Beyonce is known for taking a stand for people of all different sexualities, genders, and backgrounds through her music, her actions, and her performances. But earlier this week she added another group of people to that roster by featuring a model with muscular dystrophy as a merch model on her website. Model Jillian Mercado announced the exciting news on twitter with a screen shot of Bey’s website. She was immediately congratulated by her thousands of followers.
All this press on my announcement on Beys site is truly surreal & amazing. Now how about we fix that word bound…#learnsomethingneweveryday
— Jillian Mercado (@jilly_peppa) March 17, 2016
Mercado, represented by IMG Worldwide Models, isn’t new to the world of modeling, having been photographed for Diesel Jeans and Nordstrom previously. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and runs her own website where she writes about style, events, and her experiences in the fashion industry.
This endeavor of Beyonce and Mercado’s is a huge step forward for those with disabilities who want to get into the fashion industry. Mercado herself has often said that she never thought she’d be able to model because she never saw someone like herself being featured while she was growing up. She thought that because she was in a wheelchair, the idea of modeling was a far off dream that she’d never achieve. It seems as though she was wrong though, because she’s definitely killing the scene.
Shortly after her announcement, Mercado took to twitter again and used her moment to bring awareness others like herself, and called for an end to the use of the term “wheelchair-boud.”
You can check out the merch and purchase the exact clothing Mercado is photographed wearing on Bey’s website.