of people have some kind of a disability, forming the world’s largest minority community. It’s also the only minority community that anyone can potentially become part of at any point in their life. And yet, when it comes to telling our stories, we have either been reduced to harmful stereotypes or left out of the conversation entirely.
But it goes beyond that. As children, you create this image of beauty based on what society deems beautiful—so what happens when the image of beauty and desirability never looks like you? For one thing, it can have a damaging effect on your self-esteem and, at times, make it incredibly difficult to accept your own body.—who became a paraplegic at the age of six after a car accident left her with spinal-cord injuries—can relate to.
Growing up, Mercado felt alienated by the industry’s ableist beauty standards. And so she took it upon herself to challenge them from the inside, studying a degree in marketing at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology and interning atmagazine. After modeling for friends’ fashion projects, in 2014 she landed a campaign for Diesel. The following year
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