The epitome of resilience and dedication, Italian wheelchair fencer Bebe Vio has been named worldwide spokesperson for the L’Oreal Paris model, becoming a member of a number of outstanding and socially engaged girls comparable to Eva Longoria, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren and Viola Davis.
From coming to phrases together with her incapacity at the age of 11 to her new standing as a worldwide ambassador, let’s check out the journey of this athlete who has grow to be the icon of an entire technology.
Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, paid tribute to Beatrice Maria Adelaide Marzia Vio – aka Bebe Vio – when she appeared as a visitor of honour of the European Parliament in September 2021, simply over a yr after her victory at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Read extra: Revlon was once a beauty industry giant, how did it lose its glow?
The Commission President described the athlete as a “chief,” a task mannequin “in the picture of her technology” and an inspiration to us all.
And there isn’t any denying that the 25-year-old’s journey to success has not been the best, revealing a unprecedented character combining perseverance, dedication and unfailing optimism.
A Gen-Z icon, Bebe Vio’s prestigious checklist of achievements now additionally consists of the standing of worldwide ambassador for L’Oreal Paris, selling values of empowerment, acceptance and vanity.
The “rising phoenix”
Born in Venice, Bebe Vio misplaced each her legs and each forearms at the age of 11 after contracting extreme meningitis.
Passionate about fencing, she resumed her sport after a number of months of hospitalisation and rehabilitation.
Through exhausting work and dedication, the younger woman successfully rose from her ashes, incomes her the nickname of “the rising phoenix” from her scout group, to which she stays very shut as we speak.
“The phoenix can dwell and die and burn and dwell once more. My scout group noticed me in every step, residing, burning, dying, then dwell once more,” she explains.
But Bebe Vio is no abnormal fencer.
She has been notching up sporting achievements for years, to the level of successful two Paralympic gold medals – in Rio and in Tokyo – and much more at the World and European Championships.
Author of two bestsellers, the athlete has since rubbed shoulders with many political leaders, beginning with Von Der Leyen, but additionally Barack Obama, with whom she took a selfie that went viral in October 2016 with the caption: “It’s not potential?!? I’m sorry, I do not perceive these phrases.”
A real inspiration, the younger girl is now working to place the highlight on the Paralympic Games as a automobile for range and inclusion.
A world icon
Bebe Vio will now be capable of share all these values with much more individuals because of her function as a worldwide ambassador for L’Oreal Paris.
This is not a brand new story, since the fencer has already appeared in a number of of the cosmetics large’s Italian campaigns and shone alongside the model’s many muses at the 2021 version of the L’Oreal Paris Fashion Show, held in the French capital.
Read extra: The hottest beauty trends this season, from gilded eyes to wispy bangs
Her new standing ought to now permit her to fly the flag even greater for notions of resilience, vanity and perseverance, all which she has developed and displayed since childhood.
“Bebe Vio is not solely the greatest fencer in the world, she is additionally an icon for her technology. She embodies resilience and the means to beat adversity. We are thrilled to welcome her to the L’Oréal Paris household to remind girls that believing in your individual price is the best power of all,” says Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, international model president of L’Oréal Paris.
