MARIA RIVERA

What’s your preferred name and pronoun?

I am Maria, my family and friends call me by this name. I prefer to be addressed by She/Her.

Where did you grow up? 

I grew up in Sampaloc, a small town in the heart of Manila which is the capital of the Philippines, with my loving family... with my 2 sibs and my very loving Parents...

Growing up what was your first thought of the beauty world? What did it represent to you?

I grew up as a transgender in a country where religion is very conservative. As matter of fact, the  Philippines has the most number of members of the Roman Catholic Church, which strongly believes and teaches that God created only Man and Woman and whoever is in between doesn’t exist and is not accepted by God. That is why it was really hard for me to express myself and to explore the beauty world as the established norms of our country back then prohibited me from vocalizing my choices and preferences. When I was younger, to be part of the Beauty World was merely only a dream for me. For me it represents all the young transgenders' dream of having freedom to choose, enjoy and live their life with all their preferred lifestyle and sexual preferences, without any prejudice or need to fit the society's mold and norms.

What are your earliest memories of viewing a beauty advertisement? Do you remember how it made you feel?

One of the beauty ads that I saw and really impacted me was an advertisement of a beauty soap featuring a mixed-race model. This ad left me with an impression of the standard of beauty in the Philippines that all women, to be considered pretty, should be someone who is fair-skinned with a pointed nose, long curly eyelashes, red thin lips, tantalizing eyes and long jet black hair, and whoever doesn't resemble as her is not beautiful. It made me feel that I should look like her to be admired and be accepted by society and that individuals with mixed nationality are the only good looking people. I erased this kind of mentality when I became more mature.

How have you seen the beauty industry change since you first engaged with it as a consumer until today?

Yes, I believe that there is a huge change with the trend of how the beauty industry is being presented now on all platforms of Social Media these days... Before, beauty ads were very conservative and somehow controlled and it only focused on consumerism and making people buy their products. Now, beauty advertisements are also being used as an avenue to promote and inculcate our modern societal advocacies, whether it is about gender equality, self love and appreciation, women empowerment and a lot more.. Beauty ads nowadays can also be a platform to voice opinions, vision and mission of the company while promoting their products. 

Who were your first beauty icons?  Who do you admire today? 

Absolutely Kate Moss! She's not your typical tall models but she embraced her flaws and became one of the great iconic models of the world . I also remember when I first saw the TV series Sex and The City and its lead stars (the 4 women), for me their characters really embodied women’s empowerment and style that represents a modern woman who is not scared to express herself, defy society's norms and just be the person they wanted to be. They depicted women with classy and elegant taste for fashion and beauty in general, and this is also the first time I said to myself that one day I'll be living in the big apple ️

How did beauty advertisements make you feel when you were younger and how do they make you feel today?

Growing up in the Philippines as a transgender woman was never easy and even some of beauty ads made me question myself and somehow decreased my self confidence. In the Philippines there is a stigma in the standards of beauty that only those who have fair skin are the pretty ones. Whitening beauty soaps and other products from body lotions down to skin whitening vitamins are very in demand because of the stigma and colonial mentality that some of the people have that only  those with white skin are beautiful. This reality made me feel sad and hit me hard like a punch to the face. That is why now that I am being given a higher platform and an opportunity to verbalize my thoughts, I would like to say that all of us are beautiful regardless of our colors and we should be comfortable and love our own skin.

What exposure did you have to beauty advertising growing up? Did you see it on TV? In magazines? In drugstores? 

A Whitening Soap Advertisement being shown in TV, magazines and even in drugstores has been an eye opener for me that even up to this date our modern society still is putting a margin and frame on standards of beauty. 

How did these advertisements impact you on a subconscious level? 

This advertisement impacted in a very negative way as one time in my life I questioned myself if I am worthy to be a model and pursue my dreams; it subconsciously reduced my self confidence... it also made me realize that being a transgender individual, it is really hard for me to penetrate the mainstream as there still a stigma in the Philippines with regards to being a trans model. But I really tried my best to defy these norms and instead use this as an inspiration to be a catalyst of change and be an advocate for gender equality and being confident in our own skin regardless of what color, race or nationality you have...

How has copy on a beauty advertisement offended you in the past, and do you feel equally impacted by the copy as you do by the image in a beauty advertisement? 

Yes it was the same ad that I was referring to earlier. It made me feel uncomfortable as it gave an impression to the audiences that there is still an existing superior and inferior class when it comes to beauty standards due to skin color and social norms.

How do you want to see beauty advertising evolve in the future?

Actually I feel blessed to have the opportunity to travel the world and to go to different countries and I am happy to see that in most of the progressive countries like the USA, beauty ads have already greatly evolved. Nowadays beauty ads are not just for the mere purpose of consumerism but instead ads are now more relevant and sensitive in their presentation. Each ad has their meaning and promotes strong advocacies. I just hope this will also be strongly inculcated in the local ad industry not just in my own country but the whole world in general...

What is still lacking from current beauty advertising? 

I think what is missing from current beauty advertising nowadays is diversity... beauty companies should be more open in including or considering a more diverse selection of endorsers be it with gender preference, race, color and nationality. Beauty Ads could be more near reality and be much more relatable to ordinary people and will leave an impression that beauty is diverse and it comes in all shapes, sizes, gender, nationality and color... That beauty is Universal and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder...

What products would you like to see in the beauty industry?

I think nowadays there are a lot of beauty products that are already existing in the market and mostly already available but what i would like and expect more is for beauty companies to use more of an organic approach about the products that will be helpful in highlighting the natural beauty of all the consumers, which will enable them to show off their natural beauty inside and out. I also hope that beauty product companies will be more environmentally concerned and aware of the dangers of the use of some chemicals, therefore avoiding the use of harmful chemicals.

Did you always know you wanted to model and what encouraged you to actually pursue it?

It has always been my dream to strut in high heels while doing my catwalk wearing top fashion houses. But being a trans woman, growing up in a country that is greatly influenced by a very conservative religion, it is really hard to find a decent job without being judged and criticized by the way I dress and carry myself. This really opened my eyes to find a way to be a catalyst of change and somehow be an inspiration that sexual preference should not be a hindrance to being a productive citizen of one's country, and to pursue my dreams without prejudice and limitations.

What do you think you personally bring to the fashion and beauty world?

I think being a Transgender model I represent not just myself, but the past, present and the future generation of all the transwomen in our modern world. It was not a walk in the clouds and it has not always been a bed of roses, my journey in pursuing my dreams... and for that I want to be an inspiration and living proof that dreams really do come true if you will just open your eyes, wake up, smell the coffee and start chasing your dreams. I may not be the first Transgender to be part of the modelling world but being here alone is more than enough... it is a statement that I am not putting an end because I know there is still more to come not just for me but for all who have dreams....

Anything else you would like to share?

Just want to express my sincerest gratitude for this opportunity that you have given me and be able to share my thoughts and be the voice of the trans women community in changing the concept of beauty and erasing all the stigma brought about by the social norms and margins, and that Trans Women are Women.