http://sharpformen.com/women/a-welcome-introduction-mayte-garcia/

A Welcome Introduction: Mayte Garcia

The multi-talented beauty talks tech, reality TV and life after Prince. By Coleman Molnar

Mayte Garcia is many things: dancer, actress, animal rights activist, singer, writer and choreographer. Recently, she was one of the classy women featured in season one of Hollywood Exes, a VH1 series that follows a group of Hollywood ex-wives as they continue to grow out of their ex-husbands’ shadows and create new lives for themselves.

It’s really not fair to say it—because she’s so very talented, intelligent and gorgeous—but Garcia was, once upon a time, best known as Prince’s wife.

“It’s about support; it’s about breakups,” said Garcia, elaborating on the show’s premise. “People can relate to it because it’s not just about being with somebody famous. It’s about women supporting women through something as traumatic as a divorce.”

Season one was a success, both for the network and the ladies therein; so much so, in fact, that filming for season two will begin in October.

And while the title, Hollywood Exes, could be interpreted as suggesting otherwise, make no mistake, these women are more than just the used-to-be partners of famous actors and rock stars. Much, much more. Allow us to introduce you to one of them: gentlemen, we present the beautiful and talented, Mayte Garcia.

On Travelling Well

A childhood that saw her home shifting from Alabama to East Germany and everywhere in between, conditioned Garcia into an excellent traveller.

“I was a military child—we moved around a lot,” she said.

And while most of us would consider that a less-than-normal childhood, she claims to not have even noticed.

“I loved it. It’s like a family, the military—like a giant support system. And I never really noticed a difference until I got out. Then I was like, ‘oh wow!’ You guys have so many grocery stores to choose from! What do you mean ‘health insurance,’ what’s that?’”

But growing up as a jet setter did provide Garcia with the gift of travelling well.

“Oh, I can just pick up and move, no problem,” she admitted. “I can go to Egypt and live there for a year—I can go anywhere and be fine.”

And her affinity for travel worked well with her chosen career: dance.

Born To Dance

For Garcia, dance has been with her as far back as she can remember.

“I started dancing at the age of three,” said Garcia. “My mum was big into belly dancing because it was a craze back in the 80s. She loved it and, of course, at three you want to be just like your mum, so I started dancing with her. Honestly, in my past life I must have been in the dancing world, and I don’t know where it comes from, but when I hear that music, I feel familiar with it, even though I’m Puerto Rican. I’m a Puerto Rican belly dancer (laughs).”

And, unlike some young women who abandon their dancing dreams when puberty hits and things like boys, chocolate, and Gossip Girl invade the mind, Garcia’s dancing career didn’t end there.

“I just kept doing it and by the age of eight I was incredible. It was my passion. I knew I wanted to be a dancer and I went full on. And with the support of my parents I studied everything from jazz, ballet, modern, tap, and flamenco. You name it, I studied it. Then we moved to Germany and I found that the artistic community over there was so much more appreciated. I was very fortunate to have grown up with that.”

Then, at age 16, Garcia met Prince and two years later she was dancing for his band in the US. Fast-forward 20 years and Garcia is a successful entertainer and entrepreneur with the same passion for dance.

On Technology, Pets, and the Resulting Brainchild

Don’t ever try to make Mayte Garcia choose between her dog and her iPhone—you might get hurt.

Garcia’s passion for animals and technology is overwhelming. With “no more than five dogs, two cats and four birds” roaming about the house, and a variety of cellphones—that’s right, she’s got a blackberry and an iPhone—cluttering her purse, it’s apparent that these two things are important to her. So, when Garcia was emotionally struck by a photo of a shelter dog she saw on Facebook, it only made sense to combine her two passions: enter Mayte's Rescue.

“I was shocked to see the number of quality dogs at the shelter—dogs that had lost their homes due to foreclosures etc.—and it just broke my heart,” said Garcia. “So, I created a foundation to help shelter dogs and rescue dogs. When you come to my site you are for sure getting a shelter dog or a rescue dog.”

Garcia’s site helps to save dogs from potential euthanasia by helping to facilitate the adoption process. And if adoption is too large a commitment for some, the website also encourages “fostering” pets as it allows Garcia’s organization to withdraw yet another dog to the safety of the rescue.

On Being A Reality TV Star

Walking into reality television territory can be a tricky thing for anyone in the media.

“I had been approached before to do reality and I always thought reality was kind of weird and it wasn’t my thing. But, I’m guilty of watching it. When I was approached aboutHollywood Exes, I read the email first and liked where they were heading: we gave up our lives, and women in general have to give up their lives to become mothers and wives and create a family. So, elevate that by being with a rockstar or movie star or somebody famous, and you’re in the public eye as well. For me, it’s been 12 years since we got divorced, but it’s still a struggle. I still get, ‘oh, that’s Prince’s ex-wife,’ instead of people knowing that I’m an artist and that I was a dancer before and that was how I met him. I really liked the producers; they were just genuine and you could tell that they wanted to tell the women’s story. It wasn’t about the person that you were married to.

On Having Prince's Blessing

“No, I didn’t consult him because I knew I wasn’t going to talk about him. That’s what I told the network and producers: ‘if you think it’s about me talking about him, don’t even think of calling me in. This is about me and what I went through and the struggles I had dating.’ What do you do? How do you tell somebody when you go on a date that you were married to one of the biggest rock stars ever? How do you deal with that? I wanted to explore that. I thought it would be fun and I thought it would be healing—and it has been. It has been very therapeutic for me to do the show.

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-1-text.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8524.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8581.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8656.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8784.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8857-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

I have officially lost all respect for Mayte after these pics. When is she going to grow up and be a woman and stop posing all trampy in panties? Good lord. I am officially OVAH her!

lauralevesque said:

I have officially lost all respect for Mayte after these pics. When is she going to grow up and be a woman and stop posing all trampy in panties? Good lord. I am officially OVAH her!

I agree with you to an extent but she is a beautiful woman and unfortunately this is what sells. But then again she is associated with Prince and one of the things you think about when hearing his name is sex! She's confident in her looks and she does pose in lady like photoshoots from time to time. Maybe she wanted to do something sexy, even though she's older now doesn't mean she has to be covered up all the time. I say more power to her!

I'm still confused as to what Mayte does for a living. I know the interview states she's all these things but practically what does she do all day? I know she dances but does she have a studio or does she perform somewhere or is she running the charity for animals? What is her career? Not trying to be negative or anything, just wondering.

[Edited 9/15/12 11:24am]

wonder505 said:

I'm still confused as to what Mayte does for a living. I know the interview states she's all these things but practically what does she do all day? I know she dances but does she have a studio or does she perform somewhere or is she running the charity for animals? What is her career? Not trying to be negative or anything, just wondering.

[Edited 9/15/12 11:24am]

I'm not quite sure, I think she still dances from time to time but I'm guessing all her time is spent on auditioning for movies, and Hollywood Exes things now, plus I heard she starts filming for season 2 in October

Wow Nice Pics!! Its no different to what she was doing with Prince or what other artists do these days. Give the girl a break! She has a nice body and takes care of herself, you would think she was doing playboy by the responses above lol.
She's multitalented like a lot of entreprenures these days except shes not selling purfume, books or clothes.

Mayte319 said:

Wow Nice Pics!! Its no different to what she was doing with Prince or what other artists do these days. Give the girl a break! She has a nice body and takes care of herself, you would think she was doing playboy by the responses above lol.
She's multitalented like a lot of entreprenures these days except shes not selling purfume, books or clothes.

Definitely agree!!!!!

I'm all off base, cause all I can think about is how does it make her into technology because she has a blackberry and a iPhone in her purse, anybody with the money can walk into a store and buy those, how's that being into technology? I barely noticed what she was posing in. She does look fit and well put together though, which does take work and commitment, I think she's inspiration for a lot of women in her age group which I think is what the pictures are all about.

symbollooover said:

lauralevesque said:

I have officially lost all respect for Mayte after these pics. When is she going to grow up and be a woman and stop posing all trampy in panties? Good lord. I am officially OVAH her!

I agree with you to an extent but she is a beautiful woman and unfortunately this is what sells. But then again she is associated with Prince and one of the things you think about when hearing his name is sex! She's confident in her looks and she does pose in lady like photoshoots from time to time. Maybe she wanted to do something sexy, even though she's older now doesn't mean she has to be covered up all the time. I say more power to her!

When people used to say that she was trash or whatever on here, I always disagreed with that and took up for her, I have always been a fan of Mayte's, but there does come a time when you put your pants on and "mature" a little. Yes she's gorgeous, I've always maintained that she looks fantastic, I just want to see her mature her look , evven Marilyn Monroe, in her 30's wore nice slacks and pucci shirts, nice, mature clothing that still showed her amazing body but also showed her growth as a woman- and in her JAX slacks she was sexier than anybody could be, because the body was still showing but with Mayte, these silly ass shoes and 19 year old clothes are just so much for the 20 something and not the gorgeous woman (that she is) who is nearing 40, imo.

Mayte319 said:

Wow Nice Pics!! Its no different to what she was doing with Prince or what other artists do these days. Give the girl a break! She has a nice body and takes care of herself, you would think she was doing playboy by the responses above lol.
She's multitalented like a lot of entreprenures these days except shes not selling purfume, books or clothes.

But she's an entreprenure of what?

Well... this is along the lines of Victoria's Secret...

its not Hustler, so my respect for her is the same as any other fashion model. Modeling lingerie like this is the usual stuff most models do. I hope this is a spread for a designer of lingerie and not just a "Mayte" pictorial for some men's magazine.

She looks older but looks good... which is what I expect. Nice makeup and pics. Hair is always on point.

..... nevermind... its another pictorial for a men's rag.

This is more of a reflection of the magazine than her... men's magazines always have women curled out in their panties because men just can not read about a woman without the need to see her as a sex object.

i think she's trying to stay in the public eye to make a living. because i don't think she's ever had a "real" everyday job like most of us folks have.

I think she looks good.But there comes a time when you're just to old for these kinds of pictures.Plus if she wants to stop being called princes ex wife stop talking about him.I think Mayte should be trying to build her brand through dancing.The reality show is only going to last for so long.I see the show ending after next season.Plus I think it will have to bring more drama.I think mayte is just trying to keep the prince conection.

paintedlady said:

..... nevermind... its another pictorial for a men's rag.

This is more of a reflection of the magazine than her... men's magazines always have women curled out in their panties because men just can not read about a woman without the need to see her as a sex object.

I had never heard of this mag, so I decided to Google it: http://sharpformen.com/

If you notice the other pictures of women, that seems to be what the magazine promotes.

I agree with Sandra. It's not Mayte, as much as what they asked her to do for the interview.

If she was in a women's magazine, I'd like to think that there would be more conservative shots...

**Those neutral shoes in that second picture:

Mayte looks great. If you got it, flaunt it. Bottom line. Just wished she had a career.

Sorry, but this is definitely a reflection on her, she is a 38 yr old woman posing in her underwear for a mens magazine, so how is this not a reflection on who she is and what she wants.

Not saying that there is anything wrong with this pictorial (cuz 38 is not old) and she looks fine,but this spread is most definitely a reflection of her and what she is willing to do to have people know her name.

And the article to me was a joke/fluff piece, they lost me with the Mayte/technology piece

Bottom line is, there are no excuses needed, we all know she wants to be famous.

And I'm sorry but those nude shoes are not the bizness, at least not for what she is trying to accomplish in these pics.

I didn't want to say it but I can't help myself, Yes she looks good but in that last pic she looks too old for this shit.

I think she looks gorgeous...go ahead Mayte do your thing!!!!!

violet1 said:

I think she looks gorgeous...go ahead Mayte do your thing!!!!!

If I took pictures that looked like that I would be damn proud of them.

She is an actress/dancer and does work for sheltering pound puppies and kitties.

She lived that lifestyle all her life and isn't on a stripper pole or in porn movies... so to me she is doing her thing and doing what she can to make her money and keep a roof over her head and keep all those animals fed.

At least she got the largest photo spread in tha magazine.

violet1 said:

I think she looks gorgeous...go ahead Mayte do your thing!!!!!

She looks AMAZING! There's not an age limit on looking good and there's nothing wrong with what she's doing here. The pictures are sexy, no doubt, but not vulgar and all this about losing respect for her....PLEASE! If you don't like her, it's okay....really.

lauralevesque said:

I have officially lost all respect for Mayte after these pics. When is she going to grow up and be a woman and stop posing all trampy in panties? Good lord. I am officially OVAH her!

Good! Go and talk bollocks somewhere else

symbollooover said:

http://sharpformen.com/women/a-welcome-introduction-mayte-garcia/

A Welcome Introduction: Mayte Garcia

The multi-talented beauty talks tech, reality TV and life after Prince. By Coleman Molnar

Mayte Garcia is many things: dancer, actress, animal rights activist, singer, writer and choreographer. Recently, she was one of the classy women featured in season one of Hollywood Exes, a VH1 series that follows a group of Hollywood ex-wives as they continue to grow out of their ex-husbands’ shadows and create new lives for themselves.

It’s really not fair to say it—because she’s so very talented, intelligent and gorgeous—but Garcia was, once upon a time, best known as Prince’s wife.

“It’s about support; it’s about breakups,” said Garcia, elaborating on the show’s premise. “People can relate to it because it’s not just about being with somebody famous. It’s about women supporting women through something as traumatic as a divorce.”

Season one was a success, both for the network and the ladies therein; so much so, in fact, that filming for season two will begin in October.

And while the title, Hollywood Exes, could be interpreted as suggesting otherwise, make no mistake, these women are more than just the used-to-be partners of famous actors and rock stars. Much, much more. Allow us to introduce you to one of them: gentlemen, we present the beautiful and talented, Mayte Garcia.

On Travelling Well

A childhood that saw her home shifting from Alabama to East Germany and everywhere in between, conditioned Garcia into an excellent traveller.

“I was a military child—we moved around a lot,” she said.

And while most of us would consider that a less-than-normal childhood, she claims to not have even noticed.

“I loved it. It’s like a family, the military—like a giant support system. And I never really noticed a difference until I got out. Then I was like, ‘oh wow!’ You guys have so many grocery stores to choose from! What do you mean ‘health insurance,’ what’s that?’”

But growing up as a jet setter did provide Garcia with the gift of travelling well.

“Oh, I can just pick up and move, no problem,” she admitted. “I can go to Egypt and live there for a year—I can go anywhere and be fine.”

And her affinity for travel worked well with her chosen career: dance.

Born To Dance

For Garcia, dance has been with her as far back as she can remember.

“I started dancing at the age of three,” said Garcia. “My mum was big into belly dancing because it was a craze back in the 80s. She loved it and, of course, at three you want to be just like your mum, so I started dancing with her. Honestly, in my past life I must have been in the dancing world, and I don’t know where it comes from, but when I hear that music, I feel familiar with it, even though I’m Puerto Rican. I’m a Puerto Rican belly dancer (laughs).”

And, unlike some young women who abandon their dancing dreams when puberty hits and things like boys, chocolate, and Gossip Girl invade the mind, Garcia’s dancing career didn’t end there.

“I just kept doing it and by the age of eight I was incredible. It was my passion. I knew I wanted to be a dancer and I went full on. And with the support of my parents I studied everything from jazz, ballet, modern, tap, and flamenco. You name it, I studied it. Then we moved to Germany and I found that the artistic community over there was so much more appreciated. I was very fortunate to have grown up with that.”

Then, at age 16, Garcia met Prince and two years later she was dancing for his band in the US. Fast-forward 20 years and Garcia is a successful entertainer and entrepreneur with the same passion for dance.

On Technology, Pets, and the Resulting Brainchild

Don’t ever try to make Mayte Garcia choose between her dog and her iPhone—you might get hurt.

Garcia’s passion for animals and technology is overwhelming. With “no more than five dogs, two cats and four birds” roaming about the house, and a variety of cellphones—that’s right, she’s got a blackberry and an iPhone—cluttering her purse, it’s apparent that these two things are important to her. So, when Garcia was emotionally struck by a photo of a shelter dog she saw on Facebook, it only made sense to combine her two passions: enter Mayte's Rescue.

“I was shocked to see the number of quality dogs at the shelter—dogs that had lost their homes due to foreclosures etc.—and it just broke my heart,” said Garcia. “So, I created a foundation to help shelter dogs and rescue dogs. When you come to my site you are for sure getting a shelter dog or a rescue dog.”

Garcia’s site helps to save dogs from potential euthanasia by helping to facilitate the adoption process. And if adoption is too large a commitment for some, the website also encourages “fostering” pets as it allows Garcia’s organization to withdraw yet another dog to the safety of the rescue.

On Being A Reality TV Star

Walking into reality television territory can be a tricky thing for anyone in the media.

“I had been approached before to do reality and I always thought reality was kind of weird and it wasn’t my thing. But, I’m guilty of watching it. When I was approached aboutHollywood Exes, I read the email first and liked where they were heading: we gave up our lives, and women in general have to give up their lives to become mothers and wives and create a family. So, elevate that by being with a rockstar or movie star or somebody famous, and you’re in the public eye as well. For me, it’s been 12 years since we got divorced, but it’s still a struggle. I still get, ‘oh, that’s Prince’s ex-wife,’ instead of people knowing that I’m an artist and that I was a dancer before and that was how I met him. I really liked the producers; they were just genuine and you could tell that they wanted to tell the women’s story. It wasn’t about the person that you were married to.

On Having Prince's Blessing

“No, I didn’t consult him because I knew I wasn’t going to talk about him. That’s what I told the network and producers: ‘if you think it’s about me talking about him, don’t even think of calling me in. This is about me and what I went through and the struggles I had dating.’ What do you do? How do you tell somebody when you go on a date that you were married to one of the biggest rock stars ever? How do you deal with that? I wanted to explore that. I thought it would be fun and I thought it would be healing—and it has been. It has been very therapeutic for me to do the show.

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-1-text.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8524.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8581.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8656.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8784.jpg[/img:$uid]

[img:$uid]http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d6/himl0v3r/mayte-garcia-8857-1.jpg[/img:$uid]

She's still my favorite, that woman is one of my beauty inspirations! She looks gorgeous and I think she still looks tasteful

she looks awesome!

too old? pfft! fuckin fuddy duds!

honer said:

lauralevesque said:

I have officially lost all respect for Mayte after these pics. When is she going to grow up and be a woman and stop posing all trampy in panties? Good lord. I am officially OVAH her!

Good! Go and talk bollocks somewhere else

Uh.... No. I have the right to state my opinion right here thanks

She looks good but they made her look VERY thin. Mayte is not that small nor her boobs that big but it is a mens magazine. Why do magazines photo shop people to death like that?

[Edited 9/17/12 12:30pm]

well, it's a magazine called 'sharps for men' so it makes sense they'd want her in her undies. i doubt mayte actually get dressed and walked in like that. imo good for her. she's getting paid while spreading the word about her show and why not? more $ for her animal rescue foundation and associated other enterprises. it's called show business for a reason. go mayte!

lauralevesque said:

honer said:

Good! Go and talk bollocks somewhere else

Uh.... No. I have the right to state my opinion right here thanks

and so do I,

Lost respect? Looks trampy? Have a day off!

She looks smoking hot and its not like she's bent over naked.

honer said:

lauralevesque said:

Uh.... No. I have the right to state my opinion right here thanks

and so do I,

Lost respect? Looks trampy? Have a day off!

She looks smoking hot and its not like she's bent over naked.

It's idiots like you that don't seem to understand what these boards are about- Its' so everyone can state their opinion. What are we robots? Everyone suppossed to post, "I love it. she looks great." "I love it . she looks great" ??????? Please. I was respectful, I said she was gorgeous but she should put some pants on at this point in her life, imo. F off.