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REAL LIFE

Aren't They Beautiful? Three Models With Disabilities Reveal How They Made It In The Fashion World

Date September 21, 2018 16:17

Author By Olivia Pollard

It's very difficult to find success in the fashion industry. Thousands of stunning models try their best every year to get noticed, but can you imagine what it's like to be a girl with a disability and dreaming of becoming a model?

In 2008, Angel Sinclair started the Models of Diversity campaign in order to empower every person, no matter of their looks, to strive and enter the glamorous world of fashion.

READ ALSO: Actress And Model With Down Syndrome Jamie Brewer Has A Message For People Who Use Disparaging Language

And looks like it worked! Today, we see models of different size, race, and physical ability conquering magazine covers. We want to look into three empowering girls, who shared their experience in the industry and how they were able to make it.

Chelsea Werner

Chelsea started as an aspiring gymnast and very soon realized she wanted to be a model. However, her Down syndrome was a problem for people in the industry, and everyone told Werner her there were no jobs for her. She shared with Teen Vogue:

We contacted all sorts of agencies in San Francisco and L.A., and every one of them told us that there's no market for a model with a disability. It was definitely confusing because I knew my worth in the world. I knew that there's [so many] people out there like me, but we are never included in any conversations.

But Chelsea persevered. She got signed by an agency, who recognized her possible influence. Werner also has over 150,000 followers on Instagram, many of whom are people with Down syndrome. They praise the model and thank her for giving them the confidence to follow their dreams.

Mama Cax

Cax is an amputee and advocate for disabled people. She got noticed owing to her blog, in which Mama shared her love for fashion with anyone. In her own words:

When I first started blogging, a lot of women amputees were messaging me about how they'd never seen someone an amputee on social media or anywhere showing their prosthetics. I think it's so important to show people who have physical disabilities because there are people out there who have physical disabilities who buy products and who never see themselves represented in any way, shape, or form.

READ ALSO: Disabled People Are Taking The Fight For Better Treatment And Respect To Twitter

Mama Cax now shines in ad campaigns for such famous clothing brands as ASOS, Wet'n'Wild, and Chromat.

Jillian Mercado

Jillian is living with spastic muscular dystrophy. Growing she also suffered from the lack of represantation and even hid from people:

When I was younger, I would only show my face [on social media sites], that’s it. There was a time when I was just very ashamed of who I was because not only was I not seeing myself represented anywhere, but I was put into the category that I wasn’t enough, that I couldn't feel good about myself. One day I was like, enough is enough. I am going to embrace who I am.

Jillian has only one thing to say to people with disabilities and casting directors, who tend to overlook them:

It’s such a beautiful moment in time now that we have the ability to voice our opinion, to voice our frustration that we've always been in the room but for some reason we've been invisible. And for casting directors to finally put their glasses on and see us. 

via GIPHY

Way to go, ladies! 

READ ALSO: Plus-Size Role Model: The 290-Pound Model Will Embellish The Cover Of British Cosmopolitan

Fashion