Born without arms, Mexican model Ana Gabriela Molina wants to challenge traditional perceptions of physical attractiveness by winning a beauty pageant in her home state of Veracruz .
Molina, a 24-year-old psychology graduate , said this week that accepting her condition had been tough but that she wanted to set an example for others living with a disability .
“I’ve managed to overcome everything that has happened to me in my whole life,” she told Reuters in the eastern port of Coatzacoalcos .
She explained that having no arms has not stopped her from eating, using a mobile phone or writing with her feet - all with perfectly manicured and painted toenails.
In March, Molina will take part in the beauty contest in Veracruz , a state on the Gulf of Mexico which is home to more than 8 million people. If she wins, she will qualify for the Miss Mexico pageant in June.
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“I’m going to face the same tests as everyone else and I’m going to get through them,” Molina said. “I feel like any other normal person because I’ve lived my life like that. So, for me, my disability is not a limit , on the contrary.”
Molina gives motivational talks and occasionally works as a model for a clothing line.
Ana Gabriela Molina
thinks that there are currently more options for people with disabilities and told EL UNIVERSAL that her objective is for everyone to be seen equally .
It was only a year ago when Molina had her first approach to the modeling world when she was invited to be part of an inclusive fashion project by the designer Perla Chegüe : “She was the first person to see me and trust me; she called me out of the blue to invite me to participate and taught me modeling techniques.
‘I’ve been very lucky and I’ve met people who really want to support me; they have trusted me and I also think the society has welcomed and accepted it,” says Molina.
She says she is excited to be the first woman with this disability to be part of the beauty pageant and although she admits she did not expect the impact and the acceptance she would receive, she is grateful .
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Regardless of whether she wins the crown or not, she knows that her work has just started for she looks to share her modeling experience with more people, besides graduating and continuing her studies. She says she will take advantage of all the opportunities she is granted.
“There are no limits ; I have dared to do many things to prove it and to send a message,” she asserts.
However, she has not always been welcomed. In an interview, Molina said that she was bullied and discriminated against since she was a little girl.
“People saw me and pointed at me,” she remembers.
However, she found role models, such as Adriana Macías , who is a lawyer and speaker and has the same condition as her.
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