Madeline Stuart, an 18-year-old with Down syndrome, set out to be a model just two months ago and has already landed her first campaign with body-positive activewear brand Manifesta, according to the Daily Mail.
The activewear brand's goal is to depict all body types— it even uses flowers instead of numbers to represent different sizes—and Stuart is the perfect model to help Manifesta change beauty stereotypes. "Just as Madeline is committed to expanding people’s ideas of what a model can be, Manifesta is determined to show that the clothing and fashion industry doesn’t have to be exclusionary," the brand's website reads.
The brand also argues Stuart is "changing the face of modeling." The teenager lost almost 45 pounds through hip-hop dancing, cricket, swimming, and cheerleading in order to pursue her dream of becoming a model. Stuart is now realizing those dreams as seven other brands, including Pinup Girl Clothing, Mint and Chopsticks, and Tutuhot and Got Glam Cosmetics and Skincare, have also asked her to star in their campaigns.
'We've had a lot off offers and Maddy is loving it," her mother Rosanne told Daily Mail Australia. "I think it is time people realized that people with Down syndrome can be sexy and beautiful and should be celebrated."
