When a toddler with Down syndrome was rejected by a modeling agency because he had special needs, his mother decided to take action to change their faulty perception.
Meagan Nash is a mom to an adorable toddler with Down syndrome named Asher Nash. Because of his innate talent of entertaining people and putting on a show whenever he sees a camera, Meagan decided to enter 15-month-old Asher into a modeling contest and sent in his most adorable photos.
The mom had high hopes since Asher perfectly matched what the company was looking for. The toddler had the right height, hair color, and eye color.
However, Meagan didn’t hear back from them. When she asked a representative of the modeling agency about their lack of response, they told her that the company wasn’t looking into hiring models with “special needs.”
As a mother, Meagan’s heart fell. But instead of feeling bitter, she channeled her frustrations towards a meaningful cause – one that would help other people like Asher to feel more included and represented in our society.
She posted pictures of Asher on the Changing the Face of Beauty‘s website along with the question: “Hey OshKosh B’Gosh what do you say? Won’t you help us in #changingthefaceofbeauty?”
Meagan’s post racked up a lot of attention online, with thousands of people sharing the post on social media. The response was so great that Osh Kosh eventually ended up contacting her!
“It’s important to feature people with special needs in advertisement for three reasons. The first reason is inclusion. People with disabilities want to be included among their peers in life in general and being seen in advertisement is a part of that.”
“The second reason, which is very near and dear to my heart, is acceptance. Without truly accepting my son and others with special needs, there can be no inclusion for them in the future. And the last reason is respect. Using people with special needs shows the world that these people have value and worth just like any typical person does,” Meagan told CNN.
Asher and Meagan met with the company’s executive’s including the CEO of its parent company, Carter’s, Inc. As expected, they were all charmed by Asher’s sweet smile, that they decided to feature him in one of their upcoming campaigns!
Now, Asher is showing the world what changing the world of beauty really meant: a world where we see major influencers such as social media and advertising companies prioritizing the inclusivity and representation of every kind of person in our society.
Be sure to visit adorable Asher’s Facebook page to find out more stuff about his journey.