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Valentina (drag queen)

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Valentina
Valentina at RuPaul's DragCon LA in 2017
Born
James Andrew Leyva

(1991-05-14) May 14, 1991 (age 33)
Bell, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Drag queen, Actor
Years active2015–present
Known for

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 4)

Drag Race México

TitleMiss Congeniality
PredecessorCynthia Lee Fontaine
SuccessorMonét X Change
WebsiteOfficial Instagram

James Andrew Leyva[1] (born May 14, 1991),[1] better known by the stage name Valentina, is an American drag performer, actor, television personality and singer who came to international fame as a contestant on the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars. In 2023, she was announced as the co-host of season one of Drag Race México alongside Lolita Banana.

Early life

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Valentina was born in Bell, California to Mexican parents,[1] and began working as a professional drag queen around ten months before filming RuPaul's Drag Race, although they already had a background in fashion and the performing arts.[2] Leyva chose to go by "Valentina" in drag after the hot sauce of the same name.[3] Valentina is known for using her drag as a way to represent Latin American culture on stage and make drag more accepted in Latin American culture.[1]

Career

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Dragula

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In 2015, Valentina won an early club version of the Boulet Brothers' Dragula" contest, a precursor of the television show.

Rupaul's Drag Race (Season 9)

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Announcement

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On February 2, 2017, Valentina was announced as one of fourteen contestants competing for the ninth season of RuPaul's Drag Race.

"Oh. My. Gaga." Season 9 Episode 1

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In the First Episode of the season, "Oh. My. Gaga.", Valentina introduced herself to the Rupaul's Drag Race fandom wearing a red dress, red and gold jewelry and a wig with two large red roses in it. During the "Miss Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and Talent Pageant" in the Hometown runway portion in the first episode of the season, Valentina paid tribute to her Mexican heritage by wearing a Mariachi inspired leotard with chaps and a sombrero with gold embellishments on the entire outfit.[4] The Mariachi is significant in Mexican culture as a symbol of Mexican Nationalism and tradition. Mariachi is composed of a 12-person band that play a variety of string and some brass music and an accordion. A Mariachi band is usually composed of men, so Valentina's choice to portray herself as a female Mariachi is not as widely portrayed in Mexican Nationalist Culture. As well as being a band, Mariachi is a mythic symbol of culture in Mexico and the Southwest United States.[5]

"She Done Already Done Brought It On" Season 9 Episode 2

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During the second episode of the Ninth season, "She Done Already Done Brought It On", Valentina was seen praying to a Virgin of Guadalupe candle before the Cheerleading Maxi-challenge that episode. The Virgin of Guadalupe is a symbol of the merging of Mexican and Native American cultures. She is an important symbol of the culture in Mexican and Mexican-American communities and within the Catholic church.[6] For the "White Party Realness" runway that episode, Valentina wore a white floral wedding gown inspired by her mother, stating she was the most beautiful bride in her village in Mexico.[4] She won that episode's Maxi-Challenge wearing her hair in a bun, topped with flowers, and bouquet in her hands, embodying classic Mexican cultural fashion.

"Reality Stars: The Musical" Season 9 Episode 5

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During the "Faux Fur Realness" runway from the 5th episode of season 9, "Reality Stars: The Musical", Valentina channeled Mexican actress Maria Felix, wearing a snakeskin dress and a gold serpent necklace. Maria Felix was an actress in the 1940s who started her career on film in Mexico before continuing her career in Europe. Maria embodied the femininity and sexual desire that was prioritized in Mexican film in the period of World War 2. She is also a symbol of Mexican culture worldwide.[7] The luxury jewelry brand Cartier created a serpent necklace in 1968 with about 2,500 diamonds for Felix. Valentina wore a replica of this necklace on the runway in honor of the actress.

"Snatch Game" Season 9 Episode 6

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During Season 9 Episode 6, "Snatch Game", Valentina impersonated Ariadna Gutierrez, Miss Colombia of 2015. Ariadna was mistakenly crowned Miss Universe that year by Steve Harvey, who later crowned Pia Wurtzbach, who represented the Philippines. She portrayed Gutierrez as traumatized by the Miss Universe Scandal, poking fun at her being a runner-up.

"Your Pilot's on Fire" Season 9 Episode 9

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During Season 9 Episode 9, "Your Pilot's on Fire", Valentina wore a Red Matador costume, channeling her Hispanic heritage during the "Club Kid Couture" runway. A matador is a bull fighter that uses art, dance, and movement to entrance the bull and gain the upper hand against it in the ring. The bull fighter's costumes offer no protection from the bulls and are known as a "Suit of Lights" in Hispanic culture. The redness of the cape and movement is meant to distract the bull long enough for the Matador to take a sword and attack the bull with it. Valentina's outfit had many Hispanic elements to it, such as the red roses all over her costume and headpiece, a montera hat, and cape with embroidered multicolored flowers to imitate the Matador. The matador by its nature is often exposed to danger, and some are fatally wounded by bulls during their performances.[8]

Elimination

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Valentina was eliminated in episode nine to Nina Bo'Nina Brown after infamously losing a lipsync battle to "Greedy" by Ariana Grande. She was reluctant to take off a mask covering her mouth as she did not know the lyrics to the song in a moment which went viral across social media while wearing a red costume symbolizing a matador who had been defeated by a bull. She placed seventh overall, and their elimination sparked some controversy online as she was popular with fans. She was later voted as "Miss Congeniality" by the viewers of the show, but was mockingly dubbed "Fan Favorite" by her castmates, due to their view that she was unsuitable for a congenial title.

Valentina Post-Season 9

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During the Season 9, "Whatcha Packin'?", Hosted by Michelle Visage, Valentina explains that she references old Mexican cinema and telenovelas. She attributes this to being very in touch with her Hispanic roots and heritage. She shows this love of Hispanic culture through florals, color choices, and fabrics that have ties to Latin culture.[9] During the season 10 finale, Valentina appeared via a pre-recorded video message to crown her successor for the Miss Congeniality title, Monét X Change.[10]

Outside of Drag Race, Valentina appeared in the sixth episode of the twenty-fourth season of America's Next Top Model, in a photo shoot challenge with fellow Drag Race alumni Manila Luzon and Katya.[11] She played Judy Reyes's character Quiet Ann in a season-one recap of Claws.[12] In 2017, she was the host of her own WoWPresents internet show, "La Vida De Valentina" which ran for seven episodes.[13][14]

Valentina in 2018

RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars (Season 4)

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Announcement

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On November 9, 2018, Valentina was announced as a contestant on the upcoming fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, a spin-off of the regular Drag Race series which features returning contestants from past seasons competing for $100,000 to $250,000, a crown and scepter, and a place in the Drag Race: Hall of Fame [15] .

"Super Girl Groups, Henny" Season 4 Episode 2

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Valentina performed a verse to the song "Don't Funk It Up" dressed as Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Selena was a Mexican-American pop star who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s, singing in both English and Spanish, gaining recognition in both Mexico and the US.[16] Valentina's look was inspired by Selena's performance at the Houston Astrodome Livestock Show & Rodeo in 1995, her last televised performance of Tejano music before being fatally shot. Valentina won the Maxi-Challenge that episode along with Monet X Change, and the pair lip-synced to the song, "Into You", by Ariana Grande, in which Valentina won the lip-sync and episode, redeeming herself from her "Greedy" lip-sync in season 9 of Drag Race.

"LalaPaRUza" Season 4 Episode 6

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Valentina wore another Selena-inspired outfit on All Stars Season 4 Episode 6, "LalaPaRUza", in which she wore a sparkly maroon bodysuit with golden heels connected to the outfit, where she lip-synced to the RuPaul song "Kitty Girl" winning against Farrah Moan.

"Queen of Clubs" Season 4 Episode 7 and Elimination

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After being in the bottom three times and only scoring one win, Valentina was eliminated in the seventh episode of All Stars 4, "Queens of Clubs", by Latrice Royale when she failed to impress the judges in a design challenge, causing her and Naomi Smalls to be up for elimination. Valentina wore an outfit for that episode's "Plastique Fantastique" runway inspired by a Miss Venezuela and a plastic Barbie doll.

Other Appearances

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Outside of Drag Race, Valentina appeared in the sixth episode of the twenty-fourth season of America's Next Top Model, in a photo shoot challenge with fellow Drag Race alumni Manila Luzon and Katya. She played Judy Reyes's character Quiet Ann in a season-one recap of Claws. In 2017, she was the host of her own WoWPresents internet show, "La Vida De Valentina" which ran for seven episodes.

Valentina was in the October 2017 issue of Vogue Mexico, and filmed a makeup tutorial for Vogue's YouTube channel. She was in the July 2017 issue of Elle Mexico modeling designs by Benito Santos for his Red Carpet 2018 campaign. She appeared in the January 2018 issue of Filipino magazine Preview. In April 2019, Valentina appeared in Vogue Mexico for a second time.

In January 2019, Valentina portrayed Angel in Rent: Live, Fox's televised production of the musical Rent. In June 2019, a panel of judges from New York magazine placed Valentina 20th on their list of "the most powerful drag queens in America", a ranking of 100 former Drag Race contestants. In 2021, she made a cameo appearance in In the Heights, during "No Me Diga".

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In 2023, Valentina appeared on an episode of the Drag Race Recap Youtube series, "The Pit Stop", in which she wore a floral dress, a Frida Kahlo inspired headpiece in her hair, with flowers styled into the buns on her head. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist born in 1907, and she was one of the most influential artists of her time. She often painted florals in vibrant colors, as well as self portraits alongside exotic animals.

Drag Race Mexico

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After long periods of fan speculation in 2023, Valentina was announced as the co-host of Drag Race México alongside Lolita Banana who competed on the premiere season of Drag Race France.

In 2024, Valentina was subsequently replaced by Taiga Brava, winner of Queen of the Universe season two, as the co-host for the series.


Music

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Valentina released her debut single, "A Prueba de Todo", in December 2018.[18]

Legacy

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Drag Race: All Stars winner Alaska Thunderfuck did a parody song of "Despacito" called "Valentina" in October 2017, with lyrics about Valentina and her infamous elimination from the show.[19] The cosmetics company Lush also referenced Valentina's elimination for advertising on one of their face masks.[20]

In 2019, Valentina came out as non-binary, stating that she will continue to use "she/her" pronouns. Valentina is now one of several Drag Race alumni who identify as either nonbinary or gender-nonconforming.[21]

She is one of the most followed queens from Drag Race, and has accumulated over 1.5 million Instagram followers as of October, 2021.[22]

Filmography

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Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2017, 2018, 2021 RuPaul's Drag Race Herself Season 9 – Contestant, 7th Place (Miss Congeniality), Season 10 & Season 13 – Guest
2017 La Vida de Valentina Herself Web series
2018 America's Next Top Model Herself Cameo
2018 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Herself Season 4 – Contestant, 7th Place
2018 Drag Tots Arugula Voice only
2019 Rent: Live Angel Dumott Schunard Special
2019 Werq the World[23] Herself Documentary series
2020 AJ and the Queen[24] Cameo Episode: "New York City"
2020 Hey Qween! Herself Guest[25]
2020 La Casa de las Flores[26] Herself Recurring role
2021, 2023 Drag Race España Herself Season 1, Episode 9 — Cameo,[27] Season 3, Episode 9 — Guest Judge
2023 Premio Lo Nuestro 2023[28] Herself Performer (songs from La Usurpadora, The Musical)
2023 Drag Race México[29] Herself Host

Films

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 Invasión Drag[30] Herself Documentary about drag and gay culture in Peru
2021 In the Heights[31][32] Valentina Cameo
2023 La Usurpadora: The Musical[33] Lydia[34] Remake of the 1998 telenovela La Usurpadora

Music videos

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Year Title Artist(s) Role
2019 "Yo Soy Su Vida"[35] Gloria Trevi The lover
2019 "Ábranse Perras" Gloria Trevi Cameo
2020 "I'm Ready"[36] Demi Lovato, Sam Smith Cameo
2020 "Always"[37] Waze & Odyssey Herself
2020 "La Mexicana"[38] Paty Cantú Cameo
2021 "Don't Go Yet"[39] Camila Cabello Herself
2021 "Como la Primera Vez"[40] Zemmoa ft. Valentina, America Fendi Featured artist
2022 "Kung Kita'y Kapiling"[41] Troy Laurenta feat. Jake Zyrus Herself

Discography

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Singles

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Year Song Album
2018 "A Prueba De Todo"[42] Non-album single
2020 "All Eyes on Me"[43] Non-album single
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Year Title Album
2018 "Don't Funk It Up"[44]
(Lizzo featuring Trinity the Tuck, Valentina, Manila Luzon, Latrice Royale, & Gia Gunn) 		non-album single
2021 "Como La Primera Vez"[45]
(Zemmoa featuring Valentina & America Fendi) 		Lo Que Me Haces Sentir
2022 "Te Estoy Amando Locamente"
(Roi Porto and Valentina) 		non-album single

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Cooper, Michael (2017-03-31). "L.A.'s Own Drag Race Contestant, Valentina, Wants More Than to Win". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017-04-04. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  2. ^ "Meet Valentina, The Drag Queen Representing L.A. On 'RuPaul's Drag Race'". LAist. Archived from the original on 2017-11-05. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  3. ^ Aquino, Marco (May 2, 2017). "Sultry California Girl Valentina Wants to Be America's Next Drag Superstar". San Antonio Current. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Bailey, F., Barbato, R., Campbell, T., Corfe, S., McCoy, B., Mills, M., Palazzola, T., Passovoy, J., Polly, J., Rupaul,  Salangsang, M., Smothers, T., Visage, M., Wilson, J. (Executive Producers). (2009-2023). Rupaul’s Drag Race [Television Series]. World of Wonder.
  5. ^ Mulholland, Mary-Lee (September 2007). "Mariachi , Myths and Mestizaje : Popular Culture and Mexican National Identity". National Identities. 9 (3): 247–264. Bibcode:2007NatId...9..247M. doi:10.1080/14608940701406237. ISSN 1460-8944. S2CID 145775263.
  6. ^ O'Connor, Mary (June 1989). "The Virgin of Guadalupe and the Economics of Symbolic Behavior". Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 28 (2): 105–119. doi:10.2307/1387053. JSTOR 1387053.
  7. ^ Hegarty, Kerry T. (June 2013). "From Superhero to National Hero: The Populist Myth of El Santo". Studies in Latin American Popular Culture. 31: 3–27. doi:10.7560/slapc3102. ISSN 0730-9139. S2CID 143359076.
  8. ^ De Quincey, Thomas (2001-01-01), "Articles from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1842", in Lindop, Grevel; Whale, John (eds.), The Works of Thomas De Quincey, Vol. 13: Articles from Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine and the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1841–2, Pickering & Chatto, doi:10.1093/oseo/instance.00238361, ISBN 9781138764941, retrieved 2023-10-05
  9. ^ Whatcha Packin': Valentina | S9 E9 | RuPaul's Drag Race, 22 May 2017, retrieved 2023-10-06
  10. ^ Cuby, Michael (2017-06-19). "Bob the Drag Queen on the Most DRAMATIC Episode of "RuPaul's Drag Race" This Season". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  11. ^ Katya, Manila & Valentina Teach the Models How to Be Queens (YouTube). VH1. 2018-02-20. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  12. ^ "This Claws Recap Starring Drag Race Queens Is Everything". E! News. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  13. ^ Lecaro, Lina (2017-11-21). "Drag Race Faves Get Their Own Shows on a New Streaming Network". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  14. ^ "La Vida De Valentina". World of Wonder. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
  15. ^ Schottmiller, Carl (2020-12-23), ""This is a movement!"", The Cultural Impact of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Intellect Books, pp. 212–232, doi:10.2307/j.ctv36xw2c1.15, ISBN 978-1-78938-257-0, retrieved 2023-10-05
  16. ^ "Losing Propositions", Kafka, Princeton University Press, pp. 46–57, doi:10.2307/j.ctv7h0tx4.8, retrieved 2023-10-05
  17. ^ Courtney, Carol A.; O'Hearn, Michael A.; Franck, Carla C. (2017-01-01). "Frida Kahlo: Portrait of Chronic Pain". Physical Therapy. 97 (1): 90–96. doi:10.2522/ptj.20160036. ISSN 0031-9023. PMID 27562644. S2CID 31935675.
  18. ^ "Valentina On Leaving the Haters Behind and the Secret to a Perfect Tuck". Interview. 2019-01-18. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  19. ^ "Alaska Thunderf--k Parodies 'Despacito' With a 'Drag Race' Spin". Billboard. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  20. ^ "Lush Cosmetics Winks at Valentina's Infamous Drag Race Elimination". Paper. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2018-06-12.
  21. ^ "Valentina Identifies as Nonbinary: "I'm My Own Gender"". www.out.com. January 14, 2019.
  22. ^ Juengling, Konrad (October 15, 2021). "Here are the 25 Most-Followed "RuPaul's Drag Race" Queens on Instagram". IntoMore. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  23. ^ "Drag Race's Shangela, Alyssa Edwards, more Werq the World in new series trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  24. ^ "RuPaul brings 22 Drag Race queens to costar on AJ and the Queen". Ew.com. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  25. ^ Hey Qween (2020-01-12), First Look: Valentina on Hey Qween, archived from the original on 2021-12-26, retrieved 2020-01-12
  26. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (2020-04-01). "Valentina Brings Her Beauty to Season 3 of Netflix's "La Casa De Las Flores". NewNowNext.com. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
  27. ^ "Valentina ('RPDR 9') se cuela, irreconocible, en la Gran Final de 'Drag Race España'". 25 July 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
  28. ^ "Junto al tambien elenco de 'La Usurpadora: The Musical'..." Retrieved 19 Feb 2023.
  29. ^ Mier, Tomás (2023-05-12). "'Drag Race' Alums Valentina and Lolita Banana Will Host New Mexican Franchise". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  30. ^ "Disfruta el tráiler de esta espectacular película, ahora sí 💕". Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  31. ^ "Valentina of Drag Race and All Stars – One Night Only". YouTube. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  32. ^ Bergado, Gabe. "Drag Race Alum Valentina Steals In the Heights With Just One Line". Vulture. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  33. ^ "Pantelion Films, The Lift Start Production on Ambitious Movie 'La Usurpadora, the Musical'". 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  34. ^ "Estoy muy emocionada de compartir con todos ustedes otro sueño realidad". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  35. ^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (2019-05-03). "How RuPaul's Drag Race Queens Became the Hottest Music Video Accessory". WMagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
  36. ^ Spanos, Brittany (April 16, 2020). "Sam Smith, Demi Lovato Announce 'I'm Ready' for Love With New Song". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  37. ^ George Michael (May 21, 2020), Always (Drag Stars Official Video), retrieved May 21, 2020
  38. ^ "Por ti yo me mato y contigo me muero 🇲🇽.Soy #LaMexicana". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  39. ^ "#Dontgoyet is the first song from my next album, Familia". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  40. ^ Zemmoa (November 5, 2021), Como la Primera Vez, retrieved November 5, 2021
  41. ^ "Kung Kita'y Kapiling MV featuring my kapatid @jakezyrusmusic and our beautiful guest queen @allaboutvalentina !!". 28 Jan 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  42. ^ "A Prueba De Todo – Spotify". Spotify. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  43. ^ Flores, Griselda (April 14, 2020). "Valentina Talks 'All Eyes on Me' & 'La Casa de las Flores' Netflix Debut". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  44. ^ The Cast of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, Season 4 (Ft. Gia Gunn, Latrice Royale, Lizzo, Manila Luzon, Trinity the Tuck & Valentina (Drag Queen)) – Don't Funk It Up, retrieved 2019-11-21
  45. ^ "Como La Primera Vez "Out Now! Disponible Ya! It makes me so happy to finally share with you guys this amazing project that's been in the works for about a year now., archived from the original on 2021-12-26, retrieved 2021-10-15
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  • Media related to Valentina at Wikimedia Commons
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