Actress/model Pâmela Vidal: It’s a "lack of culture, self-love" when people try to hide the fact that they are black

Brazilian women
Rio de Janeiro’s Pâmela Vidal, 28, began a modeling course at the age of 12 and, at 13, when she grew to 5’11” tall, she made her debut on the runways. Later, she did spectaculars like the Mulata Show and toured some parts of the world with the musical Brasil Brasileiro. With motherhood, Pâmela had to take a career break. She returned to teaching (she is also an elementary school teacher), but she never abandoned the dream of building a career. “I went to Projac* to register and received some compliments like, ‘Wow, you look great’, that encouraged me to go back. Because of the pregnancy, I thought I was not in good shape,” she says. In 2010, she was called by director Luiz Fernando Carvalho to play the maid Beta in the miniseries, Afinal, o que querem as mulheres (After all, what do women want)? Her involvement in the show was a great learning experience. “I thought that the life of an actress was lighter, compared with the work of figuration. Not! The daily grind, tension and challenges are greater.” Since then, Pamela has dedicated herself to drama and all aspects of art, like ballet and interpretation courses. “A good actress has good to know a little of everything.” 

About her hair, sometimes, she is obligated to blow dry it straight. With indigenous, Portuguese, black and Swiss ancestry, Pâmela has professional photos with straight hair, in case she gets works due to this profile. “But I love my natural hair, that’s not quite kinky, because of this mixture that I have. Personally, I’d prefer my curls and also love cornrows.” Does this have something to do with her black identity “Without a doubt. Many people compliment me saying that I’m a beautiful morena (1), but I am not morena, I’m black, my whole family is black, I don’t have a reason to hide this”, she says. But there are people hiding this, right Pâmela? “Ah, I think it’s awful, a total lack of culture, of self-love” she fires back.

For more photos of Pâmela, see here
 
*- Projac is a large production studio of Brazil’s most popular TV station, Rede Globo. It’s located in the Jacarepaguá neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro

1. For more on the meaning of the term morena and black identity, see our article on racial classification and the interview with actress Camila Pitanga
 

Source: Raça Brasil

About Marques Travae 3747 Articles
Marques Travae. For more on the creator and editor of BLACK WOMEN OF BRAZIL, see the interview here.

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