When we spotted male model Miguel Perdomo, 28, on his latest billboard for AKOO clothing, we knew you would want to know more about this sexy— and single!— Dominican Brotha. We tracked him down to New York, to find out how we could see more of this chiseled, Caribbean cutie. Turns out, he’ll be gracing our TV screens on season 2 of “I Want to Work for Diddy.” (VH1, 10PM) We’ll definitely be tuning in. Will you?
By Demetria L. Lucas
Miguel poses proudly in front of the ad that caught the attention of ESSENCE.com
Sean Combs personally signed Miguel to represent Sean John, where Miguel became one the brand’s most popular faces.
Miguel fell into modeling quite by accident.
“I went to a Phat Farm casting with one of my friends for moral support,” Miguel recalls. “I got chosen and he’s been mad at me ever since.”
Though his impressive modeling resume also includes Calvin Klein, Azzure, and Coogi, Miguel still has bigger aspirations. “I want to be a Ralph Lauren model,” says Miguel who’s patterning his career after the first Black male supermodel, Tyson Beckford. “Those models have longevity. I wouldn’t mind being at Ralph Lauren forever.”
To keep his lovely 6’3" frame in peak condition, Miguel hits the gym two hours a day for calisthenics. “I don’t have a routine,” he divulges. “Once you’re body gets used to any type of exercise, it won’t work anymore.”
Much like Black women who model, Black men have difficulties too (although Miguel says it’s not nearly as hard for the men). “We tend to be built broader than European models,” he says. “It’s hard for us to get down to be 100lbs even when European models weigh 90lbs with a wet t-shirt.”
Anyone who’s ever watched an episode of America’s Next Top Model knows modeling isn’t as easy as it looks. Miguel’s most embarrassing moment?
“I did an underwear ad for a magazine where I had to be wet and it was really cold that day,” he recalls. “Uh, not a good look. At all. Thank God they used a different image.”
Though he’s oft-complimented on his eyes, Miguel says he’s much more than another pretty face. “I have a great sense of humor,” he says. “You can put me in any situation and I make it good. Even if it’s bad, I make it good.”
It’s hard to believe this mega-cutie is unattached, but he most certainly is. And even better, he’s looking for a lady to keep him company on New York’s cold winter nights.
“I need a woman in the streets and a seductress in the sheets,” says Miguel. “I’ll keep looking until I find her.”
“My ideal woman has to be sexy, confident, beautiful and sexy,” says Miguel, who cites LisaRaye McCoy as his celebrity crush. “Her personality must be on point as well.”
“Sexy lips drive me crazy too,” Miguel says, adding that he’s a great kisser.
When it comes to the bedroom, Miguel says he doesn’t hold anything back. “When I’m with my mate, I’m a freak,” he confesses. “I’m a Scorpio, which means the sky’s the limit.”
Miguel’s more than ready to fulfill your fantasies. But are you ready to fulfill his?
“I’m easy,” says Miguel. “I love thongs to death so I would like to wake you up and you’re wearing just that.”
Miguel was raised in New York City’s Washington Heights area, so of course, he reps for his home team. Here he wears the Yankee cap Jay-Z “made more famous than the Yankee can.” (Cue “Empire State of Mind.”)
Looking forward to a date with Miguel? Don’t expect a trip to the movies. “It’s pointless,” he laments. “We can’t talk, just sit there and watch. Then it’s, ‘okay, see you later. I’ll take my nephews and nieces to the show. We can watch a DVD at home.”
He’ll take you to dinner on a first date (likely Italian, since lasagna is his favorite dish), but you won’t get a call back if you puff on cigarettes.
“I don’t like to see a woman smoke and I hate the smell out of it,” he says. “The best thing the mayor did was ban it in bars and clubs in New York.”
Before he gets too serious with a lady, he’ll take her home to New Jersey to meet Mama Perdormo.
“My mom’s like a military solider,” he warns with a laugh. “She’s a great judge of character and she can break you down in 5 minutes. You have to be on you’re A- game.”
When we caught up with Miguel, he’d just returned from a photo shoot in Jamaica. Next month, he’ll be heading to the lush islands of Turks & Caicos for another shoot.
Need more Miguel in your life? Uh-huh. ESSENCE.com does too. We asked for his number (of course) but he playfully asked the single ladies to tweet him instead.
Follow him at twitter.com/MPERDOMO23
