This year, Enzo Cstari turned one. She was born with a dark scar that goes across most of her forehead and to the side of her nose. But Carolina Giraldelli, the baby’s 26-year-old mother from Cáeres, Brazil, swore she would never have to cover up the scar to make sure her son was perfect.

“I have to say that it was a very hard and tiring time for me and my son because I always felt like people were looking at us and whispering things that I knew were not good at all!” People always look at us with looks of sadness, scorn, fear, and sometimes disgust!” What Giraldelli said. “This is not easy to accept, but my husband and I have decided to act normally, even though we said otherwise.” We just want our son to be strong so he can keep believing in himself and keep going.

“When someone gets upset, interested, or scared just by looking at the birthmark on our son’s face, we always try to let them know that he is still a normal boy who can play, make friends, and love everyone like any other kid.”

She asked her friend, a makeup artist, to put a birthmark on her face that looked just like Enzo’s for a special event for her son. She thinks that this will help her understand the biases her son has been facing, which has caught her off guard. “I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world after the makeup was done. I was shocked and touched,” Giraldelli said. When I got home, Enzo was so happy and joyful, even though he didn’t fully understand what was going on.

I put on makeup and went to work after taking pictures of this beautiful moment. There were different looks from people, but I stayed calm because I was the happiest mom in the world, Giraldelli said. After having a cesarean section to have Enzo in May 2017, Giraldelli said that she thought the birthmark on her baby’s neck was just “a bit of dirt” at first. She cried when she realized it was a birthmark and was only thankful that the baby was healthy.

From then on, she knew she had to get stronger, braver, and more bold in order to help her son get through the hard things he might face as he grows up. Giraldelli got a lot of positive feedback after posting a picture of herself on social media “carrying” a scar on her face. And so many people have said nice things about my son to comfort and support him. It’s made me so happy and overwhelmed. Giraldelli said, “I think a lot of moms will feel the same way when they see pictures of me with my son.”