Without a doubt, Denise Bidot has quickly transformed into a new beacon for beauty and has given a voice to all the women who have felt left out by the unrealistic and unjustly imposed societal beauty standards set by the world of fashion at large — standards that normally focus on thinner bodies with less curves. However, this influencer of Puerto Rican descent has been able to make a name for herself via social media and has become an inspiration for millions of women around the world.

©@denisebidot

In HOLA! USA’s latest edition, the ever-so-wonderful Denise Bidot reveals her secrets behind what makes her so inspiring and impactful, her thoughts on the social media landscape and her reflections on beauty as a woman within the Latinx culture. “Some days a filter can make everything brighter and prettier, but at the end of the day you don’t need it,” she shares about how life seems to ‘filter’ itself based on the filters we use on our cameras. “When people see one of my pictures without a filter or Photoshop, it’s like: ‘Oh you’re so brave!’ [Laughs] And no, it’s not brave. I’m just trying to do me, and that looks different for everyone, and that’s OK,” she adds.

And according to Denise, a huge part of her success is owed to the way she presents and shares details about herself and her daily life on her various social media platforms with fans — as well as the fact that she isn’t afraid to be seen through different lenses. "I’m very much a ‘what you see is what you get’ person. I’m an open book. I share my story—the good, the bad, the ugly," she confesses.

©@denisebidot

Thinking back to the women that raised her and imparted their wisdom, Denise Bidot revealed: “I was raised by strong Puerto Rican women who graduated at the top of their class, went on to become doctors and run their own offices. I think that really laid the groundwork for me to understand that you can be it all. For me, my culture, my music, my food, the people and the joy that I see within my community are what I bring to every part of my life, every part of my work.”

The beautiful Puerto Rican knows that her story and life can serve as a great inspiration to other women, and has sent HOLA! USA readers a special message via our latest edition: “Just keep sticking to your guts. I think when we’re young, we doubt our truth. We doubt our voice, and we’re scared to speak up because you don’t want to be the only one. I think it’s the person that speaks up, the person that is bold and unapologetic, that makes history.”