Model with Down Syndrome lands beauty campaign

Beauty & Pin-ups, a haircare line, has announced Katie Meade as the face of its new "Fearless" campaign, making her the first woman with Down Syndrome to star in a beauty campaign.

"The Beauty & Pin-Ups brand is a celebration of the empowerment of a woman. As soon as we came up with the name ‘Fearless’ it was really easy, we were like, ‘Well Katie’s fearless,’" Beauty & Pin-Ups CEO Kenny Kahn was quoted as saying in PeopleStyle.

Meade is known for her strength in dealing with a number of challenges; from battling with a myriad of health problems in her childhood to even undergoing two open-heart surgeries.

Despite the challenges and being teased for her condition, she became a Special Olympics athlete and won a gold medal for the balance beam.

She is also an ambassador for Best Buddies, the world’s largest organisation dedicated to ending the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200-million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Meade shared her joy at being chosen as the new face of the haircare line in an interview with People.

"It’s pretty cool because I love being a part of the Beauty & Pin-ups family, and I love being apart of Best Buddies and interacting with people. People see me for who I am and they see me not as someone with a disability, but that I have ability. And I like to try new different things and I inspire women to do that," she told the publication.