Alicia Machado must be thinking, Todo cae por su propio peso, a saying in Spanish that could be losely translated as "what goes around comes around." The Venezuelan artist, businesswoman and model was Donald Trump's first Miss Universe and probably the one woman who will haunt him the most. She became a world household name last night and here's everything you need to know about her story.
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Image via AliciaMachado.com
She was only a teen when she became Miss Universe.
Alicia Machado became Miss Venezuela 1996 and went on to win the Miss Universe contest that year. She was only 19 at the time and it was a big surprise. Even Venezuelan beauty pageant guru Osmel Sousa didn't think she had any chance to win. I don't know why, she was gorgeous, smart and very sweet.
Away from home and free from Osmel Sousa's grip she lost control.
Sousa, who is still in control of the Miss Venezuela pageant and works as a judge in Univision's reality show Nuestra Belleza Latina, has often been described as a very strict with the contestants.
While Machado says she only put on around 12 pounds, Donald Trump, then owner of the Miss Universe pageant, made the information public and became news in many parts of the world.
It was Donald Trump's first year as the owner of Miss Universe.
He had just bought the franchise, which he had to sell last year, after several Latin American countries threatened to boycott the beauty contest as a result of Trump's insults towards Mexicans, describing them as "rapists" and "criminals".
He took Machado's gain weight as a personal affront and made it his mission to make her lose it. At one point, he invited the press to see her exercise.
The pressure created a serious and life long eating disorder.
She admitted that for five years she needed therapy to deal with bulimia and anorexia and has confessed that it's a life struggle.
Her self-esteem suffered to the point of affecting her romantic life.
She hasn't had a steady relationship in years, although she has been linked to Luis Miguel, telenovela actors Sergio Sendel and Jorge Aravena, as well as drugdealer Gerardo Álvarez "El Indio".
Machado also said that posing for Playboy–she was the first Miss Universe to do so–was hard due to her body issues.
Like many beauty queens, Machado became a telenovela star.
But she hasn't been typcast into the pobrecita naive girl of the typical telenovelas. Machado has been either the villai, or a leading lady with a very fluid morale, like the role she had in Colombia's La Madame, where she was a high-end pimp, a la Heidi Fleiss.
She also has released two albums, a handful of movies and even shared the starring roles with William Levy in the play Un amante a la medida in 2009.
She is also a businesswoman with her own products and scandals way before the Kardashians.
She has two lines of perfumes, jeans and accessories for cell phones. Machado has also posed in sexy calendars and even had a nipple scandal way before it was a thing.
Machado kept her bout with breast cancer a secret for a couple of years.
In January 2014, the former Miss Universe revealed that she had a double mastectomy after fighting breast cancer. She has become one of the voices in the Latino community calling for more research and campaigns to promote early dectection.
Her treasure is her daughter and she fights for single mothers.
In June 2008, Machado gave birth to her only daughter, Dinorah, who she says is her reason for living. The father has never been in the picture and Machado often talks about the struggle of single mothers. To help, in 2011, she created the Mamis Solas, an organization that supports single moms
Today, it's Alicia Machado vs. Trump again, but she's not 19 or weak anymore.
Since Trump announced his presidential aspirations, Machado has used her voice to denounce his attacks against Latinos and women. She has told her story to everyone who wants to listen and has called the Republican candidate all kinds of things, including nazi, Hitler and racist.
The Clinton campaing got in touch with Machado and she's since been one of the most vocal Spanish-speaking celebrities supporting Hillary. The Democratic candidate told her story in the first debate against Trump.
Hours later, the businessman attacked Machado again. However, the tide has turned and the Venezuelan Miss Universe has said her piece. Let's hope she feels closure now, although she will probably feel more vindicated if she manages to help Hillary Clinton to return to the White House.
