Why Did These Brazillian Albino Twins Took The Modelling World By Storm

Lara and Mara Bawar are twins, born eleven years ago in the populous Brazilian city of São Paulo.

The twins have a rare pigment disorder known as albinism. It means that your body is incapable of producing any pigments whatsoever. About one in twenty thousand people in the US have albinism. Because of its rarity, we as a society, do not see it very often. But now thanks to the Swiss photographer, Vinicius Terranova, we know just how beautiful it can be.

The Bawar twins, at the tender age of 11, embraced their pigment-less hair and skin. They shook the entirety of the modelling world, down to its very roots. In 2016, a Swiss photographer, Terranova, was taken aback by their true albino beauty and began a project called Flores Raras (Rare Flowers). In it, he photographed the twins and their elder sister, Sheila, as a way of commemorating the gorgeous diversity the human race is capable of.

Credit: Vinicius Terranova

Sheila is two years older than the twins

And even though she doesn’t have the same albinism as her little sisters, Terranova saw the incredible contrast provided by the elder sister. Incorporating her into the photography gave us a little insight into how the Bawar twins could have looked if nature chose otherwise.

Despite how uniqueness is often bullied and ridiculed in society, the twins had an unusual childhood. Lara said “We feel albinism is pretty, we love our hair, eye colour and skin tone. Our hair and skin tone are pretty and we feel very special wearing the make-up, hair and light that are worked to fit us.”

Credit: Vinicius Terranova

Mara added, “Growing up like this was amazing, we love being different and are happy with our unique beauty.”


The Bawar sisters – a testament to the beauty of diversity – have modelled for Nike, Insanis, and Bazaar Kids. Their Instagram followers are at a whopping 28 thousand at the time of writing this article! It’s climbing fast too, as more and more companies are discovering their innate beauty.

Credit: Vinicius Terranova

To elaborate more on his work, Terranova wrote about Flores Raras, “My art represents the beauty in diversity and both the literal and symbolic extensions of empowerment.”

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