By Chip Compton

Quick, name the first fashion models who come to mind! Well, who is on your list? Probably some combination of Gisele Bundchen, Miranda Kerr and Kate Upton, right? Maybe Tyson Beckford was throw in there. It’s only natural that you would think of them. After all, their faces are everywhere.

But what about Jillian Mercado? You have probably seen her but don’t know who she is. Mercado was featured by Diesel in its spring 2014 ads, and she can be seen in Nordstrom’s July catalog. Kind of regular fashion-model stuff, huh? Not really. That’s because Mercado has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair.

Jillian Mercado has drawn praise for her work with Diesel.

Emilia Taguchi (Down syndrome), Alex Minsky (prosthetic leg) and Shaholly Ayers (born without her right arm below the elbow) joined Mercado in the Nordstrom catalog. And they are part of a momentum-gaining trend to use disabled models in ads. The interesting thing is that their differences aren’t highlighted as much as the sameness that we all share.

Nordstrom has been somewhat of a leader in the hiring of models with disabilities. As a matter of fact, it has been doing it since 1997. In an article on NewsObserver.com titled “Nordstrom Ads Feature Models with Disabilities,” Beth J. Harpaz writes, “Hiring professional models with disabilities has become so much a part of the Seattle-based company’s DNA that its regular customers may not even realize how unusual it is.”

Harpaz goes on to quote Nordstrom spokeswoman Tara Darrow as saying, “[Using the models is] really about reflecting the customers and communities we serve. We serve diverse customers, and it’s an opportunity for them to see themselves when they’re looking through the book or online. … We don’t promote it or go out and talk about it. We just think they look great.”

Harpaz also quotes Meg O’Connell, a partner at the consulting firm Global Disability Inclusion, as saying, “[Nordstrom] is a leader in this space and has been a long-standing supporter of disability inclusion not only in their advertising but also in employment and accessibility in their stores.”

And while Nordstrom may be one of the leaders in this trend, it’s hardly alone. Take Toys R Us, for example. The toy store colossus has been producing its Toy Guide for Differently Abled Children since 1994, according to Carolyn Castiglia on Babble.com. She writes that the guide is “billed as an easy-to-use resource featuring toys specially selected based on research from the National Lekotek Center that encourage play for children with physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities.”

“Hiring professional models with disabilities has become so much a part of the Seattle-based company’s DNA that its regular customers may not even realize how unusual it is.”

Castiglia was skeptical. She writes, “At first, I assumed this catalog was simply a marketing ploy, since after all, it’s filled with the same toys that are in the regular catalog. But once I saw that each toy included in the guide was evaluated individually to determine its ability to help special needs children learn and grow, coupled with the care Toys ‘R’ Us took to interview the families of the children featured, my cynicism softened.”

And sure, the guide features children with special needs, but as Ellen Seidman, who writes the blog Love That Max, says in Castiglia’s article, “The more kids see that kids with special needs are still kids, the less they’ll notice the differences.”

J.C. Penney has taken a different tack in regard to this issue, going so far as to use mannequins that “not only represent real bodies, but have been modeled after realpeople,” according to the Huffington Post’s Jamie Feldman in his story “7 Reasons the Real J.C. Penney Mannequins Are Way Overdue.”

The mannequins portray a positive body image by displaying a variety of body types. These include a mannequin in a wheelchair and one with a prosthetic leg. Feldman explains that the “idea was originally brought to life for a Today show series, ‘Love Your Selfie.’” Obviously, self-esteem and inspiration come in all shapes and forms.

And speaking of inspiration, one usually doesn’t expect to find it in a battery ad, but Duracell gives you just that in its “Trust Your Power” spot, featuring Seattle Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman.

What makes this ad different (and inspirational) is that Coleman is the NFL’s first legally deaf offensive player, plus he narrates the gripping and powerful 60-second spot. As AdWeek.com’s Tim Nudd writes, “Coleman tells his own story of being picked on as a kid, being told he could never make it — and being passed over by the NFL draft.”

In the ad, Coleman says, “They didn’t call my name, told me it was over. But I’ve been deaf since I was 3, so I didn’t listen.” This seems like plenty for the hearing-able to mull over, but then Nudd writes that Coleman told the Sporting News (about the Duracell ad), “They came to me and said they liked my story, and I said, ‘OK, I want to join up. I just hope to inspire people, especially children, to trust the power within and achieve their dreams.’”

Mission accomplished, Derrick. Mission accomplished.

But these ads are more than mere feel-good stories. They are feel-good business stories. That is if companies are in the business of recognizing the diversity that is everywhere. Harpaz elaborates in her story: “O’Connell [of Global Disability Inclusion] said people with disabilities represent a significant marketing opportunity, with $225 billion in discretionary spending, and ‘companies that understand this will have an advantage.’”

And what about the models themselves? Jillian Mercado has drawn praise for her work with Diesel. In an Arnold J. Karr article for Women’s Wear Daily, Diesel’s fashion director Nicola Formichetti says, “She’s totally fearless and has really been an inspiration to me. You don’t have to be a conventional model type to represent a brand.”

And what does Mercado say? In 2013 she told the Daily Beast website, “I work equally as hard as everyone else does in this industry, and my chair doesn’t give me permission to slack off. My passion is equal to yours.” And in her fashion blog, Manufactured 1987, in regard to Diesel, she writes, “Thank you for giving me a chance of a lifetime and believing in me. This is beyond everything.”

Being treated equally. Being given a chance. Having someone believe in her. Mercado isn’t different from any of us. She is exactly the same.

Chip Compton
Copy Editor
BMDG

Photo and video: NewsObserver.com, Women’s Wear Daily, Babble.com and YouTube