Fariba Rahimi @faribarahimiofficial is a Middle Eastern successful woman whose determination has helped her to conquer her dreams as she managed to become the image of Versace while she was building her own empire in the construction and building maintenance industry.
At the age of 16 she began to realize there was so more to life than staying calm and be a nice girl who smiles while approving what others say, so she decided to act, to find her own voice and make the world listen to what she has to say; consequently, her story is full of dreams, big hopes, and willpower. Nevertheless, her way was not easy; she had to leave Iran, her homeland, due to start the modeling career she always dreamed of. It took her some years to be signed by a model agency but shortly after, she found out it was the perfect time to prioritize academic studies over any other interest.
For years, she stayed focused on her career in business until Edgar Santos, a friend of her, saw the modeling passion was still igniting inside of her and helped her to come back to the fashion career, campaigns, and catwalks she fought so hard to start some time ago. So far, as you can see, Fariba Rahimi has a lot of stories to tell, especially to those who sometimes ask themselves if it is worthy to keep fighting for what you believe; if it is a good idea to work hard; if it is commendable to get back to the things you loved the most since a young age and other similar questionings.
In this issue of Vanity Teen, we wanted to bring you her story because we know our readers always appreciate inspiring people, particularly those who know the fashion industry and work in it but yet have an open heart to share some of their thoughts about life, media representation, and other social issues that concern every person, even if they come in the most luxuries ways. Therefore, Do not worry, if your intention is to get to know her better and take notes on whatever advice she has to share about her experience, I had the opportunity to talk to her about it; thus, keep reading the interview she gave to Vanity Teen, and find out why there are more than 300.000 people who love and support this amazing glamorous woman full of love and empathy for everyone.
Fariba Rahimi | Exclusive Interview
The girl who grew up to achieve her goals
Q: Your personal story shows you are a disciplined woman who does her best to accomplish goals despite how hard or far they might seem. Please, could you tell us more about the story of your success? Ever since I was a child, I always had big dreams and ambitions. I always believed in myself and never stopped thinking about my targets and goals. I have used every minute of my life to learn how to be better and how to reach my goals. I never stopped focusing on my future and what I wanted to be. I have fought for my goals and dreams every single day and I will keep on fighting for them till my last breath. Success has become a part of me now but I know that it does not come easy. It does not come without fighting. It is not for people who think it’s easy. Success requires pain, hard work, and commitment.
Q: What can you tell us about your Iranian origins? What do you cherish the most about your Middle Eastern culture? I come from Iran, a very beautiful country with beautiful people, culture, and traditions. What I cherish the most is that respect is very important in that culture. They have a lot of respect for old people and that’s something I really respect and love.
A new world, a new love, some new opportunities
Q: Nowadays, you have called Norway your home. How is your relationship with this nation that embraced you like one of their own? I absolutely love Norway. I love the Norwegian culture and people. They are very generous and loving. They embrace everyone with so many opportunities and love. From where I come, the many did not really care much about the people but Norway cares about its people and even the ones who come to settle here. People are given importance here.
Q: Regardless of your fashion aspirations, you always have stayed focused on your education. Why do you consider that aspect of your life as an important topic? Of course, education is not everything but if you are educated, you get to learn a lot about life, people, and the entire world. Education gives you knowledge about the world.
Reaching the top
Q: How was that journey in which you became the CEO of your own company? As I’m always choosing the hard way, that journey was very, very hard. I have never worked so hard for something in my entire life. But I worked so much to create something. It took many years but I finally created a great company. However, it is not easy to be the CEO of a company. It comes with its own hardships. It doesn’t come easy. But if you have passion for your business, you will consider it a part of yourself that needs to be worked upon.
Q: How about you as a member of Forbes? It has been a great honor to be a part of the Forbes magazine and organization. I appreciate the Forbes organization very much because thanks to the magazine, I now have my own platform where I can publish my articles and success story.
Being loved and loving others
Q: For those who might not know him, who is Edgar Santos? What can you tell us about him and this new chapter of you as a fashion model? Edgar Santos is one of the most famous makeup artists of Hollywood. He has done makeup for many famous people and celebrities including Tiffany Trump, Chelsea Clinton, and many other famous celebrities. He’s the one who motivated me to return to the fashion industry back in 2018 after I had taken a break from modeling. He personally visited me in Trondheim, bought many clothes for me, took me to his studio, and performed his magic by styling me in beautiful clothes and makeup. He got me all ready to be in front of the camera to return to modeling. And that’s how I started my modeling career. I really appreciate him and I’m very grateful to him. I will never forget what he did for me.
Q: Your social commitment has also been an important part of your life. Can you share with us your projects and collaborations with The Norwegian Cancer Society and other organizations? My highest priority has always been to help others. Even right now I’m helping a lot of people and organizations. I use whatever resources I have to help however many people I can. My collaboration with The Norwegian Cancer Society has been really successful so far. I actually created a calendar with my pictures and sold it to thousands of people. I bore all of the printing and shipping costs and the profits that came from thousands of sales all went to The Norwegian Cancer Society. I have more than 340,000 followers on my social media accounts so I used my platform to sell those calendars and help society.
Global reach out
Q: What are your thoughts about ethnic representation in media? I am really glad to see that all the ethnicities and social groups are now represented in the media. I’m happy to see that diverse people from all cultures are included in the media world now.
Q: What do you have to tell all those people who have lovingly been supporting you on your social networks? I absolutely love my followers and supporters. I am nothing without their love and support. I’m very grateful to them for all the love and appreciation I receive every day.
Keep working, keep believing
Q: Which message would you give to all those young people who are thinking about pursuing a career in fashion, arts, or culture? Always focus on your dreams. Work hard and never stop believing in yourself because if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything. Also, never sleep with someone to become famous. Work hard by yourself.
Q: Anything else you would like to share with Vanity Teen? I appreciate Vanity Teen very much. You gave me the opportunity to share my career experience with others. Vanity Teen also has my picture on the cover of their magazine, which is a very good opportunity for me and my career. Thank you for giving these amazing opportunities to the models and artists.
Looking backward
It looks like ages ago when people used to think girls were meant to be put in a box. Now we see shades in those days where the stereotypes were over the person and its origins; even though the world has changed a lot, there is a lot more to come, I am sure around the world there are lots of young people who are dreaming of bigger opportunities and a brighter future just like Fariba Rahimi did when she was little. But let us not forget the chances, and opportunities we experience in the world nowadays, fell short if we realized we still need equal opportunities for every person.
Fariba Rahimi has been proving the strength of mind might help when you are on your way to fulfilling your dreams. Her story reminds me of passages from many books that talk about how young people, especially ladies, have never ceased to show others they can achieve what they want, and everyone deserves to be happy but yet you have to stay focused on what you want; e.g. in the groundbreaking book of Louisa May Alcott, Little Women, the girls are told as it follows: “Have regular hours for work and play, make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life becomes a beautiful success”.
How great is knowing stories like the one we have presented today! Because they remind us, in spite of the lush the fashion industry might show us, there are always ways to keep us inspired and to motivate us to be better people.
Just remember
Yes, we admire beauty, this might come in different sizes, shapes, gender, and ages but any outside attribute might overcome happiness, feeling good in your own skin, do what you want despite those things might look far from each other. Our dearest Fariba Rahimi wanted to model and have a business career, and we are really thankful she can do both and, just like her, we also can.
Finally, we just have to thank Fariba Rahimi for being so nice and open when talking to us and sharing just a glance of her amazing story. We definitely want to see more of her.
Remember her words and never stop believing in yourself, working hard is worthy if you are working for the things you love and enjoy. Your time will come, maybe not when you will expect it, but faith is powerful, is a kind of beauty that works better when you are occupied in following the route that marks your biggest dreams.
