Claire Damaa: Living Her Dream

Making her way through the hardships and disappointments life has thrown at her, Claire Damaa has made her name a recognized and respected one on an international scale. A perfectionist in every way and the Ambassador of "Creme de la Mer", sponsored by the makeup line "MAC", Claire is a hardworking, successful woman with a lot to show for it; not only does she write for three magazines, but she also has two programs which she produces and presents!

Most of us can relate in some way or another to staying in a job for the financial rewards, or fear of not finding another in this money-driven, power-yearning world. It is not often but always desired, to find yourself lucky enough to actually love what you do. Claire is lucky! She is living the dream of loving what she does. "My career is my passion; fashion is my passion. My show is not only about the latest trends and styles in the world of fashion, but it is also culture, art, education, and history. A dress is never just a dress; fashion is a lifestyle from food to living...it is simply everything to me". As exciting and satisfying as Claire's job is, it is also tiring. With all things in life, the good must come with, at least a little bad, "I love my job so much but I can't express how tiring it is, from all the traveling and the shooting. To tell you the truth, sometimes I feel destroyed from exhaustion; my work involves a lot of traveling, from New York to London to Paris and Rome; sometimes I just want to throw myself on a sofa and sleep".

"Shou El Moda" (what's the fashion?) is Claire's successful, internationally renowned program. The essence of the show's success is the continuous fashion research and updates, "I always try to renew my programs, I try my best not to make them monotonous. My continuous research keeps my views updated in everything that is new. I believe that the richness of my program can also be attributed to the exclusive interviews I do with very big names like Bobby brown, Valentino, Christian La Croix, Jean-Paul Gautier, Monica Bellucci...basically you can say that in 7 years and 350 episodes, I have had 99% rate for exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names".

One would presume, even expect, that celebrities are pretentious and arrogant, but Claire is anything but! "My dad told me that modesty is like soil, when you add water to it, it drinks it all. Modesty is very important to me. Outside of Lebanon, I saw that celebrities are really modest and they live like any other person; nothing changes, you're just a normal human being who happens to have a little more money and fame".

Helping to keep her grounded and maintain a sense of balance in her hectic life, is her supportive family; "my parents support me a lot; my sister travels with me and helps me more than I could ever express in words. I also work with a good team on my show. Being surrounded by people who support you no matter what, really helps you to keep ongoing". Even though Claire is a self-proclaimed workaholic, she does manage to find some time to relax with her family and close friends during the weekends, "sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and ask, 'did I really do all this?', but I know that without my loved ones standing beside me, I couldn't have accomplished what I have so far".

Finally, when asked how she would like to look back on her life 20 years from now, Claire was quick to answer than 20 more years of good health, God-willing would suffice, "I have a tough job, and I am proud of my results. I can't totally evaluate myself, it is up to my views, but I can say that my show is a well-known international program and I am 100% proud of what I have done; this is my energy and I have given it my all; television and I simply complement each other".

Despite her growing success, Claire's love for life has not changed. She likes to take pleasure in the simple things life has to offer like laughing, walking, swimming, hanging out with her family and closest friends, and of course, her favorite companion of all, her sister's dog. Claire is an inspirational example of a modest celebrity who hasn't forgotten her home, her family, her country of her friends.

***Interview taken in 2007