In 2008 one of the BBC channels launched the reality show "Britain’s Missing Top Model," a reality series in which eight women with disabilities competed for a modeling contract and Marie Claire cover photo. Kelly Knox was named the winner, but the show ran only one season due to a controversy over what many viewers considered to be the exploitive nature of the competition.
For Hawaii model Shaholly Ayers, it instead offered just one more example of the public’s discomfort with the disabled and the desire to keep them invisible. It was enough to drive the taciturn woman, born without her right arm below the elbow, to finally speak out.
"There was a lot of radio talk about it, with people saying, ‘This is cruel; why are they doing this to these girls,’ even though these women were aware of what they were signing up for. The viewers couldn’t see the beauty beyond the handicap.
"Just because you’re missing an arm doesn’t make you less beautiful or capable of doing things."
She’s joined Debbie van der Putten, a London- and Amsterdam-based model who is the spokeswoman for Models of Diversity, in advocating for the disabled. On Saturday the two models will begin a Los Angeles media tour to help put a face to disability in fashion. Van der Putten lost her right arm above the elbow in a bus crash in the south of France seven years ago and is represented by the Ben Barry Agency, which has a roster of diverse models that include plus-size women.
It wasn’t so long ago that black, Hispanic, Asian, elderly and plus-size models were rarely seen in ad campaigns. In a business that aims for perfection, supermodel Cindy Crawford had trouble entering the business in the early 1980s because of a prominent mole above her lip, which was airbrushed out of photos until editors decided it made her distinctive from other models.
Ayers grew up in Oregon with three brothers, doing everything they could, "so I grew up naturally thinking I was OK," she said. Missing a limb didn’t stop her from dreaming, like many little girls, about one day becoming a model.
As a child she had no problems making friends. "I couldn’t get kids off me. They were always playing with my arm or hanging off my arm. It wasn’t until junior high that it became an issue, and the prejudice wasn’t limited to my peers, but also teachers. I was in track and field, and one coach called me the one-armed freak.
"There were some dark times. Around seventh grade I got really depressed."
She did some modeling in Oregon before moving in 2004 to Hawaii, where she was told by a modeling agency, "You will never model, no photographers will ever take your picture" because of her missing arm.
"I cried. I got really upset, but I didn’t let it discourage me. I was upset for two days, then said I’m gonna try, I have to try, because that’s been my whole life story. I keep having to prove myself."
On her own, Ayers teamed with photographers to build her portfolio. She worked with boutiques and has appeared in print ads for Milk & Honey, Catherine’s Closet and disFUNKshion magazine. She also did runway work for Milk & Honey and came close to appearing on "America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 13" in 2009, rising to the top 20 out of 2,000 women who had entered the competition, but not making the final cut of 12 models.
These days, Ayers said she has no problems finding photographers who want to work with her, but in at least half the photos, her missing arm is hidden. Although she also has a prosthetic arm, she said she prefers not to use it, and would love it if people could accept seeing her missing limb.
Ayers also has worked with children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries and amputees as a volunteer at Shriners Hospital for Children, reinforcing her mission to spread awareness and knowledge about people with disabilities.
"We’re not usually covered in mainstream media, but people are going to see more disabilities with soldiers coming back from war. I would love for kids to not be afraid of me, and parents have a role in instilling compassion and kindness, not fear, in their children."
