It’s inclusive. It’s diverse. It’s all-embracing. And L’Oréal’s freshest face is chic, confident and comfortable in her own skin.

Cindy Bruna still finds it hard to believe that she’s a spokesperson for L’Oréal Paris. “As a French model, I’m thrilled to be the new face of such an iconic brand from my home country,” she says. “I feel so honoured; it’s been a dream forever.”

Today, Bruna is confident and proud of the hard work it took to get her to this point, but it wasn’t always easy. From a multicultural family, she had to figure out where she belonged. When she was younger, she felt pressured to conform to a mainstream definition of pretty. “In high school, I was too tall and too skinny, compared to the others,” Bruna says. And really, she just wanted to fit in.

With an Italian dad and a Congolese mom, she grew up with both cultures. “As a biracial woman, I had that time in my life when I did not know where I belonged,” Bruna says. “I thought I had to pick a side, when the reality is that I am both, and I have come to embrace it fully now.” Actually, she realizes that is her strength, her beauty and her power. “I know now that this diversity is what makes us rich,” she adds.

Bruna credits her success today to her mom, who taught her to be independent and disciplined, too. “She told me that I could have anything with hard work, and she raised me to always be kind,” she says. “I think doing your best in whatever you do and treating yourself and others with respect are what make you worth it.”

I think doing your best in whatever you do and treating yourself and others with respect are what make you worth it

It’s not just Bruna’s mom who inspires her, though. She’s inspired by women like Michelle Obama and Viola Davis — “my celebrity crush.” She also encourages herself. “I surround myself with uplifting and motivating words on Post-its,” she says. And she reads a lot of books about self-confidence. Take Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Four Agreements and Deepak Chopra’s The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, for instance.

Bruna is making a real difference in our world. Remember how her mom taught her to be kind? She likes to help others, and now she works with Solidarité Femmes, a non-governmental organization working to eliminate violence against women, especially domestic violence. “If there’s one thing I’d like to say to the world, it is that, just because abuse happens in a private sphere, it does not mean it is private — we should all help each other.” Today, she’s inspired by everything going on in the world. “I really hope that we will be the generation that actually finds solutions and continues to fight for what is right,” Bruna says. “I see more people standing up for what really matters — and that is beautiful.”

@cindybruna