raquel & rita
Rita Ribeiro prides herself in enjoying life to the fullest – and never taking it for granted; advice which she often shares with her daughter Raquel. She recently had to undergo months in chemo due to Cancer and has come out of it a stronger woman with new perceptions on beauty and what it means to her. Within those months, her body type completely transformed as she lost a lot of weight and her old clothes simply would not fit. However, this never deterred her resilience for life and she never felt any less of the woman she is. Currently, she is in remission and describes that the extra time she was gifted to live has shown her the importance of realizing beauty from within, rather than what’s on the outside.
Rita was grown up in a traditionalist household where girls were expected to cover themselves up and wear sleeves up-to their wrists. Clothing showing a lot of skin was not permitted at all. She told us how if she even went as far to paint her nails, her dad would threaten to cut her fingers off. This led to her expressing her ideals of beauty in a different way than what her daughter Raquel was used to.
Although Raquel could wear whatever she wanted, and express herself in any way she chose – something that her mother made sure of – she still faced difficulties with defining what beauty meant to her when she was coming of age. During her transition to high school, Raquel felt that she did not have the ideal body type and would often not eat in order to ensure that she stayed skinny. She also straightened her naturally curly hair that she got from her father to ensure that it fit the narrative of beauty standards. Her low self-esteem and negative self-perception of herself caused her to partake in behaviour that was often harmful to her health.
Raquel ultimately overcame this hurdle in life through her mom’s never-ending love and support – who encouraged her to be unapologetically herself. Today, in her ongoing life journey, Raquel has learned to love herself and accept her differences. She proudly wears her hair naturally and is able to confidently talk about these issues with her mom Rita right by her side.
