Mariana Atencio - Perfectly You: Embracing the Power of Being Real

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Praise for Perfectly You

Mariana inspires the next generation of women to carve their own paths and dare to be themselves. Perfectly You is a must-read for women everywhere!

Eva Longoria Bastn

Actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman

Perfectly You is a tribute to our American story. Like so many of our journeys, Marianas quest is an example that when you hold your culture up high and embrace the road ahead... you can contribute to the American dream.

Wilmer Valderrama

Actor, producer, and activist

Mariana Atencio is among the clearest, strongest, and most important voices of her generation. She powerfully relates truths about what it means to be an immigrant and a citizen, how to cope with loss and embrace an uncertain but limitless future. This book is essential reading for everyone who dares to dream.

Joy-Ann Reid

Host of AM Joy on MSNBC

Mariana Atencio is the next-gen voice breaking all barriers.

Jorge Ramos

Anchor for the Univision network and author

What I love about Mariana is the joy she exudes in her life and in her profession. What youll appreciate in her memoir is learning just how important it is to believe in yourself deeply. It may be the only thing we have. We are lucky Mariana has chosen to share her story so that we are all able to see how perfect we already are.

Maria Hinojosa

CEO of Futuro Media Group

Anchor and executive producer of Latino USA

[Mariana] tells her readers not to get discouraged and to keep pursuing their dreamswithout forgetting who they are in the process.

People

As Americas need for reliable journalism grows, so too has Marianas voice as a journalist: one that embodies Americas aspirations and empowers our mission to hold power accountable.

Ali Velshi

MSNBC anchor

Business correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC

Despite the often dark nature of some of the stories she covers, Atencio has been known to keep a sunny disposition, which is best embodied by the #GoLikeMariana hashtag she uses to connect with her audience on social media. Perfectly You is a continuation of that.

Refinery29

Marianas story is our story. A journalists memoir of self-discovery shaped in part by the people she encounters on her many travels to tell their stories. Perfectly You is inspirational and aspirational. Mariana teaches us that success is not about where you start but how you finish.

Hugo Balta

President of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)

2019 Go Like LLC

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ISBN 978-0-7852-2903-2 (eBook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-2838-7 (HC)

Epub Edition April 2019 9780785229032

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019902661

Printed in the United States of America

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The word perfection needs to be redefined. Its not the absence of flaws, but the commitment to give our best in everything we do.

MARIANA

For Papi. Love is infinite; so is our bond.

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Contents

Perfectly You: The Power of Authenticity

Have you ever had an identity crisis? I have. But its not what youre thinking. It wasnt born out of a sense of not knowing who I am or not accepting myself. Rather, like so many other people, Ive gone through that inner battle between being myself or living up to the expectations that others have of me. When we are children, we want to please our parents and our teachers and be accepted by our classmates. As teenagers, peer pressure sets in; many times we succumb to it. By the time we get to collegea period in our lives when we really begin to shape our identities and our journeysthe temptation to placate and heed our parents desires hits us front and center. And suddenly, our lives take off. But where to? Some of us spend a lifetime searching for our own identities, trying to understand and, more importantly, accept ourselves. When we finally do, we become unstoppable.

Perfectly You is the title Mariana Atencio chose for this book. I think its because after undergoing all of these stages herself, she realized that there is nothing more powerful than being authentic. And if you really dare to hold your own, you get to know yourself; put aside your insecurities, doubts, and fears; and not allow anyone or anything to intimidate you.

Forging this path is even more challenging for Latinos in the US, whether you are an immigrant or the son or daughter of immigrants, as I am. I was born in Los Angeles to Mexican parents. That duality brings another type of identity crisis. Theres a moment in our lives where we simply dont know if we are from here or from there. We wonder if it is the color of our passport or the color of our skin that determines who we are. Or rather, if it is our flag or the blood of our ancestors to whom we owe allegiance. When we realize that, in fact, it is a combination of all of these things and emotions that defines us, we can finally begin to enjoy being special.

This is how I feel. I am extremely proud of my heritage, of having been raised bilingual and bicultural. I feel fortunate to have been able to grow up in a world where the sounds, aromas, and colors of two worlds become intertwined into one.

But its not all a bed of roses. No matter how much pride we have in our cultural heritage, we often have to face rejection, contempt, discrimination, and intimidation, precisely because of our ethnic origin. And as if that werent enough, that insecurity we thought we had overcome returns in full force. Some call it impostor syndrome. Have you heard of it? It seeps through the cracks right when we achieve something, and suddenly, we think we dont deserve it.

I have my story. If I had to summarize it in a few words, I would say that it is a story of triumph and perseverance. Why? First of all, because I grew up in a low-income family in Los Angeles, and I had to start working in a sweatshop at the age of fourteen to help my parents pay the bills. Second, because I had to break into a profession where women have to work twice as hard to receive half the recognition that men do. To achieve it, I had to triumph over adversity and be very, very persevering.