At home she has three daughters that make her life even richer.
Schynaider is a supermum who speaks to us about the challenges of balancing motherhood with career and preparing her girls for today’s world.
By: Bárbara Perino
Photography: Erika Verginelli
LEMON Magazine [LEMON] – You’re the mother of three girls. How old are they and how old were you when you became a mother?
Schynaider Moura [S.M.] – Yes, I’m mother to three girls: Anne Marie, who’s 10, Elle-Marie, who’s 6, and Gioe Marie, who’s 5. I was 20 when I first got pregnant. It’s unbelievable how fast you grow up when you become a mother. It’s incredible to follow our children’s growth and see ourselves mirrored in so many of their attitudes and tastes. Being a mother is a magical thing!
LEMON – How does a supermodel manage to be a supermum at the same time? What’s the trick to balancing professional and personal life?
S.M. – There is no trick. The question is how to prioritise each stage of life. When the girls were born, I made a decision to dedicate myself to them. It was important for me to be there in their earliest years, their first experiences, to be present for their first words. I wanted to experience motherhood in all its fullness. Today I am able to be both a mother and to deal with my professional life.
LEMON – What’s your secret to being a supermum?
S.M. – I think the secret is to keep the channel of dialogue permanently open. I want my daughters to see me as a support, a friend they can trust.
LEMON – How do you raise your daughters?
S.M. – I want to raise them with a sense of both freedom and responsibility. I want them to discover their aptitudes and tastes and to know how to respect diversity in others. I want them to know that they can be whatever they want to be, but always with compassion and a sense of civic responsibility.
LEMON – What do you feel is your biggest challenge as a mother?
S.M. – There are many challenges, but perhaps the main one is to prepare the girls for an increasingly changing world. There is no perfect formula for how to be a mother or how to deal with children, but I believe there are some values we can always follow, such as empathy, respect and good citizenship.
LEMON – What’s your routine when you’re with your daughters?
S.M. – When we’re together, I help them in their homework and we have our moment of group reading, when I sit down and read them a story. On the weekends we usually eat ice cream together [laughs].
LEMON – Do they follow your work as a model? How do they react when they see their mother at a fashion show or in a magazine?
S.M. – They love it. They already understand my work because I’ve taken them to photo shoots and shows from an early age. I recently appeared in an episode of a soap opera and they said: “Look, mummy’s on TV!”
We also have a family cooking routine.
LEMON – You are a successful model. Do you feel you’ve reached the pinnacle of your career or do you think there’s still a lot more to achieve?
S.M. – I started at 13 when I won a competition [Elite Model Look, in 2001] and went on the international stage in Nice, France. I knew I wanted to work in fashion since I was a teenager. I’ve travelled the world as a model. Today, at 31, I feel there are still plenty of goals to reach. I want to feel stimulated and driven to go even further, to set new goals and pursue them until they are achieved.
LEMON – When did you feel you had really made it as a model?
S.M. – When I was invited to my first job abroad. It gave me a feeling that things could go well for me. And in the end they have. I can only be thankful for the career I’ve built and for all the support I’ve received from my family.
LEMON – With all the problems in the world, are you afraid for your daughters’ future?
S.M. – I fear intolerance, but at the same time I realise that the younger generations are more open and more empathetic. I want to believe that we are building a better society and a more humane world.
LEMON – Your image is very important to your career. Could you share some of your secrets to keeping in shape after motherhood with us?
S.M. – I have an exercise routine. I like to run and do yoga and meditation. I believe in balancing body and mind. I maintain a balanced diet, I try to eat organic food and eat at set times.
LEMON – Who are your role models?
S.M. – Definitely my parents. They are my base and the reference point I use in raising my daughters.
LEMON – What would you like to have been told before you became a mother?
S.M. – That being a mother is a daily process of self-discovery. That being a mother is a test of our limits in patience, love and dedication, but also of our physical endurance in terms of how few hours of sleep we get.
LEMON – And what advice would you like to give to other women with the same profession as you who are thinking of becoming mothers?
S.M. – Maintain the faith that everything will work out. Everything is possible with a little organisation! Being a mother is an incredible experience that only makes life richer.
LEMON – Finally, do any of your daughters want to follow in your footsteps? How do you feel about that possibility?
S.M. – I don’t know if any of them would like to pursue a modelling career. If so, they’ll have my full support and that of their father. Anne loves taking pictures and she’s a super creative little girl. Who knows…?
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