In order to better serve their audience, fashion businesses have recently shifted away from their traditional model, a thin white woman, and toward more diversified models. Even though we have acknowledged this, there are still a number of underrepresented groups, including persons with disabilities.
Victoria’s Secret just debuted their first model with Down syndrome, and now a different company is commemorating a significant occasion with the introduction of their baby line.
Newest advertising for Banana Republic features a baby boy with Down syndrome.
Thank you @bananarepublic for #changingthefaceofbeautyPosted by Changing the Face of Beauty on Saturday, March 5, 2022
“The BR Baby collection recently launched by Banana Republic was designed with a promise to be more sustainable, more welcoming, and more inclusive,” the company said in a statement.
“We want to celebrate diversity in all forms and in the casting for BR Baby we saw a perfect moment to move this forward. We were thrilled to give this beautiful, loving human his first modeling job.”
So cute!
According to Katie Driscoll, the creator and president of Changing the Face of Beauty, which is dedicated to equal representation of persons with disabilities in the media, she was “thrilled” that firms were using their advertisements to address the disabled population.
“So often our community is overlooked when diversity is being considered, fact is the disability community is the largest minority in the world and one in 5 families know or love someone with a disability. Being seen in the world we live in is vital to our future.”
When a brand incorporates a person with a disability, I hope one day that it becomes the norm rather than something to be celebrated.