By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Modeling has been her dream since at least high school, and though she isn’t rich and famous, Camilia Jo Morales—also known as C.J. Model—is a well-known model in the Upper Gulf Coast of Texas.
“I just always liked being in front of a camera,” Camilia said. “I’m an artistic person. I like to show it off. But I also like to help other girls who aspire to be models. When they say they want to be a model, I’m here to say, ‘Let’s make it happen!'”
Camilia is a self-taught model who jumped into her dream when she was 21 years old after responding to an advertisement she saw in the paper. The ad was seeking models for Lulu’s, a Galveston hair salon.
Since that advertisement, she has cultivated an audience through her work in other regional advertisements and creative editorial images for more than twenty years.
She expresses a passion for embracing each moment as it comes to her, in both the good times and the bad times. Camilia believes in God’s loving guidance and in sharing His light and love with others.
I have been following her modeling career on social media for several years and have had the chance to witness her transformation and growth as a regionally sought-after model.
On social media, she has also shared some of her family’s heartbreaks, such as when her stepson passed away. In our interview, she shared with me the loss of her first child, who was stillborn.
She remembers the experience as though it were yesterday.
“I named him Jonathan. From the moment he was in my womb, he was meant to go to heaven,” C.J said. “I get depressed in June knowing it’s leading up to my son’s still born date.”
The Lord blessed her with her son Joshua the following year who she adores. She has been married to John Morales for nearly two decades and plans to stay married to him.
“I believe in the marital vows ’till death do us part.’ We better work it out and pray through it, because we aren’t meant to be apart until one of us goes to be with the Lord,” C.J said.
Sitting and chatting with C.J., I am caught off guard by her charm, grit, and insightfulness. She has an undeniable Texas accent with both West Coast and East Coast flair and perspective on life.
Her loving, embracing spirit leads me to conclude she is possibly related to Dolly Parton.
Then she tells me about her ancestry. According to her DNA results, she is distantly related to Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Jefferson, and former President Lyndon B. Johnson. C.J. f
Energy and excitement continue to flow from C.J. as she shares more about her modeling career. She has been featured on the cover of at least 12 magazines, has been a model in more than 30 magazines, and more of her work will be published soon.
While I flip through the magazines, I enjoy the creative expressions of each model. My favorite model, of course, is the woman in front of me. With her sapphire eyes, she peers into a camera, locking viewers into her image.
In the world of modeling, an editorial freelance model is required to develop a wardrobe with accessories and often select the theme. Hence, the final work is a creative expression of the model working with the photographer, who is eager to contribute his or her own photographic talents and skills to a memorable photograph.
C.J. is currently developing her cosplay modeling, which involves costumes that represent well-known fictional or nonfictional characters.
As she embarked on her modeling passion, she began to collect a wardrobe that, at this point, is fit for an Egyptian queen. She is not shy about her love for accessories and fashion, which she sometimes uses to communicate her inner experiences.
Recently she developed an interest in ancient Egypt inspired by a dream she had last summer while she was very ill.
“In my dream I was in ancient Egypt, and it seemed so real,” C.J said.
It was so real that she determined the property owned by her and her husband needed to pay homage to ancient Egypt. The property houses their business, Coastal Flooring & Home Renovation in Galveston.
It is a large blue stucco house several blocks north of the seawall that has evolved, through her determination, from having an exterior that paid homage to Mexico and Spain to an exterior with décor reminiscent of pharaohs’ tombs.
Modeling is her passion, but she also serves as administrator for the family-run business, which she stepped into when she was just 18 and had moved to Galveston.
Through a very specialized diet that includes goat’s milk and other supplements such as keratin, she maintains her model looks while staying healthy.
Her artistic nails are the work of Gabby at Texas Nail Spa in Galveston, and her braids are crafted by Cynthia at The Strand Hair and Beauty Bar in Texas City. Her wardrobe comes from various sources, including Poshmark, eBay and other online vendors.
She shows me a handbag that she explained was designed by the daughter of Houston’s Shoe Hospital founder, Kelly Tooke.
“It’s made of lambskin on the outside and cowhide on the inside,” said Camilia as she displayed an impressive blue handbag featured in some of her most recent editorial work.
Camilia has no plans to hang up her modeling hat, purse, or braids. She intends to continue her work in front of the camera and guide young ladies into rewarding modeling experiences.
After our interview, we stepped outside onto the veranda, where she very quietly began to demonstrate her attention to details in a live photo session. For each click of my cell phone camera, she created a slight variation in her expression or a slight change in her body such as having a hand stretched out and then curled in or a bent knee and then then a straight leg.
If you would like to follow her work, you can find her at https://www.facebook.com/camilla.morales.46794
