Model and talent agent Anja Christoffersen explains why real humans and real stories need to fuel fashion’s moves toward inclusion.
“I didn’t know we had to see that in our face. And now we’re going to have to look forward to campaigns where women that are in wheelchairs are now wearing bras and underwear because, we, as a society, just cannot get to the bottom of our ridiculousness.”
These are the words of Candace Owens - a media empress with an Instagram following of 4.5 million - referring to seeing models in their wheelchairs featured in Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS adaptive underwear campaign.
Can disabled people not wear bras and underwear now, Candace? Not even ones designed for us?
Despite Candace’s abhorrent comment, she highlights a societal truth: people with disability haven’t been seen much in the mainstream before. This is changing, but the industry is experiencing some very public growing pains.
When I first started modelling I faced rejection because of my scars. I tried hiding them from casting directors with concealer, and by not declaring my disability. This allowed me to start booking work, however, I struggled with the long days, physical demands and resulting hospital trips.
Despite these challenges, I had breakthroughs. At 17 years of age I walked Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Amsterdam. At 20, I placed 1st Runner Up in Miss Grand Australia, the world’s third largest beauty pageant. Reflecting on my career, I’ve had greater success as a mainstream model than being cast as “diverse” talent.
But I can see the industry is changing to reflect the mood of the community - which wants to see more diversity (despite Ms Owen’s fury).
Some brands get diversity right. Universal Store captured the essence of their models – disabled and non-disabled – beautifully in its ‘We’re Proud of You’ Campaign. Other brands have awoken to their corporate social responsibility – and the consumer buying power of people with disability and their allies – and are harnessing inclusion as a strategy, rather than a company value.
The trick is to ensure the drive toward diversity is truly authentic. Levi’s faced fierce criticism last week when it said plans to use AI-generated images of models were so that it could better reflect consumers of all “size and body type, age and skin colour”. Social media was filled with people who weren’t buying it. They argued that using fake people to represent real ones doesn’t encourage diversity – it impounds it by bypassing the very community it seeks to represent.
Creating a disabled model using AI may be easier than casting one, but brands cannot learn from someone that does not exist. And communities cannot relate to, or be represented by, someone that does not exist. This is not a case of fake it til you make it (inclusive).
To be truly diverse and inclusive, the fashion industry requires systemic change. It needs to design adaptively, improve casting processes and choices, story-tell in campaigns and hire disabled creatives and models – integrating accessibility from how we shoot to how we shop.
My hope is that we see more genuine moves – and modelling – in this direction. And that by doing so, we’ll hear less outrage from Insta-empresses, shocked by the concept of a disabled person wearing a bra.
Anja Christoffersen
Anja Christoffersen is one of Australia's most distinctive voices on disability and human-centred design. Born with a complex rare disability, she has spent her career building inclusive systems from the inside – as a researcher, co-design practitioner, and consumer health leader. She is the author of Behind The Smile and editor of In Crowd magazine.