The Univision Shoe Diaries: Maria Elena Salinas looks back at the shoes that “walked on death”
Maria Elena in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Haiti in January 2010.
By EBONY MONTENEGRO & PAOLA BOLANO
In the second edition of our “Shoe Diaries,” we spotlight Maria Elena Salinas, co-anchor of Noticiero Univision and news magazine Aqui y Ahora, and a confessed shoe addict (or as she likes to call her condition, “shoe-itis”). On any given day, the click-clack of her fabulous heels can be heard in the halls of Univision’s Miami headquarters. But today, she wants to tell the story behind a far-from-glamorous pair.
More modest than many of the shoes in her closet (and trust us, she has some hot heels), these shoes serve Salinas as an important reminder. “I got to go home to my daughters and go into my air conditioned house, but so many people in Haiti didn’t,” she said. “So many kids never got to see their parents again and so many parents never got to be with their kids.”
“I rarely wear them, because they do have a special significance for me,” she added.
Aspiring journalists: take notes! This is how you win an Emmy.
Of course, Maria Elena also has lots of beautiful shoes in her closet (see below). When you work as hard as she does, you should treat yourself once in a while.
“You know they say ‘it’s not how you look but how you feel’? But when your shoes look good and your feet look good, you feel good,” she told us.
We just had to ask Maria Elena what the most she’s ever spent on shoes is, out of curiosity. “I’m really embarrassed to say, but I think it’s about $1,000. I think I have two of those. And I did it because to me, they were a work of art, and I knew I’d be able to wear them for a long, long time.”
Maria Elena has donated many pairs to charity over the years – including ones she wore to interview Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Check out Maria Elena’s shoe gallery below, and then watch the first installment of our shoe-centric web series, starring Despierta America’s own Satcha Pretto.
More shoe diaries from Teresa Rodriguez, Chiqui Delgado and other familiar faces from the Univision family to come!
These are her “pedicure shoes” because she’s able to come straight to the office without smudging the fresh nail polish.
Maria Elena is a fan of purple, especially these Fendi’s with a touch of suede and patent leather.
These Crocs are Maria Elena’s ‘comfy’ shoes. She travels in them often.
“I think they’re the most elegant shoes I’ve ever seen,” says Maria Elena of her forest green satin Fendi pumps, with a hint of gold in the heel.
“Louboutins, I like them, but they’re not very comfortable,” says Maria Elena of these strappy beauties.
She loves these neutral Gucci wedges because “they go with everything.”
(Photos: Courtesy of Maria Elena Salinas; Additional video editing by: Romina Puga)
