We all live in an age where ads and advertising changes to reflect society as a whole.
Of late, we’ve seen more fashion labels champion plus-sized models, elderly models, and models with disabilities. They also cracked down on the practice of retouching photos (better known as airbrushing).
With that said, the modeling industry still has a long way to go.
When one loving mother sent in pictures of her beautiful son to a children clothing company Oshkosh B’Gosh, the management immediately dismissed using him as a model.
The reason? It was because the boy has Down syndrome.
Meagan Nash and her family live in Georgia.
When Oshkosh B’Gosh announced that they were searching for new models, Meagan got excited and sent them photos of her 15-month-old son Asher.
The toddler fit the company’s requirements perfectly. He was the right height, had the hair color they wanted, and his eyes were the right color as well.
But after Meagan sent the company their photos, she did not hear back from them.
Meagan got in touch with representatives from the company, who told her that they were not interested in putting her son in their upcoming campaign because they didn’t want “a baby with special needs.”
“Did they say they were not casting a baby with special needs?” the mother hit back, according to The Independent.
As you can imagine, Meagan was frustrated and angered by the company’s response.
Sure, she could understand that not every child will qualify to be a model, but to deny her son because he has an extra chromosome?
Meagan wished that the company had thought their decision through more and realized just how much value her son could bring to their campaign. So, fueled by anger, she decided to take action.
She posted pictures of Asher in the Facebook group “Kids with Down’s Syndrome.”
Photographer Crystal Barbee’s photos of Asher wearing a blue denim shirt and bow tie became an instant success.
“Let’s make a difference – share so they see Asher!
“This handsome boy is ready to show the world what Changing the Face of Beauty is really about.”
Asher’s Facebook photos have been liked over 100,000 times.
“We are working with Changing the Face of Beauty organization and trying to get Oshkosh to use him in their advertisements,” Meagan wrote in the post, stressing that it was an agency, not the clothing company, that had turned down her son.