Editing María Celeste Arrarás (section)

== Public image ==
Often cited as the “Hispanic TV Queen”, Arrarás has been described by The New York Times as “a household name in Spanish-speaking homes across the country, and a darling of the Spanish-language media, which turned her into a cover girl for magazine articles that ranged from fitness to the supermom syndrome".<ref>{{cite news|last1=MIRTA|first1=OJITO|title=A Dish of Rice and Beans Heats Up Latino TV|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/05/style/a-dish-of-rice-and-beans-heats-up-latino-tv.html?pagewanted=all|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2002-05-05}}</ref>  She is one of the most popular celebrities today, with over 50 magazine covers under her belt. In 2006, she appeared on the cover of ''[[Newsweek]]'' after the magazine selected her as one of the “20 Most Powerful Women” of the next generation of leaders. Later that year, ''Newsweek'' also had her on the cover of its special international edition dedicated to “Women and Leadership”. She has been featured on the cover of ''[[People en Español]]'' magazine more than 15 times.

Arrarás has been the judge of the [[Miss Universe]] Pageant on two occasions. The first was the 52nd Miss Universe pageant, held in June 2003, where [[Amelia Vega]] became the first Dominican candidate to be crowned. Then again in 2006, when Puerto Rican beauty [[Zuleyka Rivera]] was crowned in Los Angeles.

She is a vocal environmental and animal rights activist. She has been noted for speaking out against the exploitation of animals, especially in spectacles such as rodeos, aquariums, cock-fights, and circuses.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hispanic Celebrities Support PETA!|date=9 April 2012 |url=https://www.latintrends.com/hispanic-celebrities-support-peta}}</ref> In December 2001, she even went in front of the Puerto Rican Legislature to advocate for a ban in the Island on circuses that forced wild animals to perform as part of their shows. Currently Arrarás is working with [[The Humane Society of the United States]] and [[Humane Society International]] on a campaign to dramatically improve the welfare of the more than 300,000 stray dogs and one million stray cats in the island.<ref>{{cite web|title=Telemundo Host María Celeste Arrarás Campaigns to Improve Dire Conditions for Animals in Puerto Rico|url=http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2015/09/maria-celeste-arraras-puerto-rico-dogs-cats-091615.html|website=The Humane Society of the United States}}</ref>

Maria Celeste is a supporter of Para la Naturaleza, a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental conservation and historic preservation in Puerto Rico.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.paralanaturaleza.org/maria-celeste-arraras-ayuda-a-recaudar-100000-para-la-naturaleza-en-puerto-rico/ |title=María Celeste Arrarás ayuda a recaudar $100,000 para la naturaleza en Puerto Rico |publisher=Para la Naturaleza |access-date=2020-01-27}}</ref>
She is also an avid supporter and advocate of other organizations including, [[Autism Speaks]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Biografia de Maria Celeste|url=http://www.telemundo.com/noticias/2014/04/14/maria-celeste-arraras|website=Telemundo|date=December 2014 }}</ref> an autism advocacy organization in the United States that sponsors autism research and conducts awareness and outreach activities aimed at families, governments, and the public.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Singh|first1=Jennifer|last2=Hallmayer|first2=Joachim|last3=Illes|first3=Judy|title=Interacting and paradoxical forces in neuroscience and society|journal=Nature Reviews. Neuroscience|volume=8|issue=2|pages=153–160|pmc=1885680|year=2007|pmid=17237806|doi=10.1038/nrn2073}}</ref>