Today we’d like to introduce you to Orsolya.
Hi Orsolya, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born and raised in the Rust Belt of America: Northeastern Ohio which steel mills once pumped smoke into the air lining the pockets of businessman and workmen, alike. Sadly, this once prosperous Midwest city transformed into a dilapidated, poverty and crime-stricken city once the steel mills shuts its doors. My parents emigrated from Hungary shortly before I was born with my father being a famous writer in Hungary (I spent my days in printing presses before I could walk or talk) and was an agent working for the US and Hungarian governments against communism and was killed by the Russian KGB only two weeks before my 5th birthday passing a legacy as a hero but leaving me fatherless to an extremely physically and emotionally abusive mother.
This environment of a pennyless existence and broken home sparked my desire to prove to the universe – and my mother – that I will overcome all of this hardship and thrive. I knew at a young age that I had to make my own future. Rather than turn to substances or vices; I received straight As in school, went to university on scholarships and graduated THAT with a 4.0 GPA which is often rare. I knew I had to get out of Ohio if I wanted to make something of myself and when surrounded by destruction; you become both an artist and passionate about everything. I first desired to work in the music industry and started in Cleveland, Ohio doing music marketing/PR for major record labels which turned on the light to want to move to Los Angeles. I was already touring with bands, had friends and boyfriends in the City of Angels so it was time to make the move. At 19, I also began modeling as an artistic outlet (not solely for “pretty pictures”). If that wasn’t enough I began writing assignments for national publications taking after my father with writing chops being in my blood AND was curating an obsession with Medieval, Renaissance and Restoration England into a profession. Perhaps one would say I was “all over the place” but I am simply very passionate.
Flash forward to Los Angeles (where I have no lived for 16 years) where I decided to leave the music industry aside for a multitude of reasons and rather focus on modeling, writing, and my life as a Historian. My modeling has been featured in clothing campaigns and editorials, my writing in various publications and I have worked in contract with Historic Royal Palaces in England both on a research level and with articles featured in history summits. This may sound ‘geeky’ but I can’t get enough of this history! Plus, I became involved with Party Goats LA – a famous company in LA doing goat yoga, animal therapy and goats on tv/film sets where I was the Senior Goat Wrangler for 5 years. Yes, goats! Although, I am not longer affiliated with the company; this has sparked a business idea I had for a holistic animal wellness company featuring animal reiki, tuning fork therapy and also equine massage for horses. I am working on my animal reiki certification so this is still a pipe dream but LA is the place to be to try these wild ideas!
It isn’t everyday that a ‘pretty face’ model also works as a Historian in academia and pens articles as a journalist. But I will always strive to make my father proud and prove to the universe that it can’t kill me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
NOTHING about my life professional or personally has been smooth. As the daughter of Hungarian immigrants turned US citizens; I had no family, no connections, no roots in the US. I was doomed to fail. Then with my father being killed and my mother being abusive – she even let a step dad rape me regularly at age 8 – it was almost hopeless. The “American Dream” is not as obtainable as the Statue of Liberty made it seem. Don’t get me started on life in LA where no one can afford anything and everyone is all talk pretending to be successful.
To make my journey even harder, I have FIVE autoimmune illnesses, Stage 4 Endometriosis ( an incurable autoimmune illness effecting the reproduction system of 1 in 10 women making life unbearable daily) cancerous ovarian cysts, rheumatoid arthritis and the list goes. Chronic Illness is a curse in which days often mean you can barely walk due to the exhaustion and pain as your body tries to kill you but, “You don’t look sick!” because it is internal. Maybe I should walk around in sweat pants and hair undone versus my makeup and dresses to convince people I am basically dying. This makes everything that much harder when you are just trying to survive because it effects your mental state.
My life has been absolutely unfair but again: it is my ammunition to continue to be a warrior and fight on. I have faith that better times are ahead even though I am not a young pup at 41 years of age.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I suppose I can welcome the descriptor multi-hyphenate with my work. As mentioned, I am a working model (thankfully, I look very young for my age but I am sure I will wake up grey soon enough) and strive to use modeling as a personal art release and for others. What I mean by this is that even if I am modeling a gown, for example, I try to infuse a story with my eyes and body positioning. I have fans around the globe who have told me that they have visions and stories coming to life in their minds when viewing my photos. This is exactly what I strive to do: pure art.
Being an English Historian specializing in Medieval, Renaissance and Restoration periods is one of my favorite aspects of my life. I am friends with famous museum and castle curators in England, history writers, etc; and get to live the research of the intrigue of that history, professionally! They always say work in what you love! I was asked to particpate in a 16th century history summit focusing on women of the period and I was the ONLY ONE who resides in the US asked to participate. Everyone else were historians who live in England with Masters in History and a group of individuals I look up to and read their work. To become their peers and have them praise ME on MY work was not only a resume highlight but also a personal spark I will never forget.
Writing is also my artistic outlet and whether penning an article for a publication or just reviewing a business on Yelp where I am 15 year Black Elite (the highest level); words transport me to a world where my anxieties calm and I feel in control in this crazy world.
What matters most to you?
As someone with anxiety and having lived a difficult life (and still do); everything matters to me. As mentioned, my father was a Special Agent working for the US and Hungarian governments against communism and died a hero in the hands of the Russian KGB. My maternal grandfather was a Holocaust concentration camp survivor with his name in the archives at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. This fighting essence is in my blood and I am always standing up for what is right, protesting for the underprivileged and underserved. I am a feminist by all counts and I will never stop using my voice as my weapon to stand up for the right side of all topics.
My #1 cause, though, is advocating for the wild horses and burros who reside in 10 US states on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Development (BLM). The BLM spreads false propaganda that these lands can’t sustain the horses and burros although we have scientific proof that they can and this is only being spread because the lands support the cattle industry: money talks. The BLM thus uses helicopters to ’round up’ horses and burros in extreme conditions often leading to animal deaths on the spot and herd them into kill pens. These horses are either sent to the slaughter pipeline or ‘adoption’ with low money incentives where private ranchers take the money and send the horses onward to slaughter. This is all being done using YOUR TAX DOLLARS! You fund the genocide of our nation’s wild horses. This is a cause I am very passionate about. So much so, that I got a horse tattoo with ten geometric shapes around it’s running body (the 10 US states where horses roam); in order to be a walking billboard for the cause. I will never stop advocating for this cause especially as Trump is currently trying to get certain horse populations down to ZERO. Again, this uses your tax dollars to fund these mass murders and yet most people don’t even know we have wild horses let alone killing them. Spreading the word is vital. Visit https://www.americanwildhorse.org/ to learn more.
Pricing:
- Priced per project
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orsolya.r.dunai.modeling
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577323944243
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orsolyadunai/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@luvndanestrin
- Yelp: https://orsolya.yelp.com
- Other: https://onthetudortrail.com/Blog/2022/08/03/sixteenth-century-hungarian-women/
