Using plus-sized mannequins inside stores and having curvy models walk the ramp during fashion shows is just the first step any brand can take to promote inclusivity. For example, last year Barbie launched dolls with vitiligo and prosthetic legs to challenge the conventional idea of beauty and promote representation.
NY Post reports that British brand ASOS recently featured model Natasha Ghouri, who was born deaf, for their earrings where she can be seen wearing a cochlear implant on her right ear. Take a look.
A lot of people get confused between hearing aids and cochlear implants using the terms interchangeably. However, Natasha has clarified the matter on Twitter.
ALSOOO just for confusion – this is a cochlear implant which is more advanced than hearing aids x
— Natasha ghouri (@GhouriNatasha) April 14, 2021
I’m also modelling their clothes etc! So not just doing earrings which is the biggest achievement I’ve done! Proving out there that no matter what disability you’ve got.. you can do it 🤍
— Natasha ghouri (@GhouriNatasha) April 14, 2021
People who themselves wear hearing aids or cochlear implants and try to hide them with their hair said that this would help in making them less self-conscious and more confident. Parents with kids who faced similar issues hoped that this inclusion becomes mainstream by the time they grew up.
Definitely not crying because of @ASOS using an earring model with a hearing aid 😭 It's the first time I've ever seen a model with a hearing impairment, let alone an earring model and its so refreshing to see this kind of representation for people like me 😍
— asia (@asiasmith_16) April 13, 2021
A small change with a massive impact for those with a hearing impairment & also those that don’t as it normalises something which is hardly unusual anyway. My daughter has never been self conscious but I’ve worried about the teenage years, this will definitely help. Thanks @asos https://t.co/8Mvn7uyc0V pic.twitter.com/l0Ce8t8iBx
— Alison Stewart (@PtchwrkPedagogy) April 15, 2021
Really wish 10 year old me could have seen this! I thought my Hearing Aids were pretty cool until classmates told me they weren’t. Representation is SO important! 🦻🦻🦻 Thank you @ASOS https://t.co/AZk6Izojrl
— Emily Hirst (@emily_hirst0910) April 15, 2021
This is amazing!! Always been so insecure about my hearing aids 🥺 https://t.co/EahLJynTem
— El 🦋✨💕 (@Eliseviolet1) April 15, 2021
There was a time when wearing glasses at school would result in merciless teasing or shunning. Especially if they were NHS glasses. Attitudes can change. So there’s hope, thankfully 😅
— Karen Griffiths (@GriffKaren) April 15, 2021
This is amazing! My 5 year old daughter has BL hearing aids, and I really hope that as she grows up this becomes more and more mainstream ❤
— Amy Louise Day (@Amy_Louise_82) April 14, 2021
Well done @ASOS for their positive decision to include Natasha, a model with a cochlear implant, on their website. We still have a long way to go but great to see such refreshing & empowering representation & embracing a positive inclusion agenda https://t.co/VpEQlfp5Tb @Femail
— Richard Kramer (@RichardKSense) April 15, 2021
Normalising wearing a hearing aid/cochlear implant for young people is what we’re here to see. I can’t even tell you how alien it was to some people when I was growing up, the jokes and comments were often and brutal.
I’m all for this @ASOS https://t.co/8sozlNGbpC
— Charlotte Ashton (@charlxtteashton) April 16, 2021
Natasha also took to Instagram to thank everyone for their support and kind messages after the earring photo went viral saying,
“Thanks so much for all of your kind messages WOW. It may just be an ear but it means so much more – like what @rnid_uk said representation matters, and I’m bloody proud to represent my community. Biggest love to @asos for welcoming me in and breaking boundaries as this will really help and inspire people out there.”
If every brand promotes inclusivity, pretty soon we’ll stop talking about “model-like looks” and start seeing everyday people with scars, stretch marks, glasses, acne, implants and prosthetics as models, because real beauty is multifaceted.