"Changing The Face of Beauty"

Link for my presentation:
Dropbox Presentation

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Everyday another child is born with such conditions as Down Syndrome, Prader Willi Syndrome and Autism which have no cure. Everyday a child that has no cure is judged negatively.  We as a society bring attention to such disorders through media outlets like television, cinema and advertising with one problem, children with these disorders are not sought after!  Instead, "real" actors are asked to step into these rolls with little to no knowledge of the disorder.

These children may not have a cure but many would not want one, they are unique in their own way.  Not all suffer.  Not all are highly dependent on family, in fact many are quite independent and have goals and career aspirations like acting.

Modeling and Talent agencies offer limited opportunities to people with special needs and people with disabilities.  These people are rarely featured in advertising thus closing the door to a consumer market that is so vast.

Hopefully with my established connection to Changing the Face of Beauty and proposal for Funny Face Today Inc. (a modeling agency) to incorporate Changing the Face of Beauty and open up a new division featuring people with special needs and disabilities we can catapult these talented people into mainstream America.

Delores Cortes, designer, told AdWeek "people with Down Syndrome are just as beautiful and deserve the same opportunities."  Her featured client is a little girl with Down Syndrome.

Valentina

The problem with media is not the media, it is us for allowing them to form these personalities we have.  It is our fault for allowing them such control over our lives.  We as a human race have the opportunity to change this.  How you ask, well the more we watch a certain show or film, the more we purchase tabloids, the more we post on social media about the horrendous things we see on film the more we allow media to continue creating this other world we go to in order to escape.  But why do we want to escape to such a bad world?  Stop and think before you choose to watch a certain show.  Stop and think before you purchase that tabloid.  STOP AND THINK!

Children with a pervasive development disorder like Autism are near and dear to my heart however, anyone who has been diagnosed with something that could cause them significant social harm because of the diagnosis I have a special place in my heart for them.  I am not sure exactly when it happened but I feel like this project has lead me to something I was meant to do in my future.

I hope to team up with Changing the Face of Beauty to help spread the word in NYC.  They are a company that seeks to update the modeling world.  No longer should it be plagued with this idea of perfectionism that is now.  What the world needs to see is what the world ACTUALLY looks like.  That means that we need to include those models and actors and singers and artists who might look different or who might act different because they are part of this world and they are not going anywhere.  It is time for them to have a voice.

Disabilities and disorders do not just affect you or me, it affects everyone, including those plastered all over the tabloid magazines.  People such as Colin Farrel, Holly Robinson Peete, Toni Braxton, Sara Palin, John Travolta (despite him not admitting to it due to his religion), Sylvester Stallone, Dan Marino, and Christopher Gorham just to name a few!

Hollywood has produced films depicting disabilities often seen in society like:

Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf (1966, psychiatric)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975, psychiatric)
Coming Home (1978, physical)
Rain Man (1988, Autism)
Silence of the Lambs (1991, psychiatric)
Forest Gump (1994, Mental Retardation/physical)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993, Mental Retardation)
Slingblade (1996, Mental Retardation)

Not one of these actors is affected by the disability they are trying to portray. 

Talent agencies should seek to recruit actors and models with disabilities and special needs.  It is a forum that they can market to their clients.  Recently Target and Nordstrom featured Ryan, a boy with Down Syndrome in their ad campaigns.

Lego, recently got some major publicity when a boy with Asperger's wrote to them after learning that a Lego set he had saved for was no longer on the market and that his $100 would no longer be what was needed to purchase this set as it was now a collectors edition selling for $250.  he explained his story to them and one day came home to a package.  The package was sent to him by Lego and it was the set he had wanted so much.  His mother posted the video to YouTube and it has received over 1 million views.  this shows that some clients do care but might be scared to advertise these children in a wrong way and then have it backlash on them.  I believe this campaign to get these models into agencies that have an established client list will be helpful to help the children with their confidence, the clients with more sales profits, the agencies with a larger revenue and us the advocates for inclusion into society a happy heart.

Toys 'R' Us has an official guide that describes different toays for different developmental needs at different ages.  They market it as a guide for differently-abled-kids and can be found here.


Video Links:

 

 

This video below is of one of the boys I have had the pleasure of becoming a a friend of.  he goes to a school  in Brooklyn and they wanted to do something good for shelter animals.  He is the narrator of the advertisement!!!

 

2012 America Adopts: The Block Institute

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Bibliography of images (also listed on powerpoint presentations)

 

Toni Braxton

Sara Palin and Trig

Dan Marino and Michael

Colin Farrell and James

Swimsuit model with DS

Ryan for Target