Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Miami, Ana Dominguez has built a career at the intersection of fashion, dance, activism, and community. Long before modeling became part of her path, dance was her first love. She studied the art form from childhood, later earning a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Florida while also specializing in costume design.
Her creative work eventually expanded beyond performance. After moving to New York, Ana taught and developed dance programs in dozens of public schools and launched Hands of Hope Global, a nonprofit arts organization created to make visual and performing arts more accessible to young people in underserved communities.
Modeling became another platform for that same mission. As a curve model, Ana has used visibility not simply to build a career, but to advocate for representation, equity, and greater transparency in an industry that has not always created equal opportunities for women of color or models outside traditional size standards.
In this conversation with Soulivity editor D’Angelo Thompson, Ana reflects on breaking barriers, trusting the process, navigating pay inequities, creating opportunities for younger creatives, and why she believes showing up fully for yourself can become an act of change.
D’Angelo Thompson: Ana, I had the pleasure of meeting you through a mutual friend and mother agent, Eric Stern. We also did an article on him last year. I am very inspired by your drive and activism in a business that likes you to “look pretty,” but not speak. We all know that is changing, which is a leap forward for young adults of all genders. Did you always want to be a model? If not, what was your first love?
Ana Dominguez: I ran away from modeling as much as I could. My first love is dance; and, helping others, which I was doing in NYC. I started an organization called Hands of Hope Global, which is an arts nonprofit.
D’Angelo Thompson: What have been challenges in this business?
Ana Dominguez: My biggest challenges have been allowing others to work for me and allowing them to dictate how I move and work. I had to learn to trust in the process.
D’Angelo Thompson: I know you have worked with major agencies including WOMEN in Los Angeles and SUPREME in New York City as their first “curve” model. How does that feel?
Ana Dominguez: To be honest, it feels like a great accomplishment. It is all about breaking barriers and creating a space for women who look like me.
D’Angelo Thompson: Where do you see yourself as a “brand” in the next five to seven years?
Ana Dominguez: In the next five to seven years, I see myself as a multi-dimensional activist and running an empire, an umbrella organization.
I see myself having an art center for inner-city children to have resources around the arts.
I see myself as a successful mogul.
D’Angelo Thompson: I know for me, it’s been a challenge to get clients to be transparent with how they pay us. I can’t tell you how many occasions I found out a less-qualified MUA or HMU was getting more than me. Have you encountered this as a model? And how do you combat it?
Ana Dominguez: Yes, I have encountered this, and it keeps reoccurring. Thankfully, there is transparency among fellow models who believe in transparency when it comes to rates. So, when the same client approaches to book me, my team and I have negotiating power. I am determined to preserve my brand/image and clients who support me and my work.
D’Angelo Thompson: What advice would you give to younger creative artists or models?
Ana Dominguez: For creative artists, create to commit to who you are and allow room for expansion. Be open to the bigger picture and allow the expansion to happen; allowing the universe to take you where it wants you to go.
Never stop showing up for yourself, be present.
That advice reaches far beyond fashion. Committing to who you are while leaving room for growth requires both self-awareness and trust. It means allowing identity to remain rooted without becoming rigid.
Soulivity explores that same relationship between self-worth and possibility in:
D’Angelo Thompson: Ana, what are you grateful for?
Ana Dominguez: I am so grateful to be living during these times.
I am so thankful for my relationship with Jesus.
I am thankful for the spaces I have been able to walk into, my global community, and my support system.
I am so grateful that I am fully alive and not just existing.
D’Angelo Thompson: Ana, thank you so much for chatting with me. You are definitely on our radar here at Soulivity, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you continue to do.
Ana Dominguez’s story is a reminder that visibility can become more powerful when it is connected to purpose. Her work in fashion, dance, and community advocacy reflects a larger belief that breaking barriers matters most when it creates space for others to come through behind you.
Her advice to younger creatives is simple but enduring: remain committed to who you are, allow yourself room to grow, and keep showing up for yourself. That philosophy reaches beyond modeling. It is about building a life expansive enough to hold ambition, service, creativity, faith, and the courage to keep becoming.
And perhaps that is where Ana’s work carries its greatest resonance. Creating change is not only about entering rooms that once excluded you. It is also about helping make those rooms larger, fairer, and more possible for the people who come next.
Instagram: @theanadominguez
