Upon her return to America in 2012, Mara began an exploration of her definition of what it means to be Latina. That journey led to Chicharrón, an ongoing project that began in 2018 of the spectrum of Latinx bodies. “Living abroad in Italy for so long, I felt that I lost my identity. Through a conscious self awareness, my views on femininity and masculinity expanded. Although I consider myself a woman, there is a level of stoic, strong masculinity in my construction.”

Her work has been published in The New York Times Magazine, T Magazine, The Cut, The Greatest Magazine, TIME, Vogue Paris, W Magazine, Self Service, A Magazine Curated By, Fucking Young!, jane by the grey attic, Metal and Oyster. Clients include Calvin Klein, Coach, DKNY, Eileen Fisher, Rag & Bone, Rochas, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Acne Studios and ALR Dyeing.