Hollywood loves a good copy-paste job. We see it every decade. A new star arrives, and the trades immediately scramble to find their "vintage" counterpart. But with Eva Mendes and the late, legendary Raquel Welch, the comparison isn't just some lazy marketing tactic. It’s actually kinda eerie.
If you’ve ever scrolled through social media and paused on a photo of a woman with massive, honey-brown hair and a killer jawline, you might have to check the caption to see if it’s 1966 or 2024. People have been calling Eva Mendes the "modern-day Raquel Welch" for years. It’s a comparison that honestly goes way deeper than just having a similar face or a certain "bombshell" energy.
There’s a shared DNA here—literally and figuratively—that explains why both women became such massive cultural icons while simultaneously fighting against the very industry that made them famous.
The Heritage Secret Nobody Talked About
Here is the thing about Raquel Welch: for the longest time, the world didn't even know she was Latina.
She was born Jo Raquel Tejada. Her father, Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo, was an aeronautical engineer from Bolivia. When she started out in the 1960s, Hollywood wasn't exactly a "celebrate your roots" kind of place. Her agents basically told her she had to hide it. They made her keep her first husband’s last name (Welch) so she wouldn't be pigeonholed into "ethnic" roles.
Fast forward a few decades to Eva Mendes. Born in Miami to Cuban parents, Eva never had to hide her name, but she did face a different version of that same wall. She’s been vocal about how, early in her career, she was told she was "too Latina" for certain roles or "not Latina enough" for others.
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Both women ended up becoming these massive symbols of beauty that transcended a specific category. Raquel broke the "blonde bombshell" monopoly held by Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield. She brought in this era of the athletic, brunette, powerful woman. Eva did something similar in the early 2000s. She moved away from the waif-thin "heroin chic" look of the 90s and brought back that curvy, old-school glamour.
Ryan Gosling’s Childhood Crush (Yes, Really)
This is my favorite piece of trivia because it's just so perfect. Ryan Gosling, Eva's longtime partner, has gone on record saying that his first-ever celebrity crush was Raquel Welch.
Specifically, he saw her on The Muppet Show when he was a kid. She was wearing a cavewoman outfit (a nod to her One Million Years B.C. days), and he was hooked. Fans have pointed out the irony for years. He basically grew up and married the woman who looks the most like his childhood idol. Honestly, if that isn’t "manifesting," I don't know what is.
But beyond the looks, both women shared a specific kind of frustration with the industry.
Why They Both Walked Away
Raquel Welch spent most of her career trying to prove she could actually act. She won a Golden Globe for The Three Musketeers in 1974, which should have changed everything. But Hollywood kept wanting the bikini. She was incredibly smart, a savvy businesswoman, and a total pro, yet she often felt like she was being treated as a prop.
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Eva Mendes hit a similar wall. She was everywhere in the 2000s—Hitch, Training Day, 2 Fast 2 Furious. But she started feeling the same "pigeonhole" effect.
"I was not excited about the stereotypical roles being offered to me at the time," Eva said in a recent interview. She realized that to get the life she wanted, she had to stop playing the game by Hollywood's rules.
The Pivot to Business
Neither of these women just "faded away." They pivoted. Hard.
- Raquel's Empire: She became a pioneer in the wig industry. Seriously. The Raquel Welch Signature Collection became one of the most successful wig brands in the world. She saw a need, filled it, and made millions while Hollywood was busy looking for the "next big thing."
- Eva's Empire: Eva hasn't starred in a movie since 2014’s Lost River. Instead, she’s a co-owner of Skura Style (the sponge company—yes, she's obsessed with cleaning), has had massive success with New York & Company, and just released a children's book called Desi, Mami & the Never-Ending Worries.
It’s a specific type of power move. They both used their fame to build something they actually owned, rather than waiting for a casting director to call.
The Beauty Archetype: Why We’re Still Obsessed
If you look at side-by-side photos of them, the similarities are wild. The high cheekbones. The "bedroom eyes." That specific way they carry themselves that says I’m in charge.
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But there's a nuanced difference in how they handled the "Sex Symbol" label. Raquel felt it was a "heavy mantle" to wear. She once famously said, "Being a sex symbol was rather like being a convict." She felt trapped by it.
Eva seems to have had a slightly more relaxed relationship with it, perhaps because she came up in an era where women had a bit more agency. She leaned into it when it served her, but she was also the first one to poke fun at herself. She has this "kinda goofy, kinda cool" vibe that Raquel didn't always get to show on screen.
What You Can Learn from the Welch-Mendes Path
Whether you're a fan of their movies or just interested in how these icons navigate the world, there are some pretty solid takeaways from their careers.
- Ownership is everything. Both women realized that being "talent" is precarious. Building a brand—whether it's wigs or sponges—gives you the freedom to say no to projects that don't serve you.
- Heritage is a superpower, not a hurdle. Raquel had to hide her Bolivian roots; Eva championed her Cuban ones. Today, that authenticity is what creates a loyal fanbase.
- It's okay to change the narrative. You aren't stuck in the "role" people gave you ten years ago. If you want to go from movie star to children's book author or tech investor, just do it.
The connection between Raquel Welch and Eva Mendes isn't just about big hair and brown eyes. It's about two women who looked at the Hollywood machine, took what they needed from it, and then walked out the door to build their own kingdoms.
To really understand the impact here, go back and watch Welch in The Three Musketeers and then watch Mendes in The Place Beyond the Pines. You’ll see it. It’s not just the look—it’s the steel underneath.
If you're looking to channel that same energy, start by looking at your own career or "brand." Are you being treated like a prop, or are you the one holding the script? Sometimes the best way to honor your idols is to follow their lead and start building something that belongs entirely to you.