My Brazilian Beauty Rituals Are Part of My Immigration Story

BEAUTY AT HOMEMy Brazilian Beauty Rituals Are Part of My Immigration StoryWith a new photography zine, artist Ares Maia is telling her immigration story through the lens of beauty.

By Dianna Mazzone

April 28, 2022

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As a kid, Maia recalls watching her mother, pictured here, apply makeup at her vanity. "There was always this romantic aspect behind it, because she would get ready to go on dates and go out dancing. The soft, red lighting felt like the perfect tone for this photo."Photography by Ares Maia

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Ares Maia is a Brazil-born artist, filmmaker, and recent Parsons School of Design graduate living in New York City. Her latest project is Beauty & Immigration, a photo zine that explores the relationship between beauty and identity for Brazilian immigrants. Here in her own words — and accompanied by an exclusive preview of her original photography — Maia shares her experience as a Gen-Z immigrant creating her own definition of beauty.

I was born and raised in Brazil. I grew up in a very rural town right in the middle of the country — so no beaches, no mountains. My mom worked for a salon for a few years when we were young. She probably made around [the equivalent of] $180 a month, and with two kids and no dad, it was just really hard to raise us.

My mom heard a friend of hers from her high school had moved [to the U.S.] and become a house cleaner. Her recommendation was to go to an area like Connecticut because you could get more money for cleaning there. That was the main reason we moved to Connecticut, and then the second reason was the education. We specifically went to a town called New Canaan that's known for having great public schools. We lived in this one-bedroom apartment, the four of us — my mom, my stepdad, my brother, and me — for 10 years. 

Brazilian women are very concerned about the way they present themselves. You're always expected to have your hair and nails done. Salons are a very big thing. Even in the roughest neighborhoods, you'll find so many salons across from each other. I went last year and I got a blowout for I think less than $4. When we moved here, obviously there was financial difficulty in keeping up, so we did it at home.

"We've got thick hair!" says Maia. "My mom has had the same waxing kit for maybe 15 years."

Photography by Ares Maia

My mom and I are each other's best friends. We really grew close together over those 10 years because of the beauty rituals we'd do together. We'd wax each other. We'd straighten each other's hair. We'd dye each other's hair. And it was [during] these intimate one-on-one moments where we are sitting together for a while that we can talk about boy drama, friendship gossip, goals in life, just like you would at a salon. 

When we moved, I was really embarrassed about my at-home beauty practices, especially because at the time they weren't in style. Especially in the town that I [was living in], I had no one to relate to. I would lie all the time like, ‘Oh, I got this done at a salon.’ But I definitely did it [myself].

"I wanted to have these small elements in the photos that capture how we foster our heritage, and our heritage has so much links to our religion," says Maia of the figures placed on the vanity above.

Photography by Ares Maia

Brazilian beauty is high maintenance, but it's also about being close to nature. When I was in high school [around 2013], super cakey makeup using expensive Sephora products was trending on Instagram. It wasn't until college, when the natural look became in style, that I started to really embrace the beauty practices that I grew up with. For example, when I remove my makeup, to this day, I use jojoba oil or coconut oil. I use old T-shirts cut up into small squares, then just throw it in the laundry. My grandma actually taught to make my own tanning lotion with carrot, beet root, and coconut oil. You put everything into a cloth and you squeeze and it leaves you with a very beautiful golden tan.

I moved to New York five years ago, to study communication design at Parsons. This is my second zine. The first one was all about the struggles of immigrating to the U.S. and dealing with shame and guilt. When I was doing research for this one, [I found that] there's just not enough stories about beauty and immigration, and I think it stems from the fact that there's so much shame behind it — [and] a lot of people don't want to talk about their shame. I believe that this story is going to touch the hearts of people that don't usually talk about it.

A look at the cover of Beauty & Immigration by Ares Maia.

The cover of the zine has butterflies on it, which have been so symbolic in my life. [I've heard that] when a human helps a butterfly get out of its cocoon, the wings get too weak and the butterfly dies. So the butterflies have to endure [the] pain themselves in order to flourish. That cocoon has symbolized so much for me about immigrating to the United States and trying to find my identity — and having strong wings in order to go out in the world. — As told to Dianna Mazzone

Beauty & Immigration by Ares Maia is available now for pre-order on aresmaia.co.

Read more first-person stories about the power of beauty:

• How Makeup Bridged the Gap Between My Missing Arm and Me
• As a Pakistani American Teenager, I Found Comfort and Confidence in Kohl Eyeliner
• What My Filipina Mother Taught Me About Asian-American Beauty

Watch Brazilian superstar Anitta's 10-minute beauty routine:

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Dianna Mazzone is a senior beauty editor at Allure, and a host of The Science of Beauty podcast with executive beauty director Jenny Bailly. Previously, she served as beauty editor at InStyle and held roles at Marie Claire, Refinery29, and ELLE. A graduate of the Fashion Institute... Read moreSenior Beauty Editor

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