Actress and director Stephanie Lourenço highlights that, since the time she was part of the paquitas, I was always proud to be a bisexual woman. She doesn’t hide that she suffered a process of “stifling” during her time in the group, between 1999 and 2002 — but, today, she gives a new meaning to this story by welcoming and also being welcomed by LGBTQIA+ fans.

“I was very courageous and I was very proud of my sexuality at that time, but this courage was stifled behind the scenes and also by society. So, I repressed myself for 20 years until I found myself again and today I feel the power of being able to live my truth”, says the artist in an exclusive interview with TV News.

Just like Xuxa, paquitas have always been part of the imagination of the LGBTQIA+ community and, today, Stephanie realizes that speaking publicly about her sexuality ended up bringing her closer to her fans:

They welcome me too. I receive a lot of messages from fans telling me in a very sensitive way how important it was for them that I came out. Many people vent to me and say that having an LGBT girl there, even if she was shy, was important for them. That’s what representation does, which is why it’s so important. I feel honored.

The interpreter regrets that the group, on the other hand, also became a symbol of the lack of representation on television in the early 2000s. “I am aware that we caused pain to racialized children who did not feel represented and were excluded from this experience. This It’s very serious and would not be reproduced in 2024. Good thing,” he notes.

REPRODUCTION/TV GLOBO

Stephanie with Xuxa on Globo

Look to the past

Stephanie joined the group during a crucial stage in her development as a human being, from the ages of 11 to 14. “Today, I’m aware of how young I was, but at the time I thought I was very adult and mature. I didn’t have much of an idea”, she recalls.

The documentary Pra Semper Paquitas, by Globoplayit was an opportunity to look at herself in a clearer way:

I’m very proud of the courageous girl I was, who left her safe life to go on an adventure in Rio de Janeiro. The memories were bittersweet, yes, but today, with more distance and a different perspective, I can better analyze negative experiences with maturity. And it was great to celebrate the good memories.

The production was an opportunity for Stephanie to recover important ties from her adolescence. “It was something very powerful. Sometimes, we distance ourselves from who we are and what we experience that is meaningful, but being with them and everyone who was part of this story was very important for me, and I believe for all of us”, he philosophizes.

And also look to the future

Today, Stephanie is an active voice on social media to break taboos about bisexuality and also plays an important role in demystifying veganism. She still works behind the camera and is challenging herself by producing a short film.

It’s still very early, but it makes me very excited. I think that experience as an actress is an additional and very important baggage for a director, because you have already experienced the other side. But I still have a lot to learn to become a director. But I know that if this becomes something concrete in the future, I will deal with the actors I will be directing with a closer and more empathetic eye.