At 5 years old, Mariana already knew what it felt like to be singled out.
She was born in Juiz de Fora, Brazil, with a congenital melanocytic nevus: a dark mark that covers part of her face and that many mistake for a tattoo. As a child, she heard that she was “ugly” and “weird”. Her mother, afraid of bullying at school, took her to three laser surgeries to reduce it. They did not work. Today, at 24 years old, Mariana says it was the best thing that could have happened to her.
That mark they wanted to erase became her signature. She is now a model, poses without covering it, and calmly responds to those who stare at her or ask whether it is makeup. “I prefer to remember the compliments I receive”, she explains. Her goal is no longer to hide the nevus, but for other people with marks like hers to learn to look at themselves with the same pride she built by refusing to give up.
