Elsa Benítez was born on December 8, 1977 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. She is a Mexican supermodel. Her modeling careers started after winning an international model search, held in Costa Rica in 1995.
In 1996, she appeared on the cover of Vogue Italy three times in April, August and September. After signing with Elite Model Management, she then appeared on the covers of many fashion magazines, including Vogue, ELLE, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Harper's Bazaar, and Marie Claire. Benítez has also done advertising campaign work for Dolce & Gabbana, Macy's, Episode, I-N-C, J.Crew, Óscar de la Renta, Rena Lange, Nine West, Valentino, and Jones New York, and has modelled for Victoria's Secret. Benítez appeared in the 1999 Pirelli Calendar that featured "Women Through the Decades."
She also appeared in Enrique Iglesias' music video "Love to See You Cry" in 2002. Benítez was also selected to be on the cover of the 2001 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She has appeared in the Swimsuit Edition five times since her debut in the magazine.