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Jenna Ortega, known for her roles in Netflix’s ‘You’, ‘Jane the Virgin’, and ‘the Disney Channel’, is adding one more accomplishment to her successful career. The actress of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent is officially the newest ‘Neutrogena Brand Ambassador’. At HOLA!, we couldn’t be any happier since it’s more important than ever for brands as relevant as Neutrogena, to continue enlisting promising Hispanic talent as ambassadors. The 17-year-old actress is following in the footsteps of other brand ambassadors including Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington and Jennifer Garner.
“I could not be more ecstatic. I say it over and over, but it really is such a surreal feeling, especially with such an iconic brand, that I have looked up to for such a long time. Also, it’s great because they already have such a diverse roster of faces. You have the Kerry Washingtons, the Jennifer Garners … so to become one of those faces and be part of a company that not only embraces diversity but also embraces powerful women who use their voice, which is something that I try to exercise whenever I possibly can, it’s a beautiful feeling,” commented Ortega for HOLA!
Ortega is a talented young actress with more than 5 million followers on Instagram. There is no doubt that she has a solid and extensive reach within her generation. The Latin rising star does not take her influence lightly. One of her priorities is to continue speaking out about social issues affecting the Latin community. This is a major opportunity for the young actress who also stated, “because Neutrogena is so open and welcoming about me using my voice to speak about anything that I feel passionate about, empowered about or something that I would want to raise awareness of, they have been incredibly supportive.”
As part of her first project, Ortega will be launching the ‘My Quinceañera Journey’ sweepstakes. The ‘quinceañera celebrations’ of 2020 may not be exactly as some teens had envisioned. The lockdown has changed our lives in different ways, and this is no exception. “This is something that I’m actually excited about because for me, when I was 15, I was working on a set, so I didn’t get to have my own ‘quinceañera’. Instead, my character at the end of the show, ended up having her own. So, I kind of had to live vicariously through her,” the Disney alum, told us.
Ortega continues, “You know, due to this pandemic that’s happening right now, a lot of teens who are turning 15, don’t have the opportunity to have the traditional ‘quinceañera’. For anybody who knows what that’s like, I wanted to be supportive, as does Neutrogena.” Thus, to be by their side during these tough times, the Latin rising star and Neutrogena have planned a mass sweepstakes. This includes a livestream concert with a surprise musical act for all of the sweepstakes participants. In addition, 8 lucky winners will get an interview with Ortega, and receive everything from pro skincare advice, to makeup and more in preparation for the celebration.
The actress of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent was a big supporter of the brand, even before she was chosen as an ambassador. “It was weird because the first time I met my manager I actually told him when he asked me, ‘Hey are there any brands that you would possibly want to sign with, work with?’ and I only gave him one brand: ‘Neutrogena’,” the actress firmly responded.
© @jennaortegaMake no mistake, Ortega is part of Generation Z—a generation that has had constant access to endless information since they were born, so they view themselves as multifaceted, refusing to fall into a predefined box. When asked about beauty, she was very clear and honest. If there is one thing we can say about Ortega, it is that she is ahead of her time. “It’s so weird because if you asked me that question a year ago, you’d get a completely different answer. Yeah, I think with social media there’s just so many certain standards or ideas that are thrown out to you.” She continued, “Oh this is what beauty is, or this is what beauty looks like, or what beautiful features are. I was heavily influenced by that side of social media and it just weighed heavily on my mental health and my insecurities.”
For the actress, her perception of beauty has evolved over the past year. “Now, for me, I know I’ve met a beautiful person when they do nothing but kindness, respect. When they seem to have the proper morals or people that are very comfortable with themselves.” Ortega commented. “Even me, I am not always the most confident person, but I think most beautiful people are. So, as you learn to discover yourself and become more comfortable with yourself and embrace yourself for your differences and realize that not everybody should look the same and that you bring something different to the table that somebody else could appreciate just as much as you could appreciate their features, I think that’s all you can really do and say like, “Hey, this is me. This is who I am and that’s what the world’s going to get.”
And yes, this is what we are getting; an accomplished, humane, and talented Latin rising star with a great journey ahead of her. For Ortega, her next move is to star as Jennifer Garner’s daughter in the upcoming Netflix comedy ‘Yes, Day’, in which Garner, Neutrogena’s Brand Ambassador since 2007, also produced. The Venezuelan actor, Edgar Ramirez, is also starring in the movie. It will be distributed by Netflix and is based on the children’s book of the same name by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld.
