A 21-year-old beauty vlogger is changing the face of beauty with her makeup tutorials, despite being born with a facial tumor that means she can’t speak or eat.
Marimar Quiora used to hide her face from strangers who would stare at her, but now she has thousand of YouTube followers watching her online makeup videos and is determined to promote her message of self-love.
“When I was young I would talk to myself in the mirror,” says Marimar, who communicates using sign language, “I would tell myself I was beautiful, encourage myself, and list things that were good about me. It built confidence over the years.”
Marimar was born with a facial tumor, called cystic hygroma. Due to the tumor’s effect on her mouth, Marimar breathes through a tube in her throat, eats through a stomach tube, and has diminished hearing in her right ear.
But Marimar isn’t letting anything hold her back. She’s in her first year at beauty school and her YouTube videos have received millions of views.
“People type comments after viewing my videos, they tell me I’m beautiful and love my makeup,” says Marimar.
And Marimar’s dreams go further than just makeup: “I’m studying education and I want to become a teacher for deaf children.”
Marimar is also a Zumba teacher, and says she wants to travel the world, inspiring people and giving thanks to God for being alive and so full of energy.
Marimar’s sister, Airam, couldn’t be prouder of her, saying: “It’s not easy having the condition she has. It’s just inspiring to see her every day be able to get up and keep fighting, you know, keep doing what she does.”
Marimar admits she has been bullied in the past for her looks, but she just brushes it off.
“Both on YouTube and out in my daily life, I’ve had negative comments. People tell me I look like a monkey, and people stare at me, [they say] that my mouth is wrong.”
“If I see them staring, I either tell them to stop or just ignore it, but if people are staring at me I stare right back and refuse to look away until they stop staring.”
“For me, beauty means to accept yourself for who you are, and to ignore what other people tell you.”
“You show your beauty however it is, it doesn’t matter if you have a different-looking face. Accept yourself for you are.”