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| Lili Boglarka Havasi in a Fisher-Price commercial. |
IN a new commercial for the Fisher-Price Little People Sit ‘n Stand Skyway, Lili Boglarka Havasi claps and smiles as the cars zoom down the plastic raceway. It’s a typical toy ad except for one fact: Lili has Down syndrome.
While many advertisers over the years have featured people with disabilities from time to time, models with Down syndrome recently have become more visible. In addition to Lili, the 2-year-old model from Budapest featured in the Fisher-Price ad, people with Down syndrome have appeared in ads for Target, McDonald’s, the crafts chain A. C. Moore and the online retailer Zulily. Models with Down syndrome have even been spotted recently on New York catwalks.
Using models with Down syndrome or a physical disability allows advertisers to communicate their values and connect with customers, particularly millennials, who respond to inclusiveness and are looking for “authenticity” in advertising.
Teresa Gonzalez Ruiz, the vice president for brand marketing at Fisher-Price, said that the company began using child models with Down syndrome last year in response to the increasing diversity of its global customer base.
“The consumer mind-set has really changed,” she said. “Millennials are so in tune with causes. The biggest shift I’ve seen as a marketer is that in the past three to five years of talking to moms, they care about the product but they also really want to know where the company stands.”
Down syndrome, a chromosomal condition, carries physical traits including flat facial features, a small nose and an upward slant to the eyes. Parents of children with Down syndrome say it’s about time advertisers noticed the distinctive beauty of people with the condition.
“My goal is simply to raise awareness that these kids can be models, too, and then the world sees them,” said Meagan Nash of Buford, Ga., whose 15-month-old son, Asher, has Down syndrome and will soon be modeling for the OshKosh children’s clothing line.
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Meagan Nash’s son, Asher. Credit Crystal Barbee
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Ms. Nash said the fact that Asher has Down syndrome is not going to be the first thing people notice when they see the ad.
“They’re not going to say, ‘Oh, that boy has Down syndrome.’” she said. “They’re going to say, ‘Look at that jacket the boy is wearing in the ad.’”
Jamie Brewer, who had a recurring role on the TV show “American Horror Story,” last year became the first model with Down syndrome to walk in a New York Fashion Week runway show, modeling clothes for the designer Carrie Hammer, who regularly features unconventional models in her shows. This year, Jude Hass, a Texas teenager, became the first male model with Down syndrome to walk during Fashion Week. He was part of a fashion show that featured models with various disabilities.
“It has never been like the way it is now,” said Sara Hart Weir, president of the National Down Syndrome Society. “I don’t think there’s ever been a time before in which you would see an ad with a model with Down syndrome and a TV show” with an actor who also has Down syndrome.
In 2015, a group called Changing the Face of Beauty set out to find 15 retailers to commit to using models with disabilities in their advertisements. The group, spearheaded by Katie Driscoll of Chicago, who has a 7-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, secured commitments from more than 100 companies.
“We focus on what a smart business decision it is to include people with disabilities in advertisements,” Ms. Driscoll said. “You are essentially leaving a lot of money on the table, otherwise.”
Izzy Bradley, a 4-year-old from Stillwater, Minn., who has Down syndrome, has appeared in three Target ads in the last three years and has another in the works. Her mother, Heather Bradley, said the ads simply feature her child playing with toys and don’t “draw attention to the fact that she has Down syndrome.”
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| Izzy Bradley in a Target ad. |
A spokeswoman for Target, Jenna Reck, said the use of children with Down syndrome in its advertising is part of a “concerted effort” on the part of the chain’s creative team to reach out to various communities within its customer base.
“It does not happen on a whim,” Ms. Reck said. “Target always wants to reflect its customers. As society changes and people’s views change, Target reflects that in its advertising, including using models with disabilities and Down syndrome.”
Karrie Brown, who has Down syndrome, appeared in an ad for the Wet Seal clothing store chain three years ago when she was 17. She has since appeared in a training video for the Y.M.C.A. and landed a role in a short film.
“I am more than a clothes model. I’m a role model!” Karrie says.
