In Quarantine With Maeva Marshall
While most fans of the sensational model Maeva Marshall may know her for the natural beauty of her breathtaking freckles, the 24-year-model has a lot more perspective to offer than just her outward beauty. In fact, her signature feature came as a result from of scarring that came from surviving a battle with a skin disease that left her on medications making her ultra-sensitive to sunlight. And at just the age of 20, the young talent had overcome complications after having a stroke and further health scares producing health issues with her kidneys.
Now at home in quarantine during a global health crisis, Marshall, who wants to use modeling as a conduit to inspire change in the industry and share the insights she's learned from her health battles. In her dispatch from the French countryside, she shares how she copes and cares for her mental health, and then of course, the first things on her agenda once she is able to venture out.
L'Officiel: Where are you spending quarantine?
Maeva Marshall: I left Paris shortly before the official announcement and I am currently in the Perpignan countryside, in my family home.
LO: How do you manage to stay positive during this time?
MM: I am fortunate to have a spacious house and a garden, which allows me to have a better quality of life in this quarantine than if I had been in my apartment in Paris. Beyond that, talking with my loved ones and interacting with my community on Instagram helps me a lot to hang on to my usual daily life.
LO: What are your days like?
MM: I try to have a fairly regular rhythm: I wake up early, I prepare fresh juices for the day, I watch a show (I love cartoons). Then, depending on how I am feeling, I paint, I read, I let off steam by dancing to my playlist, I cook good meals, I play sports. In general, I end the day as I would without the quarantine; playing video games. I really follow how I feel from day to day, without any particular restriction, but I still try to keep a rhythm so as not to be too disoriented when I come out of this time of isolation. Everything is a matter of balance!
LO: And your pace?
MM: A bit like my different jobs, I listen to my body! Sometimes in pajamas all day, and other times I get ready to go out. I put on a blush and I create looks by mixing whatever I packed in my luggage. I find it important to find myself pretty during this period, for myself. It gives me a confidence boost and it keeps me busy.
LO: What is your sports routine in quarantine?
MM: Usually I work with a trainer in Paris, who continues to guide me in maintaining my body during while we are in isolation. I don't always have a lot of motivation, but I assume that a daily session of at least a few sets of glutes is a good compromise. I also make lives on Instagram to share with everyone what I learn, and keep a rhythm. It is also a good way to keep motivated to do more!
LO: What do you cook for breakfast / lunch / dinner?
MM: In the morning, before getting up, I drink a maximum of elongated water, which facilitates digestion. Then I continue with a homemade apple / carrot / ginger juice for the vitamins. I know it's a very bad habit but I don't eat anything in the morning! For lunch, since the weather permits right now, I cook on the barbecue. A little meat that comes from the local butcher (working local producers who have a lot of stock to sell seems important to me) and I combine it with a salad of peppers, cucumbers and mushrooms. Finally, sweet potato fries! Often in the afternoon, I prepare a dessert. It can be anything from an apple pie or a yogurt cake ( a french classic). And the list is not exhaustive ... It is good for morale and I really recommend having fun at the moment! Finally, in the evening, I vary between salads, vegetables and sometimes a pizza.
LO: What are your favorite apps right now?
MM: Instagram is probably the one I use the most, but my favorite is Apple Music. I listen to it from morning to night, whether in the shower, cooking or even painting. And since this beginning of being in isolation, I also find myself a lot on cooking apps.
LO: What have you learned or accomplished during this time of isolation?
MM: About myself, I would say above all my need for freedom. I also understood the importance of creativity in my daily life, which I tend to leave aside usually. Take time to paint, draw, write, express yourself differently. As far as the world is concerned, it was probably the change in nature and the environment that has made the biggest impression on me. To see how the slowdown in our activities could reduce pollution, for example.
LO: What changes do you think this will bring to the world?
MM: I believe that this is a change that is already taking place, but I hope that in general, people will realize the importance of certain trades in our societies, and especially of the people who carry them out. Ideally, a nurse or a cashier would command as much respect as a lawyer or a TV star. I also hope that the environmental impact of our societies will be more in the center of our attention ... I believe that this time of confinement has allowed many of us to realize the trace that we leave together on our planet, and above all that nature can still surprise us.
LO: What do you miss the most ?
MM: My family for sure. Seeing my grandmother through FaceTime is great, but she is alone, and I know her happiness is in being able to hug us or to see us all seated around a good meal. My little brother too, who cries because he wants to hug me ... I miss all these things that we take for granted! My social life too. As well as the work that I miss terribly, to the point where I start to rethink and regret those times when I complained about being too tired, or not having enough time.
LO: What is the first thing you will do after this quarantine?
MM: If I have to be 100% honest, I plan to go to the beautician! Then I will go to buy the most beautiful bouquets of flowers for my mom and my grandma, I will book in one of my favorite restaurants, and I will gather my relatives for a reunion and a debrief of these two months. And finally I will most likely harass my agent to work the next day haha!
