I think we all agree that fashion designers have always chosen gorgeous, traditionally attractive, and able-bodied models to showcase their clothing on the catwalk and other less traditional fashion events. These models have set high standards to be more graceful than the average person and have actively played a role in establishing a discrepancy between what models and actual real everyday people look like.
However, as society, we progress further each year, and it wasn’t a surprise when recently a lot of big brands and modelling agencies started introducing a lot of differently abled people as part of their brand, giving more realistic representation on runways and magazine covers.
Today we’d like to share with you the story of 24-year-old Puerto Rican model Sofía Jirau, who has Down syndrome. Sofía recently went viral after she happily announced her newest accomplishment of becoming Victoria’s Secret’s first model with Down syndrome. The brand reached out to her via a call as they offered her an opportunity to work with them.
Jirau was very happy with the news and agreed instantly. In a recent interview she said, “I want to tell the whole world that people with my condition, Down syndrome, inside and out, we have no limits”. The new role became her biggest accomplishment after her debut at New York Fashion Week back in 2020.
After getting the job, Sofía flew all the way to Los Angeles for her campaign photoshoot for the “Love Cloud” bra collection. With all that being said, the model hopes her story can inspire more people to push through life and make their dreams come true.
