Marisa Jara: “In Spain, people are very obsessed with the body”

Marisa Jara has fulfilled her dream and in spring her baby will be born. She always wanted to be a mother, as she assures in this interview. When she was little and they asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said “Mom.”

That wish served to have a tumor detected. She was about to undergo donor fertility treatment and that’s when it was discovered. In that new stage, already cured, he resumed his relationship with her boyfriend Miguel Almansa and became pregnant. Luck was on her side and fate too.

In the past, she had complicated situations due to the contempt of models and firms that they considered her fat to be part of that world. She went on her way untouched by criticism and now she is one of the most sought-after “curvy” models.

She has left this facet until the new member of the family arrives. She continues to design earrings for his signature JadeJara and is the image of Levi’s and the EVA assisted reproduction clinic.

-How are you?

-Enchanted of life. A very beautiful, calm stage and with a fantastic pregnancy. I can’t ask for more after the years that we have had to live for the pandemic.

-A much desired pregnancy …

-He arrived when he had to arrive with a father like Miguel who is the best person in the world. Well, generous, loving, watching over me. We gave ourselves a second chance and it came out great.

-Do you take better care of yourself?

-I take life with less stress. And, as for food, I take care of myself because I am getting fat, but I am not obsessed with it.

-Did you always want to be a mother?

-When they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up or what I wanted to dedicate myself to, I said the same thing: «I want to be a mother». And so it has been, but not as a need but as a desire. There are women who choose not to be and it is just as valid.

-Would it have been without a partner?

-Of course. At that time, she had no partner and was going to start fertility treatment. And that was when Miguel and I met again. From the first moment he also wanted to be a father. There were no doubts and the first months of relationship we talked about it. We were both in agreement.

-Thirty years ago being a single mother was frowned upon …

-The world evolves and there are many less prejudices. People are more open when it comes to making value judgments. For example, before there were no “curvy” models. At the shows if you were a size 38, they called you fat. They have looked at me badly for being big. And it was unthinkable for girls with vitiligo to make fashion productions or parade.

-Are you still a “curvy” model?

-I’m the image of Levi’s and a reproduction clinic. Now I have stopped parading because of the pregnancy, but until recently I had a full schedule. I started thanks to the swimsuit firm Adela & Vicki. Adela Penedo gave me the opportunity to do a show with her designs and it was a success. From that moment on the offers rained on me and I will tell you that the “curvys” have a high cache.

-Very thin women continue to parade …

-The truth is that much progress was being made in that aspect of older women and now it seems that extreme thinness has returned. And it is dangerous because it also increases anorexia. In Spain people are very obsessed with the body. But, above all, in France. It was said that the weight of the models would be controlled, but it has not been done.

-Is Instagram and its filters a danger for young women?

-It does a lot of damage because reality is not like that. There are retouching, editing and the same goes for photographs of fashion productions and advertisements. There is a team that suppresses blemishes, creating mental problems, insecurity, bulimia and anorexia.

-How do you remember those beginnings alone in Japan?

-With love. On that trip I turned 16, and although I was very supported by the Elite agency, I had moments of loneliness. We all lived in an apartment and had a great time. They looked after us a lot, but it didn’t connect. On the other hand, I spent two great years in the United States. I arrived in Miami, after being hungry and cold in Paris, and I found paradise.

-Why was she hungry?

-They demanded a lot. You couldn’t get an ounce of weight. I remember Paris with little affection, really.

-The cancer touched her completely …

-I told it because there was no reason to hide it. And they also discovered it by chance. I was going to start the fertilization treatment and my gynecologist sent me tests and in one of them the tumor appeared. When they told me I was with my mother who almost fainted. I took it more coldly because it was as if it were not with me. Attitude is fundamental in life, but even more so when they tell you that you have cancer.

-Is the cut you gave Briatore a legend or reality?

-It’s true. I was in Barcelona at a party and when he was introduced to me he said: “You are very beautiful but too short.” I replied that he was “too old.”