INTERVIEW by PENELOPE DARIO
Model, DJ, photographer, and everyone’s online crush, Mia V is a powerhouse of talent and energy. Since her return from Japan in 2020, she has been traveling cross country to finally settle in NYC for a spell. Lucky for us, Petit Mort got a chance to catch her in action before her next move!
PETIT MORT (PENELOPE DARIO)
I’m super excited to talk to you. I’ve been admiring your career for a while and I’m really fascinated with all the things that you do. So let’s start from the beginning, you are originally from Guatemala right?
MIA VALENTINE
Yes.
PM
When did you come to the US?
MV
I moved to Chicago when I was 15. My mom got remarried to my stepdad and he lived in the suburbs of Chicago, so I moved there. I went through all of high school and I didn’t know any English. I just figured it out throughout those four years, so it was a big change.
PM
I can imagine. I was born in Venezuela and came to the States when I was really young. It was still such a culture shock going from the rural rainforest in Venezuela to New England. Did you experience any culture shock when you arrived?
MV
I was raised in Guatemala City, so I was used to rolling cars and noise and dirt. When I moved to Chicago I actually moved to the suburbs. It was a shock—being extremely bored and not knowing anybody and not being able to see anybody because you needed a car to move around. My first winter was in Chicago, and it was the worst winter in 20 years, it was negative 40 degrees.