![Alex Gervasi talks with Patty Rodriguez. (YouTube)]()
Alex Gervasi talks with Patty Rodriguez. (YouTube)
Meet Patty Rodriguez, the woman behind the petition that helped launch the MAC Selena collection.
Patty Rodriguez is more than just a producer for On Air With Ryan Seacrest, which is impressive alone. She is a mother of two, has her own jewelry line, and is an author.
Oh, and she is also the woman who went to MAC Cosmetics and asked them to create a line for Selena Quintanilla.
There has been so much hype over the new Selena by MAC line, I decided to sit down with her and ask how she got to this point. I wanted to know what made this woman from East Los Angeles create that MAC petition and why Selena had such a impact on her life.
Patty already inspired me, but after talking to her… I felt like I could take on the world.
On getting her start in radio:
I was 16… we lived in Lynwood and the studios were here in Burbank. I had to lie to my mom and tell her that I had a very early class so she could lend me her car so I could drive here for my internship. She would take the bus 5 days a week to work so I could drive….to me, that’s a very important part of who I am…. My mom, being a Mexican immigrant, not really understanding what I was doing… she trusted me to make the right decisions at that time.
On never getting comfortable and wearing so many different ‘hats’:
When I had my first child, that’s when I had this revelation where I wanted to give more to him because he is our future… and if he doesn’t see his mother going after her dreams then what kind of role model am I for him?
The impact of Selena on the Latino community:
It’s not just any relationship you have with a celebrity, she is family. She means so much to us even 21 years after her death…. men gravitated towards her and women saw themselves in her. She had the same hair texture. She spoke Spanglish. Sometimes she couldn’t pronounce a Spanish word properly like so many of us in this country where we come from 1st generation or immigrant parents. She understood who were. She was one of the first celebrity icons that us Latino Americans saw as someone just like us… We’re always listening to her music. She’s there at our parties, at our baptisms, at our quinceaneras… she’s there when our hearts are being broken, she’s there when we’re celebrating life… she’s always there.
And now there are over 50 million Latinos in this country and yet we still feel and we are still treated like minorities. With MAC creating this for us, it kind of sends a message out like we’re no longer in the shadows. This is our country and we’re just as American as anyone else.
On e-mailing the CEO of MAC Cosmetics about her Selena Collection idea:
I basically said, “I’m a consumer. I’m a Latina. We are, as women, more likely to buy beauty products than any other group in the country. I think it’s time for your brand to thank us for that.” (laughs)
…I created the petition. I knew the power of our community and the love we had for her. She is the American woman. She is the American woman right now. She deserves to be celebrated.
It’s an amazing thing to have a little part in the creation of this.
(She then reached out to Suzette Quintenilla, Selena’s sister, and put her in contact with MAC.)
What she feels when she sees her idea come to life and knowing that a new generation of MAC consumers will be introduced to Selena:
When I see it, I think of my community. I just… I can’t think of anyone that deserves it more than we do. I know there’s a lot of problems in the world and makeup should be the last of our worries, but I think it’s as simple as, you know, where we’re heading as a community and the power that we have. I just want this to serve as a vision for our community to dream bigger…. to reach for the skies… to reach for the stars… to believe in themselves. I want our children to believe in themselves. I want them to continue to do these things that… (starts to tear up) …I just want our community to be inspired, encouraged, and to continue growing with love, dignity, and respect.
Check out the entire interview with Patty below.
Patty showing the Selena by MAC products.
Never stop believing in yourself.
Updated: You can also listen to Patty talk with Ryan and Sisanie below.
Source: KUNO 1400 AM
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