it he could walk and even run. “It was valid, but then I had a foam lining to match the shape of the real leg and I didn’t like it, it made a difference. I was growing and understanding that the truth sets us free. So I started using only the skeleton of the prosthesis. I put on a very pretty pink dress, without that lining, and it was so liberating, so me; I had been hiding behind something material, who doesn’t feel, who doesn’t know what I feel”.
What do you think of robotic prosthetics? I would gladly use them, says Victoria, because it is something created thinking about who is going to use it and not who is going to see it. “I know that rehabilitation is extensive, I have had contact with people who have wanted to help me, but it is a very complex process and I hope that at some point I can try it. Time to time, God wanted me to do most of the things with my legs”, get dressed, put on makeup, use the phone, “I was even able to go on a trip alone, with that I tell you everything. Obviously I need help, sit down to take out my wallet and pay; I do things differently, but I do them”.
And so he has acquired patience. “I am not a person who lives running, it goes against my physical limits, but I am happy to know that if I want to go out, have a break or have a coffee, I can do it; I can hail a taxi, put on a dress and shoes and go. I don’t know if it happens to the people who are going to read this, but being alone and feeling independent is one of the most beautiful human attributes. and rich, at least for me. It is delicious to be able to decide and be autonomous”.
And so we arrive at what Victoria calls her biggest dream. top, live alone. She hopes that the projects she still has to carry out will help her achieve that independence. “Yes, that’s how I see myself, I feel like it’s going to be a unique experience. I have been a very cared for and loved girl, I think that is why I am the way I am, because I have received too much love, but loneliness does not scare me. I really enjoy being alone and doing the things I want.”
Beauty as a path to leadership
In 2021, Victoria was one of the candidates for Miss Ecuador. But her favorite pageant is still Miss Universe. She was excited to think about the life of the candidates off camera. What they did for a living, what their student days were like, how hard they had worked to get there. “I felt connected to those women because I have been a leader my whole life.” The only difference, he thought, was that they wore elegant dresses and were perfectly made up.
[Victoria Salcedo, aspirante a Miss Ecuador: Soy una chica que se vive el momento, que se está viviendo la vida]
“Now that I’ve been through that, I have to say that not everything is what it seems, that being a leader has nothing to do with being in a beauty pageant. I know that there are people with this vision of life on many fronts, at work, at home and everywhere, only perhaps they are not on a platform telling the effort they have made”, but they are still stories worth telling.
“That was a very important teaching. I still love Miss Universe, I’m not going to deny it, because there are women who are participating with effort and dedication”.
So as her modeling career continues to unfold, Victoria has a book to finish, solo trips to take, new people to meet (she currently has no partner), and some hobbies to pursue. “I really like to paint, I always have. I’m going to dance with my friends, the discotheque bug hasn’t gone away yet; my mom says until what time. I love nature and the beach more than the city ”, as can be seen in her videos and photos of her on her networks. He is a fan of Rihanna, in whom he sees an interesting mirror. She doesn’t fully understand soccer, but she’s excited about its potential to bring people together. She likes to sing and swim. “I think I am a very simple woman, I like to connect and feel good wherever I am, with the right energy to flow and that everything is better for everyone”.
There are several other projects apart from the book, many of them have to do with modeling, “because I see a lot of beauty. It is a part of me that I like and I will not leave. (AND)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
