At 18 years old, «Maju» has gotten to work with major brands to continue to move forward with her commitment to inclusion and the appreciation of different kinds of beauty. However, her latest opportunity has exposed her insecurities.
Representation has become one of the most important areas for brands, considering that we are in a constantly changing, and more open, world. Beauty stopped following a single standard and has left stereotypes aside.
People with disabilities, syndromes, from the LGBTQ+ community, indigenous people, and hundreds of other realities, have achieved visibility, acceptance, and a space within the big industries.
In that sense, the young Maria Júlia de Araujo has given a lesson in fulfilling her own dreams, and the brand L’Oréal has helped her do so after choosing her as the face of its brand.
Instagram @majudearaujo
The 18-year-old model became the first Brazilian with Down syndrome to join the French brand’s team of ambassadors.
In their efforts to strengthen their commitment to inclusion, the cosmetics brand took a historic step by putting Maju – as those close to her call her – in all their campaigns, sending her products to promote.
Instagram @majudearaujo
On her Instagram profile, where she has more than 300,000 followers, the model shared a sincere message about her reality. She talked about how she’s always been under a lot of pressure because of her difficulties speaking, which have made her more insecure.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPgNEBqH2Cx/
For their part, L’Oréal gave Maju a warm welcome on their website:
«If you don’t know Maju de Araújo yet, we recommend you remember that name: the model has just made history alongside L’Oréal Paris by being announced as the 1st Brazilian with Down syndrome to join the brand’s ambassador team! Now, together with women like Taís Araújo and Larissa Manoela, she’s arrived to reinforce the message that beauty lies in diversity.
Having Maju in a brand like L’Oréal Paris is a way to show society how committed L’Oréal is to the topic. We want to show that beauty is for everyone, truly for everyone. Disability, race, sexual orientation, or any other category we have in life isn’t important because none of that can define a person.»
—wrote L’Oréal on its website—.
For Maju, this great job has given her the confidence she’s been after for a long time. She’s left behind her fears about «speaking poorly» and has begun to feel proud to be herself.
The young model, and rising star, has also walked in Brazil Fashion Week. She poses for different campaigns, boosts her Instagram account, and celebrates diversity in beauty every day of her life.
Instagram @majudearaujo