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10 Years After Life-Altering Accident, Quadriplegic Make-up Artist Reflects On Finding Strength
Interview With Artist
This month marks the 10th anniversary of the car accident that changed model and makeup artist Stephanie Aiello’s life forever.
The 34-year-old suffered a spinal injury just after she had saved enough money to fulfill her dream of attending cosmetology school. The accident occurred before her first class, while she was driving home to California from Las Vegas and dozed off at the wheel, causing her car to go off-road.
Highlights
- Stephanie Aiello turned tragedy into a successful career as a makeup artist and influencer.
- She works alongside Wings for Life, seeking a cure for spinal injuries.
- Despite being a C5 quadriplegic, Aiello was hired by Fenty for a makeup campaign.
- Tyra Banks encouraged her to embrace her hands, boosting her confidence.
When she woke up, she realized she had become a C5 quadriplegic, having lost the feeling in the lower half of her body and most of her arms.
The model, now a successful makeup artist, influencer, and charity ambassador, who has worked for celebrities like Tyra Banks and Rhianna, spoke with Bored Panda to reflect on her journey and the strength it has taken to endure.
“I strive for a future of true inclusion, where people with disabilities are valued for their talents and not used to generate pity,” she stated.
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Quadriplegic Makeup artist Stephanie Aiello shared how, ten years after her accident, she managed to turn her life around and become an worldwide inspiration
Image credits: uwalk_iglide
I still suffer from depression and PTSD; it never truly goes away,” Aiello confessed softly.
However, despite recommendations from psychiatrists, the model has refused medications like antidepressants, instead relying on the one thing that has held her together through the years: her inner strength.
“I just allow myself to feel it,” she said. “I allow myself the time to grieve for my body because that’s what it is.”
The days immediately following her awakening to this new reality were some of the toughest in the model’s life, with a mix of denial and shock that left her unwilling to participate in rehabilitation.
Image credits: Emma McIntyre / Getty
“I hated my therapist,” she recalled. “But she saved my life. I was a 20-year-old who thought her entire life was over, and she opened my eyes.”
One day, the therapist, Claire, sat at Stephanie’s bedside with her makeup kit. “All right, let’s do this,” she said, opening the small cosmetics case. “Let’s figure this out together.”
From that day forward, Stephanie and Claire worked together to rediscover how to apply the different elements and handle each instrument.
“She taught me how to open containers, use powder, and hold a brush. Claire lit the fire in me again.”
Aiello battled an addiction to opioids while recovering, but her family was right beside her every step of the way to help her overcome it
Image credits: uwalk_iglide
As her skills increased day by day, so did her pain. This emotional and physical struggle led her to rely on a painkiller called Dilaudid, a potent and addictive opioid with a particular scent that Stephanie still remembers from time to time.
“Sometimes I open the fridge and smell it, even if it’s not there,” she laughed. “It brings me back to that difficult time in my life.”
Image credits: uwalk_iglide
The support of her family—especially her father, twin sister, and adopted brother—was instrumental in her recovery, with the latter credited with taking care of her newfound addiction.
“He forced me to stop. I swear I would’ve kicked him with my little paralyzed legs if I could!” she jokes.
Stephanie’s brother sadly passed away overseas in September 2016. When asked about the cause, the model simply stated that she didn’t know.
The model warns against “miracle cures” after being a victim of a scam operation in 2017 that cost her $18,000
@uwalk_iglide @Fenty Beauty 🙈🫶🏼 #fentybeauty ♬ original sound – Steph Aiello
In 2017, hope knocked on her door in the form of a revolutionary treatment developed by a German company that promised to restore her mobility by injecting her spine with stem cells.
“I wanted to walk again so badly, so I believed them,” she explained, as the supposed “miracle cure” ended up being nothing but a scam that set her back $18,000.
Image credits: vividafeeden
“They took some of my bone marrow, spun it through the night, and then injected the amount related to my C5 injury into my spine,” Stephanie recalled. “After the procedure, I thought my core had recovered some function, but they were nothing but spasms. It was excruciating.”
For Aiello, the experience was traumatic enough that she lost her faith in research for many years. “There are a lot of scammers out there praying on the hopes of people like me.”
An encounter with Tyra Banks gave Stephanie the confidence she needed to fully embrace her skills, turning her hands into a brand of their own from that point forward
Image credits: uwalk_iglide
Around that time, Stephanie’s efforts as an influencer got the attention of American model and TV personality Tyra Banks, who took an interest in her when they met at BeautyCon.
Banks featured Stephanie as a special guest at a Las Vegas event. At the event, Stephanie told the artist—who had been hiding her hands on her Instagram photos to avoid letting her viewers in on her condition—to embrace them instead.
@uwalk_iglide Story time trying new products 🥰 vinyl lipstick from @Maybelline New York and mascara and eyeliner from @onesize ♬ A-O-K – Tai Verdes
“She told me to make my hands, my brand,” Aiello said.
Although she’s a quadriplegic, Stephanie hasn’t completely lost control of her arms. She retains mobility in her wrists and fingers but lacks grip strength.
Far from letting this impair her ability to apply makeup, she has learned how to put utensils between her fingers for impressive results.
Aiello, who now has her own studio, has gone on to do makeup for runway events, media campaigns, and bespoke events. She teaches others how to achieve the same results on her Instagram and TikTok pages.
Her skills became so advanced that she was scouted by Rhianna’s makeup brand, Fenty, which hired her to work on their models personally
A major breakthrough occurred in mid-2023 when Rhianna’s makeup brand, Fenty, hired her for a promotional campaign.
“I was so excited and, frankly, a little bit scared,” she laughed, explaining how she had to fake confidence initially while attending such a high-class event.
Image credits: uwalk_iglide
Despite her fears, she soon found herself comfortable around the models, using a pillow to lean in and apply precise makeup strokes.
“It was the first time I felt valued entirely for my talent and not for my disability,” she confessed.
Though she feels Fenty has done things right, she hopes other companies will stop using people with disabilities merely to improve their public image or meet diversity goals.
Aiello works alongside Wings for Life, a charity organization that funds research for a cure for spinal injuries
Image credits: uwalk_iglide
In addition to her work as a makeup artist and influencer, Aiello has gained renewed confidence in research and charities since her incident in Germany.
She’s an official ambassador for Wings for Life, a nonprofit organization that funds research for a cure for spine injuries.
In a recent breakthrough, experiments done on rats led to the full recovery of the mobility in a test subject, paving the way for an eventual cure for people with quadriplegia around the world.
Her work, both with the nonprofit and individually, has allowed her to touch the hearts of millions of people over the years.
“I receive emotional messages all the time from people thanking me for my makeup tips and for giving them strength in their life journeys,” she told Bored Panda.
One particular moment that will always be in Aiello’s heart is when she met 4-year-old Maren Anderson, a little girl who uses a wheelchair
@uwalk_iglide Replying to @Kim C BX NaTiVe #greenscreen ♬ original sound – Steph Aiello
The meeting took place at an Ulta Beauty store in Northern Virginia after a photo of Maren gazing at an ad featuring Aiello went viral.
“Maren stopped in her tracks when she saw the poster of me,” Aiello recalled. “It was a powerful moment, and meeting her was overwhelming in the best way.”
The two spent time together exploring the store and being pampered. The moment wasn’t just exceptional for Maren and her family—it reinforced Aiello’s belief in the importance of representation.
“This is what the world needs,” Aiello said. “Seeing people like Maren and me in these spaces shows that dreams do come true.”
Stephanie Aiello will host a brand-new TikTok series on her profile throughout November, where she will showcase her favorite cosmetic products, teach application techniques, and offer tips to companies on how to adapt their packaging with disabilities in mind.
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