Paralympic Champion Beatrice Vio Became the new Face of L’Oréal so Every Woman Would Finally Understand Her Own Beauty and Uniqueness
“Bebe” Vio was introduced to the world of fencing very early on. She picked up the sword at the age of just 5 years old, and immediately fell in love with this elegant sport, so the decision to take her skills to the Olympic level came easy. A sudden illness left Vio without the use of all four limbs, but she didn’t give up on her dream of a gold medal. Instead, she has achieved her goal and inspired thousands of people with her perseverance and optimism.
She survived a fatal illness
Now a world-famous Paralympic champion, Beatrice “Bebe” Vio lived the life of an ordinary child. She was a fencer, an artist, and a scout. At the age of 11, her world was turned upside down as Vio contracted meningitis.
The illness came on suddenly, and developed acutely in just three days. Doctors had to amputate Beatrice’s arms below the elbows and legs below the knees. This put the young athlete in the 4% of people who are able to return to their daily life after such a severe illness. Vio was discharged from hospital after 3.5 months, after a series of plastic surgeries for skin grafts.
Bebe Vio admits that after losing her limbs she was plagued by doubts and questions. “My biggest concern of not having my hands was how am I going to be able to do fencing and draw?” Luckily, Beatrice’s mother was there to share her wisdom — fencing and art don’t come from the hands, but from the mind.
Bebe went on to do what she loves and became very successful at it. But it is funny to learn that she ended up in the fencing class by accident, having mistaken it for the volleyball club. As the champion herself says, you never know when and where you will fall in love with the sport you play.
She became a Paralympic champion twice
During the year after her surgery, Beatrice worked hard on her recovery. She had to relearn how to walk, hold objects in her prosthetic hands and, of course, fence. In 2012, Vio won the gold medal at the Italian Championship, and silver at the World Championship, later qualifying for the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. From Brazil, Bebe brought home the honorable gold. Four years later, Vio repeated her success at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
She co-founded a charity organisation
In 2017, Vio was named the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability. Since then, she not only continues to compete brilliantly, but also helps young people with disabilities. Along with her parents, Vio runs the charity called Art4sport: “My parents and I decided to establish an association to help child amputees enjoy the beauty of life through sport.”
She wrote an autobiography
Bebe talks about her impressive life not only on social media and in numerous interviews, but also in her autobiography, I Have a Dream. Reading this book, one realizes how complete the human experience becomes with self-acceptance: “Dear World! I am a lucky woman! I am doing just fine with my four pairs of legs, my Robocop hands, and the marks on my scarred face. I would no longer recognize myself without them.”
She became the face of L’Oréal
The young athlete sets an inspiring example for people all over the world. “No dream is too big and you shouldn’t be afraid to dream. However, you must work tenaciously and with conviction.” Her talent for inspiring others has not gone unnoticed. In 2022, Bebe Vio became the international face of the cosmetics giant L’Oréal Paris.
Vio is one of the youngest members of the advertising campaign. She plans to use the platform to inspire women all over the world and, of course, raise awareness of the strength of people living with disabilities. Bebe’s dream is for every woman to finally realize her own beauty, importance, and uniqueness.
What sport do you love, and how did you first come to love it?
Is there a characteristic of your own that you couldn’t accept at first, but now sincerely appreciate?