Maria Thattil on Beauty, Identity and Showing Up in Her Latest Interview with Harper’s Bazaar ICON Maria Thattil lit up Paris Fashion Week with trademark confidence, fresh from recording an inspiring episode of the How Bazaar podcast. The Australian actor, model and author opens up about beauty as language, cultural identity, and what it truly means to show up. In conversation with Harper’s Bazaar, Maria reflects on growing up South Asian in Australia, once trying to fit beauty ideals that didn’t represent her, and how she’s now reshaping that conversation on global stages. Between fittings, auditions and flights, she’s preparing for Aje’s Spring/Summer 2026 show with Wella Professionals in her role as a global ambassador—a collaboration that celebrates both craft and confidence. From her Miss Universe Australia beginnings to acting, writing and advocacy, Maria continues to expand what representation looks like in Australian entertainment and fashion. “Confidence isn’t the absence of nerves,” she says. “It’s the decision to show up.”