There’s more to video vixen and model, Rosa Acosta, than what meets the eye.
Actually, her social media bio’s are the most accurate, tell-all description of the Dominican beauty than we could ever possibly curate. Ballet dancer, personal trainer, elbow lover, nippologist, scar kisser, shower opera singer, midget hunter and future chef is definitely a mouthful but Acosta juggles them all with ease, as she should with an intimidating title like “Hottest Eye Candy of All Time”.
Whether you were introduced to Rosa as a video chick flaunting her tantalizing curves on the hoods of old school Chevelle’sor gracing the covers of men’s magazines there’s no doubt that men crave her and women envy her.While today Rosa has thrown her video vixen jersey in the rafters for a fresh start in fitness, she forever carries the title of vixen and now wants to inspire and help others get in shape and look sexy. “This time is perfect for me because I’m making moves that I want to make,” Acosta dished on her seamless transition.
Vixens, continue reading as we sit with Rosa Acosta for a super sexy edition of Vixen Chat.
Photo Credit(s): RosaAcosta.com, Getty Images, Instagram
VIBE Vixen: A lot of people have this misconception about who Rosa Acosta is. Explain your background and your claim to fame that sets you apart from most video vixens and models:
Rosa Acosta: I’m not just a pretty face and a banging body.Most people actually don’t know that I am a classically trained ballet dancer. From Swan Lake to the Nutcracker and Carmen, you name it I’ve done it. I love ballet and started dancing when I was four. After graduating from the Instituto de Cultura y Arte I then joined the only classical ballet company in the Dominican Republic, the Ballet Nacional Dominicano, where I was the youngest soloist at the time. While I was there I was a dance teacher but I was also still dancing, going to college and doing a lot of musicals and theatre– I was very dedicated and involved.
With a fairly successful start to your dance career in the Dominican Republic what made you move to the United States?
It was just a time for change. I was battling from some health issues once I got to America so I put dancing on hold for a while. Once I moved I was just working and going to school because they wouldn’t transfer the credits from my college back home.
VV:How exactly did a young girl fresh from the Dominican Republic end up doing music videos?
RA: It [music videos] was never really my thing but it all stemmed from an opportunity to do some stretching videos for a website that focuses on flexibility. The company hired a lot of ex-dancers and girls that have worked in the strip club and contortionists to show off their talents as well as physique. It was an opportunity to do something I enjoyed, stretching and dancing, and I was good at it so I accepted the gig. So I did that one video and next thing I knew it had a million plus views on YouTube after a few months and everybody was starting to ask who is this Rosa Acosta chick. From there people wanted me to be in their videos and everything blew up after that.
What exactly did these stretching videos entail that had everyone talking?
[Laughs] The video was actually supposed to go to a website where people pay to see it. It wasn’t meant to be on YouTube. What was on YouTube was a 1-minute teaser clip to get people to pay to watch the full video on the website. To me it wasn’t a big deal but welcome to America where people think doing a split is a big deal.
Was breaking into the modeling and being in the entertainment industry a goal you had when you came to America?
I never had any dreams or desires of doing music videos or anything like that. I didn’t think of myself as necessarily anything special because in the Dominican Republic there are thousands of “Rosa Acosta” looking girls walking around everywhere. Basically, I was just like another girl there. I was the norm.I wasn’t looking to get my name out there. I wasn’t planning on doing any of this.
VV: You’ve been in a handful of music videos but a fan-favorite is definitely Drake’s “Best I Ever Had” video. How did that come about?
RA: Hype Williams connected me to Kanye, which ultimately lead to me being in the video. I had already done a few music videos with Hype and he said he was going to pass my information along to a guy named Kenny for another music video. So this guy Kenny hit me up and was like, “I’m a big fan of yours and I love that you have a background in classical ballet,” so we agree to meet up. I show up and I see this big tall guy who waves at me so of course I’m thinking it’s Kenny and he’s like no, pointing across the room. It’s Kanye West. I was in shock because who knew all this time I was actually texting Kanye West not this Kenny guy. I was like “OMG, Kanye West said he’s a fan of mine.” From there we talked about doing the “Best I Ever Had” video and the rest is history. The opportunity was really good and opened a lot of other doors for me and gave me a platform for people to see who I was.
Another opportunity that opened many doors for you but mostly importantly diversified your fan base was your 2009 Supreme campaign ad. How was working with such an iconic visionary like Terry Richardson?
It was amazing. That was actually the biggest highlight of career as a video vixen/model because until myself the Supreme girl was always a penthouse bunny or a playboy girl. It was very risqué or should I say veryTerry Richardson style, but I had told him upfront that I don’t shoot any nudity. I do push the limits and I can do something really sexy but I’m not getting fully naked–no vagin*, no ass crack. He made an exception and gave me a chance. Before myself, Supreme’s female models were your usual European-type so I’m proud to say I broke the mold.
VV: With your success in the entertainment world on fire, in the back of your mind were you still longing to pursue other things in life like your life-long passion of dance?
RA: Absolutely. First of all, it [music videos and modeling] was never something I was looking to do, but once the opportunity presented itself and people were paying me to party and things I’d probably be doing anyway I was like why not. In the back of my mind even with all this other stuff going on I was looking for this moment where I could transition into the things I truly had a passion for. Although I had no problem doing the music videos and photo-shoots that was not my passion, it just happened to be something I ended up doing. But once I had the opportunity to get in the business I was dreaming about this moment where I could be moving in a different direction towards what I really wanted to do.
What were some of the other things you were interested in pursuing?
There were things I really wanted to do that I never thought I would do. I went to massage therapy school so I thought I was going to own a spa one day. I thought I was first going to work at a spa, learn about the business, stack my money and start my own spa. It’s just funny how life works because what I thought I was going to be doing is the total opposite of what I’m actually doing but that’s life.
After a bit of a hiatus on the music video and modeling scene you’ve tactfully re-branded yourself into a full on fitness guru. How did this come about?
I went through this process where I had to change my eating habits because they were awful. I was creating my own diet in my head and thinking that water was going to make me fat and drinking laxatives all day. I needed a change for health reasons not vanity so this was it.
While health was a main concern of yours, you too struggled with body image issues. How could this be true for the G.O.A.T. eye candy as crowned by XXL?
It’s a little different for me because I was a dancer so I was really skinny when I was younger. I was about 100 pounds until I came to this country. I’m about 140 pounds now and it’s everywhere– my legs, my butt, everywhere. I used to hate my legs and wanted to slim them down for years because as a dancer I was scrutinized about how big they were and I really hated it. I stopped fighting it when I went to Brazil and saw all these beautiful women with gorgeous thick legs. In that moment I realized you need to love who you are and work with what you’ve got. You’ve just got to find what you love about yourself and go with it and that’s what I’m doing. My legs are definitely my signature now.
VV: Have you always been interested in fitness or did this crash spark your journey into this new, healthy lifestyle?
RA: I’ve always had a passion for fitness as well as dance, which go hand in hand. I’ve also always been very athletic, definitely more when I was a dancer because the training was a lot harder than what I do now. My approach is totally different from a lot of people who are more motivational and inspirational. I keep it real like, “Girl you want to lose some weight let’s do it.” All that sadness isn’t needed you know, we all have a story. I personally battled with bulimia and anorexia, but I barely mention that because I don’t want my brand to be such a sad thing. I want my brand to be fun, energetic, and healthy.
On a healthier note, what’s your personal advice you would give ladies on maintaining your weight going into the holiday season?
Where a lot of people go wrong during the holidays is by taking the approach of instead of starting today I’ll just start in January. It’s a lifestyle; it’s not just something you can go in and out of. Most importantly, people need to find a balance. Yes you can treat yourself but have control. Yes, you can eat pizza just not the whole pizza. When living healthy becomes a true lifestyle for you, you won’t even crave junk food, but when it’s not genuine and it’s like a sacrifice then it won’t work. You won’t feel guilty for having a nice dinner for Thanksgiving and Christmas if you maintain a healthy balance, it’s as simple as that.
What can people look forward to from Rosa Acosta in the future?
My new fitness blog, FlexiFit Girls, is dedicated to great fitness content via articles, videos, etc. As well, I am adding new items every week to my workout apparel line, Body by Rosa Acosta. I am working very diligently on some other really cool things that I can’t necessarily talk about but what I can say is I might be on your TV soon, stay tuned.
