A student with a facial cleft has signed with a leading modeling agency – and made it her mission to change the representation of disabled people.
Bo, who has signed a modeling contract with Zebedee Talent, said she is relishing her journey of self-discovery.
She said she now wants to remove any stigmas and change the way disability and visible differences are represented in both fashion and the media.
The Cornish student from Penwith College has already had the opportunity to work alongside leading beauty brands and inclusive organizations, such as Sephora and Face Equality International, over the last few months.
Bo, a Level Three Childcare and Education student, said: “For me, growing up with a facial difference was incredibly difficult.
“I did not see anybody who looked like me in the media and it definitely impacted my confidence.
“I used to dislike my cleft, especially when I’d see all these stereotypically ‘perfect’ models represented in the media and know that I would never look like them.”
But since starting college, Bo says her confidence has grown to a whole new level after receiving support and accommodating teaching from her lecturers.
Bo has said her differences were not a barrier to her education and achieving excellent grades at college.
She said: “I think my favorite part about college has been how supportive everyone is. Everyone is friendly and approachable and has really made an effort to do everything they can to accommodate my needs.”
“I believe it is so important to provide representation for our younger generation, to show children and other young people just like me that they can do whatever they aspire to do, that people with disabilities and visible differences shouldn’t be excluded from spaces such as modeling.”
As part of her Childcare course, Bo has had the opportunity to gain valuable work experience in her placement days and apply her knowledge to real life settings which became advantageous for her future employability and UCAS applications.
She added: “We are all unique and beautiful in our own way and I believe this should be celebrated, especially considering so much of the media attention on disabled people is so often negative or focused on what we can’t do.
“Why not shift the focus to what we can do?”
Bo is looking forward to continuing her modeling career alongside studying BA (Hons) Special Educational Needs & Disability Studies at Plymouth Marjon University.
Originally published by Talker News