Today we’d like to introduce you to Mercedes Yvette.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Mercedes. So, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give our readers a few quick bullet points about you and your story.
In 2004 I was chosen out of 12,000 contestants to be on Season 2 of America’s Next Top Model (ANTM.) Although I didn’t win, I was the first runner-up. The experience was life changing!
I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2004 and revealed this during my time on ANTM. As a result, I was asked to be the spokeswoman for The Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). From 2005-2013, I worked with the LFA to raise funds for research and spread awareness about the disease.
Since 2004, I have been working as a print and commercial model and television actor. Some of my work includes Teen Vogue, the cover of Wedding Dresses magazine, California Tourism and Chilli’s commercial, and guest star on One on One and All of Us.
My friend and fellow model, Danielle Yu, became business partners and started an online jewelry line called the Gilded Fox in 2013. The jewelry was inspired by our love of travel, art and the allure of past decades. We sold jewelry online and to boutiques in LA. Danielle and I designed and made all of the jewelry. It truly was a labor of love. We created one of a kind jewelry and collaborated on new ideas. In 2019, both of us decided to move on to other ventures, so we closed our business.
In 2020, I decided to start a new venture with my friend and ANTM alum, April Wilkner, called Throwback Thursday Time. More details follow at the end of this story.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest obstacles/challenges in my life have forced me in a new direction of self-exploration. Through these obstacles, I have reinvented my career, made new friends, found freedom of expression through art and jewelry, advocated for awareness of Lupus in all communities and continue to evolve through these experiences.
Please tell us about Throwback Thursday Time.
Throwback Thursday Time is an IGTV & YouTube series co-hosted by April Wilkner and I. We met when we were on America’s Next Top Model and ultimately became friends. Throwback Thursday Time is a unique show that reminisces about the early 2000s in a game-centric way that follows the evolution of unique individuals in the entertainment industry through their life experiences.
I hope that by sharing our guests’ candid conversations in this virtual space, we will elevate and inspire our audience’s state of being. Our goal is to bring all of us closer, especially at this time during Covid-19, and to foster understanding of the Black Lives Matter Movement. We hope all of us will do our part to be here for one another and celebrate the accomplishments of those we admire within our community.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
My favorite quote from Alice Hoffman says, “Here’s the thing about luck; you don’t know if it’s good or bad until you have some perspective.” I will leave it at that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @throwbackthursdaytime
- YouTube: bit.ly/3cKH01U
Image Credit:
Brian Parillo: Headshot Pink Dress, Nigel Graphic Avatar Design, Throwback Thursday Time Banner: John Michael Davis
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