(okay my fellow JAMAICANS, i mean no harm in the title so please don’t form your hands into a gun and pretend shoot me).
when people think of the most popular place in the Caribbean, they usually think of JAMAICA first. thats cool. i mean some of the most profound icons have come out of JA, like BOB MARLEY (although he makes me think of my white friends who burn incense and smoke ganja) and THE WET T-SHIRT GIRL. you know the girl i’m talking about…
the ever so classic travel advertisement for JAMAICA of the curvy west-indian lady in a throbbing and soaking wet red t-shirt which reads JAMAICA…always stood out to me as looking like a TRINI. i mean, i know we can all somewhat look similar – but there was something in her eye that said to me “my roti isn’t empty, it has some dal in it”.
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(i’m sure when this image was posted in travel agencies across the world, the fathers of every family who had to take their clan on vacation was SOLD on JAMAICA.)
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just like i guessed it, i researched and found out she was in fact a TRINIDADIAN!
as the story goes…
“She is Trinidadian Sintra Arunte-Bronte…
who caught the eye of a photographer from Doyle Dane, an American advertising company commissioned by the JTB to do the poster, as she stood outside the hotel, now known as Le Meridien Jamaica Pegasus. Sintra was dressed in a close-fitting orange, brown and gold knit top, with a low scooped neckline. The photographer was scouting for a woman who could portray the beauty of an island woman and she was game.”
“It took seven and a half hours to capture the right effect. The photographer said to me, ‘Sintra I want you to think of the most beautiful thing or person while posing’. I thought of a Jamaican man I had fallen in love with from the first day I set my eyes on him. That picture was dedicated to him and will be for the rest of my life,” she said.
The impact of the poster immediately triggered a number of fairytale events in Sintra’s life and continue to do so today. A boat owned by a wealthy Montegonian, John McConnell, was named after her, so too was a race horse and two years ago a Swiss company named one of the watches from the Rado line, Sintra.
So where has Sintra been all these years?
She runs a successful destination management company, A.J.M. Tours, in her homeland Trinidad. Her company handles air and ground charters, as well as tours between Trinidad and Tobago and a charter from New York to Tobago with 112 passengers every week. She is more voluptuous now and still turns heads whenever she walks into a room.
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mhmmm. i know everyone and their mama has tried to re-inact this photo, but since i’m TRINI and i like JAMAICAN boys (well actually, BOYS period) i may be able to pull it off correctly.
July 5, 2010
umph! (thanks for the disclaimer after the title) well she’s hot and so is jamaica, so it was only right. lol
shout out to all my west indians..
July 5, 2010
I’m trying not to be offended by that title so bad lol…anyhoo i did hear she was Trini a while back. i’ll consider her an honorary Jamaican for this photo and for messing with a yard man lol.
& Trinidad did not make Jamaica Hot. They could have found a coolie woman from JA or any island for that matter and there is more things that made/make Jamaica hot than Bob Marley and this woman. Either way I love u trinis i got love for all west-indians but yea the title is definitely “humph” worthy
July 5, 2010
shes stunning, She defo looks trini!!!!
July 5, 2010
She’s pretty. Go ahead and try to re-enact it Vashtie….LOL (joking)
I agree, when I hear Caribbean, I tend to think of Jamaica before I think of Trinidad. For real, when I plan cruises, its easier to get to Jamaica and Barbados and other islands than it is to get to Trinidad. And I would love to visit Trinidad. Just something that I noticed.
July 5, 2010
Looking at this picture, I thought she was either Guyanese or Trinidadian for sure. No way is she Jamaican. I don’t care what anyone says, when I see a woman like that, I automatically assume they are Trini.The way they talk usually proves it. As for coolie Jamaicans, there are some, but the majority of Indians in the West Indies are in Guyana and Trinidad.I myself am American born, but my Father is Grenadian/Trinidadian, and my mother is Haitian/Irish. Weird Combo, but I’ve seen it all.
July 5, 2010
The only people who think about Jamaica before Trinidad are NON West Indians who buy into the hype and the dominant dancehall culture, or Jamaicans. I can GUARANTEE you that NOBODY from the Caribbean thinks about Jamaica at all. It’s all because of Bob Marley they get that praise. This is not a diss, because I’m sure my MANY Jamaican friends don’t care about anyone else either, but majority rules. Come to a Soca boat party and watch all the Jamaicans stand and watch.They barely even go to those things. But you will see every other flag feel right at home.
July 5, 2010
this is a very guy thing to say but sintra can be from anywhere she damn well pleases! lol…thanks for that background on her….
July 5, 2010
This post is FUNNY!
July 5, 2010
Growing up in Jamaica, I saw this poster everywhere and when I relocated to New York it was in every travel agencies office even if the color was fading from how old the poster was
July 5, 2010
I’m a jamaican, I also thought she was jamaican. Some years ago I found out she wasnt. To be honest, she is east indian. I collect vintage postcards, Jamaica & Trinidad, were top sellers in promoting travel via postcards to Europe… a long time ago. Many of the postcards are marked, “beautiful jamaican indian girl”… I guess thats was tourism marketing back in the day. Now it’s called Caricom, lol. As you know, East indians were indentured workers sent fr India to the West Indies. I’m sure some of my family were droped off to other island other than Jamaica in fact I’ve see my family name in Trinidad. It’s truly one love.
July 5, 2010
Her today
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20010202/show/show1.html
July 7, 2010
lol…so the battle rages on…rice and peas vs. peas and rice! lol
July 9, 2010
uMM…Jadaah, black people were brought as slaves to the West indies so neither “east indians” or “africans” are what you would consider “authentic” west indian inhabitants.
In addition, I really wish people would stop homogenizing the jamaican population. Jamaica is a mixed society. Up into the 1970s, under Michael Manley, Jamaica was a very mixed, diverse country which is why their anthem states, ‘out of many one’. My great grandmother is what was called “Syrian” and my grandmother is what they call “Chinese Jamaican”. All of my mother’s friends while in school at Immaculate were Asian. The population shifted a great deal the country after it was no longer a closed society.
I am half Trini and half Jamaican so I just cannot defend anything potentially divisive. I’ve heard enough of it growing up.
July 10, 2010
RhondaCoco,
I dont know what point your trying to make in reference to my comment. My point is that my family came on a boat from India and worked in Jamaica. It could have been any other country in the W.indies. I’m not talking about the indigenous people or as you say “authentic”.
July 15, 2010
AND….YOWN!!! lame
July 15, 2010
(okay my fellow JAMAICANS, i mean no harm in the title so please don’t form your hands into a gun and pretend shoot me). <~~~Are you kidding me!? That was offensive! no luv in BK
July 18, 2010
I know you gotta come up with a headline that turns heads, but really.? Did Trinidad make Jamaica hot? Really.?.? Did anyone ever claim that Ms.Sintra was born and raised in Jamaica? The headline is a teeny tiny bit unnecessarily disrespectful, maybe you should’ve added “No disrespect” in the title, it might have made it a little more humorous.
side note: don’t people use models to advertise everything under the sun.
I do understand your point about looking at Ms. Sintra’s appearance and feeling she may be from another caribbean nation, but you do know that based on the history of Jamaica should could have just as easily been from Jamaica.
Also Ms. Sintra her self said that her pose, energy and body language were inspired by a “Jamaican man (she) had fallen in love with,” so really it was Jamaica that made Trinidad hot.
July 19, 2010
DONT RE-CRERATE THE PHOTO LEAVE IT AS IS….
July 26, 2010
“my roti isn’t empty, it has some dal in it”
LOL!! Had me rolling. Too funny!!!
July 29, 2010
Really cool know….love my Trini!
July 29, 2010
Really cool to know….love my Trini!
August 1, 2010
Well it’s good to see that your still in love with your West Indian roots.I thought we was loosing you Vash..Smh..lol.But whatever Trini,Ja,Guy… Whatever we all the same.. There’s still nuff indians and chinese in Jamaica.. facts is facts visit the place and see for yourself.Bigg up’s too all them specially my coolie family in Jamaica/Guyana.
August 1, 2010
Well I am just finding out that there is a war between Jamaica and Trinidad. I just met a Trinidad girl(coolie) and she said that Jamaicans don’t like Trinidad because they have pretty people. So I started to read and I am hearing a lot of Trinidad people boasting about exchange rate and oil, etc. I saw on girl asking why Trinidad gets no recognition.
My conclusion is that Jamaicans are resentful of Trinidad showing off with there oil money coming and buying up everything and the sorry state of the Jamaican economy; and Trinidad have an inferiority complex wishing they were as popular as Jamaica.
The sad truth is that Trinidad is NEVER gonna have the name recognition of Jamaica no matter how much oil they have. And it is not only because of Mob Marley and reggae music. Jamaica has always been more popular. It was the jewel in the crown of the British empire when Trinidad was Spanish or French or whatever they were. Captain Bligh (mutiny on the bounty) went get breadfruit for where? and which country England couldn’t control and decided to end slavery? Have you heard the sparrow calypso song how they cussed Jamaica for going for independence instead of federation.
Jamaica is more out going and don’t care. While everybody says peas and rice Jamaicans say rice and peas. While all the other islands are following Trinidad with the soca music Jamaica see it a trivial, jump up raise your flag music, Jamaica just just don’t care.
In soca music they have sexual innuendo, while dance hall just say what they mean (whether thats good or bad is debatable)
The music business is interesting, the Trini always talking about calypso. Personally, I don’t get it. You know what soca artist mostly sing about? Soca; Nuf said.
The reality is the carribbean and each individual island is very insignificant on global basis, so dont forget it. But when it comes to the Caribbean Jamaica will always rule. Kinda like Miami with the name and Orlando with disney world.
August 4, 2010
Bullit!!!
September 10, 2010
You Trinidadians are one delusional and falsely boastful group of people (and yes I am stereotyping…just like Vashtie). How can a no name, largely forgotten (on a global scale) island make a larger, and most recognizable Caribbean island HOT? Vashtie, I like you girl but you must have been smoking on some of that ooo-wee…
Let’s break down some of the most egregious and fallacious statements in here. First of all, anyone who would say that Jamaicans are resentful of Trinidadians in any way, is a delusional. While we are in the midst of an economic downturn, why would be jealous of Trinis? It’s not like your economy is exactly balling out of control on the global scale (despite your little bit of oil money…BTW please try and get on Nigeria’s level with the oil money and come talk to me again). I mean is your GDP even in the top 100 of the world’s nations? Until then, please cease and desist on the boasting about Trini’s grand economy.
Furthermore your bogus sing-songy accents are grating on my nerves. And I don’t know who told you all that you were THAT pretty. Just because your population is largely composed of East Indians while Jamaica’s population is composed largely of people of African/mixed descent does not equate to Trinidadians being cuter. All those saying otherwise must be colorstruck/hair texture struck on top of having the typical delusional Trini mind. BTW just wanna know if Miss Jamaica or Miss Trini was the runner up to Miss Universe the other day (for those slower Trinidadians who couldn’t sense my tongue in cheek tone…a BLACK Jamaican was first runner up and the coolie Trinidadian didn’t even make the top 15, LOL)…Oh and to the person above who claimed ole tshirt girl couldn’t possibly be a Jamaican, you are clearly NOT in the know. At least 1 in every 15 Jamaican’s is a coolie so they could have easily picked one of those coolies…just saying. The woman they chose is stunning so I have no problem with them picking her
Back to Vashtie, I must say I’m pretty disappointed in you. You show a myopic view of Jamaica (Bob Marley and wet t shirt girl, really????) and have managed to marginalize an entire group of people. Being of the Caribbean diaspora, I would figure you were more familiar with Jamaica culture than the average person. That would be a statement I would expect from a random American who doesn’t know a thing about either Jamaica or Trinidad.
September 10, 2010
Oh and another thing, I know that one of you delusional Trinidadians did not imply that soca was in any way or form more popular than reggae, right (even in the Caribbean…dancehall still is more popular than soca Laingman)? Reggae is so popular that it was the progenitor of the immensely popular, Latin American REGGAEton genre…Please stop
September 16, 2010
What year was the poster published.
October 3, 2010
Why are Trinis so confused? I have nothing against Trinidad but I keep hearing about how big they are. Step outside of the Caribbean community and their recognition drops to zero. Singing song about why they are always bigging up Trinidad last. It deserves to be last, before they want to compare with Jamaica, how about getting to the level of Bahamas and Barbados. I guarantee that out of the three Trinidad is the one that would get a blank stare if someone asked where you are from. Worldwide that is.
October 3, 2010
and speaking of big up Trinidad last, where does this big up phrase come from? Has anyone noticed that some Trinidad soca is starting to sound like dancehall, and using patois (han inna di air for example) mostly the men like bungi,the women still sound like trini. Probalby 20 years from now trini kids are going to think that is original trini talk.
Then again maybe soca and trinidad culture is going to take over and yardman are going around talking about “I does like to lime” and “get on bad” The horror!!
October 17, 2010
TO Rude Gal, you make NO sense. First off, Trinidad is ALWAYS in the top 15 when it comes to miss universe, so just be thankful that y’all got a chance this year. Secondly our representative was not INDIAN she’s afro Trinidadian so cool it. Third…RELAX and maybe you should speak to your fellow Jamaicans who reside in JA because when I was studying in Mona for 3 years, I realized something very interesting…Trinidadian women and men are treated like GODS and GODDESSES. Every JA man wanted a Trini girl and every JA woman wanted a Trini man y’all love us!!
Dont get me wrong, I love Jamaica, I love my Jamaican friends dearly! This friendly rivalry will never die, it will go on for generations but we all live in one melting pot called CARICOM and that’s that.
Oh and about not caring about SOCA, isn’t it funny that JA has it’s own carnival now annnnnd they buy Trini costumes for y’all to jump up in. Plus y’all have Mascamp where every friday Trinidadian soca artists come to perform for weeks before carnival? Also, beach j’ouvert, j’ouvert before Carnival or “JUMP UP” as y’all call it. OOOHHH and the best one, Beenie, Kartel, Macka, Busy ALL on soca tracks. Dont hate on the Soca eh cuz your country men and women love it!
I LOVE JAMAICA I LOVE TRINIDAD I LOOOOVE THE CARIBBEAN!! You should try loving us and stop hating!
h and laingman we’ve been saying Hand in a di air for YEAAAAAARS so doh come wit dat nonsense! And with the integration of Caribbean countries in UWI…we have Jamaicans sayin “hoss” “dread” and “lime” (lot’s of parties are named lime INCLUDING allyuh cellphone company), and because of my time in Jamaica, I have a good time speaking patois. It’s all part of integration…ACCEPT IT!
October 21, 2010
@ Followfi….I don’t make sense?!?!?!?!?!? Did you read and/or edit any part of that horribly crafted post before you pushed the submit button? Girl bye.
Let’s start off with Miss Universe, I don’t know who filled your head up with lies but TT doesn’t ALWAYS (or even often) place in the top 15, GTFO….and while you have won 2 times, your island is far from a front runner in the pageants. Besides which if you are gonna extrapolate anything from beauty pageants, you should know that Jamaica has largely been historically more focused on (the British) Miss World; and we’ve done just fine in said competition.
As for Trinis being treated like goddesses in JA, ummm I wouldn’t deny it. The only thing that has been integrated from Trinis are a color struck/ hair struck mentality which has unfortunately spread throughout the Caribbean diaspora (hence the bleaching epidemic out there). Doesn’t mean you all are pretty, just means there are a bunch of confused Jamaicans out there…oh but LMAO NEVER in my life have I heard anyone saying “I need me a Trini man,” so please miss me with that crap. Why would Jamaican women want a Trini man when they could have a Jamaican one (remember Jamaican men are world revered as sexy lotharios [perhaps due to Terri McMillan)?
Everything you say is a fail so I don’t know why I’m even entertaining you but you are clearly smoking some of that good Jamaican hi-grade if you think soca is that huge in JA. Jamaicans appreciate it enough but it has never been and will never be even 1/1000th as popular as reggae so get that thought out of your mind. If I were a betting woman, I would bet more Trinis love reggae than Jamaicans love soca…”don’t hate because YOUR country men and women LOVE it.” LOLOLOLOL you are such a waste of time but I just wanted to quickly discredit you although I know as a Trini even cogent arguments won’t deflate your humongous ego…Keep limin star
December 2, 2010
This blog is irrelevant, but out of boredom let me add my bit on this…the girl in the red is really a hot one …but ” the first thing you thought was that she had to be Trini” shut up! have you ever been to jamaica….just at church I see alot girls who share similar physical attributes as her.
You trinis I believe have come to think that people of Indian decent or only found down there….Jamaica as a more diverse population barring indians..we have more whites,syrians,chinese,irish and other decents than trini, for eg. whites makes up 0.6% of Trini population whilst 1.7% of Jam, and we have higher chines 3.7% compared to 1.2% ..these are statistical data i gathered for UWI research institute..so dont go around thinking that only African decent people live in jamaica..
January 7, 2011
well, that’s a good way to put it, nice insights!
however, they all look so much alike (Pretty hot girls) so don’t bother, no boundary, no race nor color. just beauty as it is!
caribbean adventure tours
February 2, 2011
We are all West-Indians
the slave trade happened so long ago, so please end that conversation. It doesn’t matter if she is Trini or Jamaican , she is attractive, period end of story. No island is better than the other , you sound like some ignorant people trying to continue the divide of brown people.
Big-up To my island masses
February 25, 2011
Jamacia can keep the popularity, I think most Trinidadians are interested in the $ substance.
March 25, 2011
Enter Your Comment…
March 31, 2011
really lol
April 24, 2011
Honestly this is all foolishness I am jamaican I love my culture and I have been to trinidad I have two cousins who live there trini people are close to jamaica people I will admit there is a little racial thing between the indians and africans in trini but you see in jamaica from you is a jamaican you is a jamaican a african can marry a indian or chine woman or white vise verse jamaica is mix up island see most of you looking outside in only see the afro artist but we have a mix culture for example I am a born jamaican of cuban descent my great grand parents move to jamaica from cuba to sell things you see from the early times jamaica has been the largest country in the westindies for trade i dont have time to waist I will say soca is fun music I love it it has its place for play in the caribbean it is a music off celebration good vibes dance hall and reggae is the year round music for the caribbean even when I went to trini the reggae and dance hall was pumping all the while I was there but when carnival time roll round soca a boom up street corner of port of spain as for busy signal doing soca that’s good he realize we are all one people devide by water trinis have the right to do reggae or soca because we are all bredren and if a jamaican choose to do soca he have the right we are all west indians now it is to know where it originate from and keep respect for where it come from oh yeah did I say my girl is a east indian from trinidad san fernando to be exact she love her jamaican man and I treat her like a queen that’s why she love me not cause I jamaican but because I treat her sweet and she love it
May 6, 2011
I love jamaica the music and dancing and the beef patties as far as the women in the pic i never though she was jamaican trini or guyuese too me the indians there just not as pretty as in the other places but i do like your chinse and black mix now then are sexy that a great mix
October 14, 2011
Big up Jamaica and Trinidad wifey Trini and I am Jamaican…I found it easier to date a Carib woman just because they grow almost the as we Jamaicans..it just so happen to be a Trini girl I married…LOVE HER TO DEATH!! we went to Jamaica for our Hunny Moon and she fell in love with Jamaica it reminded her of Trinidad that is how it suppose to be…I went to Trinidad and Fell in LOVE with Trinidad because it reminded me of Jamaica a lot of similarities…proud to be part of the west indies and will continue to support both countries along the big up.