FERNANDA GIMENEZ, LA BELLEZA

Alexis Hodoyán-Gastélum

1 day ago

4 min read

Updated: 19 hours ago

From Caudalie and Calvin Klein to Acting Aspirations, Fernanda Gimenez Is Living Her American Dream

This story is taken from VALŪS Issue 005 Autumn 2026 - ORDER YOUR COPIES HERE

FOR a content creator amassing over 10 million followers across her accounts, 23-year-old Fernanda Gimenez’s usual day is surprisingly ordinary. Her schedule includes breakfast at home in Miami, then going out to “do something fun” and have lunch, coming back to watch movies and shows and, of course, film videos for work. “I like being a homebody,” she notes. “That’s pretty much it.”

On Sep. 11, she’s in New York City for Fashion Week, where she’d be attending Calvin Klein’s Euphoria Campaign party. But other than a few work commitments, Gimenez isn’t stacking her schedule with fashion show after fashion show. Instead, she opts for shopping for Isabel Marant heels, grabbing matcha with her friends, and visiting Brooklyn for the first time.

Because contrary to her homely nature, in New York, Gimenez is living her dreams. “I love fashion. It’s one of my favorite things. I collect vintage pieces,” she shares, talking about her work with Calvin Klein earlier this year. “I did videos for their clothes, and I was really excited because I haven’t really gotten into working with fashion that much because I stayed alone with the acne side.”

Gimenez began building her following with pandemic-era dancing videos, but solidified it by earnestly documenting her struggles with cystic acne. She often cites how, growing up, none of the YouTubers she watched showed any imperfections. “It was picture perfect,” she recalls. “But it wasn’t their fault; it was just what was happening in that era, and I felt very isolated because I wasn’t seeing people show their acne.” When she built a platform, she allowed herself the vulnerability to show her bare face, hoping someone would find in her what she didn’t have all those years ago. “People stopping me and saying, ‘You helped me so much with acne when I’m feeling down’ [is my favorite thing about my job], because it’s like, I’ve helped you, now you’re helping me.” This storytelling has led to collaborations with MAC and Bobby Brown, and even becoming an ambassador for Caudalie.

Fashion is her next frontier, though she’s cautious. “I don’t know how to integrate it organically. Sometimes, it could be [seen as] pretentious. I struggle with that a little bit. I didn’t grow up with these things,” she explains.

Growing up in Uruguay, Gimenez always dreamed of being on stage. She’d watch “The Addams Family”—her favorite movie—dressing up as Morticia and reciting back the script. She also loved to dance. But she didn’t think that those dreams could be a reality in such a small country. “I was like, ‘Well, this isn’t something I can do.’ I can do it for fun as a hobby, but I can’t work as this,” she shares.

That’s why, when the opportunity presented itself, she immigrated to the U.S. at just 19 years old to pursue content creation and—eventually, she thought—acting, which she’s already getting coached in and auditioning. But the process was not smooth. “[The immigration process] is really hard. It took me so long to even come,” she says, mincing her words. “I feel like it’s hard for everybody—you just have to acknowledge that. I wish people acknowledged that more. Like how hard it is for people to come here.”

Three years after her move, Gimenez still struggles to adapt to the culture in the U.S. “It’s not bad, but I feel like the Latin American country is very community-oriented, and everybody helps each other. Like if you live in a building, you know every single person. If you need anything, you could go knock on somebody’s door, and they will help you. They will put their life on pause to help you. And I feel like the U.S. is more individualistic,” she says. “I don’t think one is good and one is bad, but I struggle with making friends as an adult because of that. I give a lot, and I show up a lot, and I feel like they’re more focused on their life.” Still, Gimenez is not looking to change that aspect about herself.

“I try to say hi [to strangers]. Not to every single person, but if it’s like girls or something, I will say hi. I don’t want to get rid of that part. I feel like it’s engraved in my being. I was raised like that. I feel like it’s denying my culture by becoming more individualistic.”

Despite the popularity, the brand deals, and the bus ads with Gimenez’s bare face on them, at the end of the day, she is doing it all for the little girl who dreamed big.

“It’s so hard to not compare yourself with so much of the things that society puts on women,” Gimenez says. “It’s hard to figure out how to fit in, or what the perfect standard is. So, we’re always going towards healing. That’s always the goal. Career-wise, I always want to just heal my inner child and be the happiest I can. Not compare myself to people and just be comfortable with my own self.”