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Mark From Love Is Blind on Where He and Jessica Stand Right Now


Warning: Love Is Blind spoilers ahead.

One of the most tumultuous couples on Netflix’s reality show, Love Is Blind, was, hands down, Mark Anthony Cuevas and Jessica Batten. The two seemed to hit it off in the pods—where they first met, talking for hours but never seeing each other—but when they came face to face, things started to unravel. The newly-engaged couple was whisked away on a romantic vacation, then moved in together and met each other’s families. Quickly, their problems arose. Even though she claimed not to have a problem with it in the pods, Jessica was clearly turned off by her and Mark’s 10-year age difference (he was 24, she 34). She also, for whatever reason, constantly had a wandering eye for Matt Barnett (a.k.a Barnett), even though he was also in his twenties and nowhere near as mature as Mark.

It was an interesting relationship: Mark seemed to be all the things Jessica wanted on paper, but she still had second thoughts. Ultimately, the two ended up not getting married. Jessica couldn’t go through with it, leaving Mark visibly heartbroken.

So what is Jess and Mark’s current status? Love Is Blind was filmed in 2018, and the two have kept their distance since then. They’ll come together for Netflix’s reunion special, which premieres on March 5. Below, Mark tells us all about his relationship with Jessica, what went wrong, and where things stand today.

Glamour: Has this just been the craziest time for you?

Mark Anthony Cuevas: For sure, for sure. It’s definitely an adjustment, I would say, because it’s… Don’t get me wrong: I was myself through the whole experience, but now it’s just kind of like everyone’s seen it. So it’s really cool to see the reaction of everyone either running up to me and taking a picture to social media and I’m just kind of like… It’s been a lot. So I’m still adjusting a little bit.

What do you remember first responding to with Jessica when you were talking to her in the pods?

Mark: So what’s kind of funny is that my first two dates were a little awkward and uncomfortable. And it was funny. I was thinking, “If the rest of my dates are going to be like this, this is not going to be pretty good.” And not that they were bad girls. It was just… There was no connection. And then she was my third date, and the second I heard her voice, the second we started talking about Chicago—Where are you from?” “Chicago”—we lit up. And that was the initial connection, but throughout the pods, we connected over so many different things, like family values, religion, and everything. So there was a lot more to that whole story and everything that helped us connect, not just being from Chicago.

Obviously, there was that drama where she had feelings for Barnett and broke things off with you to try things out with him, but then ultimately ended up asking you to forgive her and try it again. What made you decide to give it another shot with her, even though she did do that?

Mark: My mantra has always been…What my mom always taught me is: If you love something, you let it go, and if it comes back, it was for you. If it doesn’t, then it was never for you. And again, with the whole experience, I think it goes deeper than that whole saying, but I kept it. So when she did essentially come back and we talked it out, I told her. I was upfront, and I was like, “Hey, I can go home today and I’ve learned everything I needed to learn, but if you’re with me, you’re with me.” And I think that her coming back to me initially showed me that she wanted to be with me.



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Sara Blakely Worked at Disney World, Sold Fax Machines, and Did Stand Up Comedy All Before She Founded Spanx


But it was very, very hard to keep my spirits, and mindset, in the right place. I would listen to motivational tapes all the time in my car—from people like Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, and Wayne Dyer—that would help me get the courage to step back into the next office building. I was getting escorted out of buildings by security, I was having people rip up my business card in my face a couple times a week. It was really intense. But it was laying the groundwork for Spanx. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was really laying the blueprint for me to be able to invent something the way that I did. Because while trying to get something made with no expertise, no background in it, and not knowing a single contact in the industry—I heard the word “no” a lot. But I was so trained to not let that stop me, that I think that’s really part of why Spanx exists.

Own your desire for success.

Two years before I cut the feet out of my pantyhose to solve an undergarment issue [the initial inspiration for Spanx] I had literally written down in my journal, after one really bad day of selling fax machines, “I’m going to invent a product that I can sell to millions of people that will make them feel good.” I asked the universe to deliver the idea to me. And for two years after that I still sold fax machines. Then one day I cut the feet out of my pantyhose, and thought, “Maybe this is my big idea.” So that’s how that happened. I just thought, “Okay, this might be my idea that I asked for. I’m going to explore this idea.”

Then I told myself, “This is crazy, Sara.” I mean, there are billion-dollar companies where people sit around all day thinking up new products. There must be a reason they didn’t think of this one. If it’s such a good idea, why doesn’t it already exist? I played a lot of mental tag with myself; going back and forth between, “You should give this a go.” Then, “No, you’re crazy, don’t bother.” But I continued to fight through the negative self-talk and the self-doubt. And I think so much of that was listening to people talk about how to control your own mindset. But that doesn’t mean I never have moments of doubt. I’m 20 years into my Spanx journey. I still have those thoughts.

Believe in yourself, even if nobody else does.

When I started my company, I’d reach out to hosiery mills—which were all run by men—asking them to manufacture Spanx. I called them all on the phone at first, and they all pretty much gave me the run around. So I took a week off of work and drove around to all these manufacturing plants that were all mostly concentrated in North Carolina. I had my lucky red backpack from college with me, and I would walk in, and they would always ask me the same three questions. They would always say, “And you are?” And I would say, “Sara Blakely.” And they’d say, “And you’re with?” And I’d say, “Sara Blakely.” And then they’d say, “You’re financially backed by?” And I’d say, “Sara Blakely.”

Some of them would just escort me out and say, “We’re not interested.” But the way that I handled it was that I used very definitive, confident language. If you’re only given 30 seconds or a minute to try to make your pitch, you need to also figure out how you can make it about who you’re presenting your idea to, and what’s in it for them. So I did that all along the way of my journey. I would say, “I’ve invented a product that’s going to definitively change the way women wear clothes. It’s going to end up becoming an enormous program for you. You have to give me the chance for this to happen. I have total confidence that you’ll end up getting a great amount of business from making this decision.”

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Samantha Leach is the associate culture editor at Glamour. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @_sleach.



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The Women of RAICES Have an Important Message: ‘Stand Up. Fight Back’


The truth isn’t so easy. I had a choice of going either to school or surviving. I had to help my madrecita put food on the table and raise my brother. But the system doesn’t reward those priorities. Instead, the system made me and my family suffer. It’s deporting my friends, it’s killing families, it’s putting children in cages, and keeping thousands of people in danger across the border. It’s this system that these women on stage are fighting every day.

My mom, sitting right there, the love of my life, that beautiful woman, is a woman who knows how to play both mama and papa. She’s a woman who gave up her dreams, left everything behind in Peru, like so many mothers may be doing at this moment. The story I continue to write is her story, and tonight, I want to give her some hope in writing a new chapter in her life.”

She then called her mother up to the stage and presented her with a gift: an envelope containing her green card. “You’ve been waiting for this for the past 17 years,” she said, “and I’m happy to let you know that you are finally getting it.”

The women then led the audience in a chant: “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do you do? Stand up. Fight back!”

A leader in providing legal services to immigrants in federal detention centers and in the community, RAICES is a resource for asylum-seeking families in a system designed for them to fail. With over 10 million undocumented individuals in the U.S., RAICES helps unaccompanied children, single adults, families, and the LGBTQ community feel welcomed, safe, and protected in their new cities.

With the enactment of the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy, RAICES’ work is more vital than ever. And after raising $20 million through a Facebook fundraiser amid nationwide uproar over family separations—it’s clear that they’re not slowing down. The majority of RAICES’ employees are female, and women hold most of the leadership positions, so Glamour was honored to welcome the change-makers at the annual awards ceremony.

Find out more about Glamour’s 2019 Women of the Year here.



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Kamala Harris Takes a Stand for Women's Reproductive Rights at the Democratic Debate


At the end of the last debate in September, Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) tweeted: “The #DemDebate was three hours long and not one question about abortion or reproductive rights.”

She wasn’t about to let that happen again. At the CNN/New York Times debate, Harris didn’t wait for moderators to raise the issue of attacks on women’s reproductive freedom. When asked to respond to points other candidates had just made about health care, she pivoted. Harris noted that “not one word” about abortion had been said in previous debates, even as state legislatures continue to pursue an agenda that will make women’s health care harder to access and abortion available to fewer and fewer people.

“There are states that have passed laws that will virtually prevent women from having access to reproductive healthcare,” Harris said, to cheers. “And it is not an exaggeration to say women will die. Poor women, women of color will die because these Republican legislatures in these various states who are out of touch with America are telling women what to do with their bodies.”

To raucous applause, she added: “People need to keep their hands off of women’s bodies and let women make the decisions about their own lives.”

But it wasn’t just the audience that celebrated Harris’s sense of urgency. Up on stage, Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) applauded her, too. “God bless Kamala,” he said. “But you know what? Women should not be the only ones taking up this cause and this fight. It is not just because women are our voters and our friends and our wives. It’s because women are people and people deserve to control their own body.”

It shouldn’t come as such a surprise to hear presidential candidates talk about a basic, safe health care procedure—that is, abortion. It shouldn’t be a shock to hear a man defend a woman’s right to choose. When it comes to Roe v. Wade and health care access, most Americans don’t want to go back. But in our current political climate and with conservatives determined to overturn that landmark Supreme Court decision, we can’t take stands like the ones Harris and Booker made for granted.

Viewers seemed to feel the same. Social media exploded in gratitude to the candidates for their support of this essential aspect of women’s health, which, to Booker’s point, doesn’t just affect women and shouldn’t be framed as a “women’s issue.” Women are 51 percent of the population. It shouldn’t take three and a quarter debates to remind people of that inexorable fact.

Mattie Kahn is Glamour’s* senior culture editor. Follow her @mattiekahn.*





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In Open Letter, More Than 100 Models Urge Victoria’s Secret to Take a Stand Against Sexual Harassment in Fashion


A new petition urging Victoria’s Secret to take a stand against acts of sexual harassment and violence has been signed by more than 100 models, many of whom have worked with the brand in the past.

In an open letter written by the Model Alliance and addressed to Victoria’s Secret CEO John Mehas, current and former runway stars call on the company to take a role in remedying sexual harassment, citing “numerous allegations of sexual assault, alleged rape, and sex trafficking of models and aspiring models,” as several photographers associated with the company have been accused of misconduct, plus the links between various L Brands executives—including company head Leslie Wexner—and convicted sex offender and former financier Jeffrey Epstein. (Sara Ziff, the founder of Model Alliance, has written about Epstein in the past.)

It has already been signed by Christy Turlington Burns, Doutzen Kroes, Milla Jovovich, Gemma Ward, Carolyn Murphy, Caitriona Balfe, Karen Elson, among others. Time’s Up has also co-signed.

“In the past few weeks, we have heard numerous allegations of sexual assault, alleged rape, and sex trafficking of models and aspiring models. While these allegations may not have been aimed at Victoria’s Secret directly, it is clear that your company has a crucial role to play in remedying the situation,” the letter reads. “From the headlines about L Brands CEO Leslie Wexner’s close friend and associate, Jeffrey Epstein, to the allegations of sexual misconduct by photographers Timur Emek, David Bellemere, and Greg Kadel, it is deeply disturbing that these men appear to have leveraged their working relationships with Victoria’s Secret to lure and abuse vulnerable girls.”

In the letter, the Model Alliance pointed to the position Victoria’s Secret holds in the industry and its platform as a means to combat abuses in the industry: “We are calling on Victoria’s Secret to take meaningful action to protect its talent and those who aspire to work with the company. Victoria’s Secret has the opportunity to be a leader, to use its power and influence to bring about the changes that are urgently needed in our industry. Every day, fashion brands, publishing companies, and agencies set the norms of what’s acceptable and what’s not in fashion. If Victoria’s Secret were to take a stand against these abuses and commit to meaningful change by joining the RESPECT Program, this would go a long way in helping our industry chart a new path forward.”



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The Cast of 'Younger' Wants You to Stand Up for the Violence Against Women Act


The protection of survivors of gender-based violence is under threat. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which provides aid for those who have experienced sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and more, has yet to be reauthorized by Congress—which could be dangerous for survivors everywhere. A bit of background: The VAWA was enacted in 1994, with the provision that it be renewed by Congress every few years. This April the House of Representatives approved H.R.1585 (a bill that would reauthorize the act for five more years). But the bill still has to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate, and many are concerned about the bill’s fate there.

Among those worried about the future of the VAWA is the cast of TV Land’s hit series Younger. The show’s stars—Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar, Miriam Shor, Nico Tortorella, Peter Hermann, Molly Bernard, and Charles Michael Davis—have teamed up with the United State of Women to issue a public service announcement in support of the bill.

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The cast of Younger‘s public service announcement urging the Senate to renew the Violence Against Women Act

“Sutton, Hilary, Miriam, Debi, Molly, Nico, Charles, and I are honored to partner with the United State of Women and add our voices to the urgent call for the renewal of VAWA,” Peter Hermann tells Glamour. “The issues that VAWA addresses—domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking—affect every community in America regardless of race, ethnicity, economic status, or gender identity. To withhold support, or to politicize what is really an issue of human rights, is reprehensible and primitive. We cannot urge you strongly enough to make your voices heard with ours.”

In the PSA the cast highlights that women, transgender, and nonbinary people are disproportionately affected by violence. The stars also urge fans to learn more and take action to keep the VAWA in place.

While Younger chronicles the lives and careers of those in the publishing industry and isn’t an expressly political show, it’s never shied from getting real about the issues facing women. The series has covered the Me Too movement, spotlighted the “glass cliff” for female CEOs, and pulled back the curtain on how intensely women are discriminated against for their age. As Erika Soto Lamb, vice president of social impact strategy for Comedy Central, Paramount Network, and TV Land, put it, “We are proud to partner with The United State of Women to help our audience take action to support the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act—and we have no doubt that Liza, Kelsey, Maggie, Diana, Josh, Charles, Lauren, and Zane would do the same.”



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