Katie Meade, 32, is breaking down barriers in the modeling industry. She’s showing everyone that having a disability doesn’t make you any less able, beautiful, or fearless. Haircare line, Beauty & Pinups, recently announced Katie as the the face of their new campaign, Fearless Hair Rescue Treatment, and we’re obsessed.
Katie is now the first model with Down syndrome to be the face of a beauty campaign, and she’s absolutely killing it. “The Beauty & Pin-Ups brand is a celebration of the empowerment of a woman and what it took to be a pin-up in 1935, and carrying that message in a modern sense, so as we were launching this product, in our mind it could have been the next traditional pin-up- but as soon as we came up with the name “Fearless” it was really easy,” Beauty and Pin-ups CEO, Kenny Kahn told to PeopleStyle. Katie was the very first person that came to their minds when they came up with the name “Fearless”, and it’s pretty clear why.
This is only Katie’s most recent accomplishment on a long list of triumphs. She’s endured two open-heart surgeries, but that hasn’t stopped her. In 1999, Katie won gold for the balance beam in the Raleigh Special Olympics. She currently works in her county’s treasury office, as an office generalist and is also an ambassador for Best Buddies International, an organization that helps people with developmental and intellectual disabilities find job opportunities and connect with friends. Best Buddies also works with Beauty & Pin-Up.
“People see me for who I am and they see me not as someone with a disability, but that I have ability,” she shares. “And I like to try new different things and I inspire women to do that. Beauty belongs to everybody,” Katie tells People. She couldn’t be more right, beauty belongs to everybody, no matter what you look like. Our society has had a certain image of what is beautiful for so long, and it has created many stereotypes surrounding people with Down syndrome. Katie challenges these stereotypes, and shows all of us that there’s so much more than “traditional” beauty. She’s not only an inspiration to women with disabilities; but to all women. Despite being absolutely stunning, her success, confidence and positive attitude is what makes her so amazing. She’s a perfect example of someone who is challenging the standards of beauty in the modeling industry. I think it’s safe to say that Katie’s going to bring in a lot of support for Beauty and Pin-ups, especially from us here at Her Campus Minnesota.
SOURCES:
http://beautyandpinups.com/2016/02/katie-meade-is-fearless/
http://www.today.com/style/model-down-syndrome-lands-beauty-campaign-i-felt-so-special-t84441