A little over a year ago, these Brazilian twins became an internet sensation. Find out how they are today

Daughters of immigrant parents from Guinea-Bissau and born in São Paulo, a year ago the albino twins Lara and Mara Bawar participated in a photo session that went viral on the Internet. Not surprising. They are black and albino and their first photo shoots were successful in the fashion world.

The photos convey a lot of truth and show that it is possible to be yourself and make your trademark characteristics that are sometimes frowned upon by most people. And unlike many stars who have their 15 minutes of fame but then disappear, they’re still in the news.

Some time ago, the team at awesome.club follow the Bawar sisters’ profile on Instagram. Check out a post we already published about them. Find out what’s new about the twins.

The photo session that raised the sisters to world fame was called Rare Flowers. Statistics show that cases like those of Lara and Mara are extremely rare. The probability of a person being born albino is one in 17,000. The twins were born into a simple family and, thanks to photographer Vinicius Terranova, became famous all over the world.

Here in Brazil, they became articles in Estadão, Marie Claire magazine and participated in programs such as Encontro e Bem Estar. They have also given interviews for a German TV and participated in the documentary Repense as Princesas, by Avon.

Now, the twins, along with their older sister, Sheila, have been featured in campaigns for brands like Nike, Moschino and Bazaar Kids. Not long ago, the Malaville brand launched a line of dolls inspired by the sisters.

Life for people with albinism is often not easy. Even in developed countries, where one would expect respect and tolerance for people with these characteristics, albinos are often victims of bullying and prejudice.

Even worse in African countries, where albinos are cursed and often used in rituals. This is why the example of the Bawar sisters is so important.

People with albinism often have light sensitivity, astigmatism, and blurred vision. Some studies also link the condition to a higher risk of contracting skin cancer. So, because of the aforementioned sensitivity to light, participating in a flash photo session is often torture for people with this type of problem, like the Bawar sisters. Note that in most of the photos they have their eyes closed.

Even though they are so young (they are 12 years old), Lara and Mara inspire a lot of people. They have 146 thousand followers on Instagram and, with each new photo session, they receive thousands of likes and messages of support and gratitude.

“Diversity is something so amazing that we can’t even imagine a world where everyone is exactly the same,” they wrote on Instagram.

We are sure that this is just the beginning of a beautiful story that will still have many happy chapters. The trajectory of Lara, Mara and Sheila is, without a doubt, an example for millions of people who are sometimes afraid of being themselves and following their dreams.