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Earlier this year we reported on the first-ever Down Syndrome model, 30-year-old American Horror Story actress Jamie Brewer, to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week - perhaps the biggest fashion event of the year in the U.S. It was a beautiful moment; and a highly publicised one at that.
Standards of beauty are changing one model at a time as proven yet again by Madeline Stuart, affectionately known as 'Maddy'.
According to Paper Magazine, 18-year-old, Australian Down Syndrome model, Maddy, who also suffers from a leaky heart valve, has just made her debut at New York Fashion Week.
Not only did she walk the runway she did so in both couture and alongside a couple of shiny, muscular male models, says Daily News.
She walked the ramp at Grand Central’s Vanderbilt Hall as part of the FTL Moda presentation of international designers. All eyes were on her as the redhead strutted to the sounds of a very happy, clapping crowd.
The young model seemed very humbled by the audience's response, says Mail Online. She held one hand to her chest as she finished her walk, thanking everyone for the positive response. Mail Online reports that U.S. wheelchair model, Leslie Irby also joined Maddy on stage as she was also featured as one of the runway models.
This is truly encouraging. The face of beauty might only be changing slowly, but at least it shows an acceptance and mind shift that define bodies that are different than those of supermodels, as beautiful and desirable. I hope we see a lot more of variety in the future at major fashion weeks; as it is truly crucial for many, many reasons.
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