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| Model With One Arm Wants to Increase Diversity in Modeling: 'I Never Considered Myself as Disabled' |
"I never advised myself as disabled," Knox, 31, tells PEOPLE. "Growing up, we never acclimated the word; my arm is allotment of me, just like every added allotment is."
So the London-based Knox was a bit afraid if she heard about a absoluteness appearance in the U.K. aimed at humans who are "beautiful, disabled and feel you could be the next Naomi Campbell or Kate Moss" aback in 2008.
"I acquainted absorbed because I never advised myself as disabled," Knox says. "I capital to prove disabled humans can be beautiful, fashionable, strong, able and capable."
Knox absitively to enter, and took home the acme in the show's alone season.
"I was a absolutely altered getting aback again – I had no acquaintance of affliction or modelling," she says. "It opened up a accomplished new apple and afire a affection I never knew existed."
But modelling and getting in the spotlight was the absolute fit for the assured Knox. It was the blow of the industry that bare to bolt up.
"I acquainted an burning affiliation with the camera and capital to claiming it. Appearance is a boxy industry – you charge to be strong," Knox says.
"To al of a sudden be labelled as disabled was added difficult to get my arch around."
And she ran into critics aboriginal on.
"I acquainted the apple was not accessible for a archetypal like me," Knox says. "I bethink a archetypal saying, 'New York Appearance Week would rather bake down again see a disabled archetypal on the runway.' "
But Knox bound grew a following. She's alone anytime been on two castings in her career – anytime since, casting admiral accept contacted her anon because they capital to cover Knox in their campaigns.
And now, she thinks the tides are axis in the modelling world.
"More brands, agents and appearance houses are affable affliction into their world," Knox says. "Diversity is trendy, assortment is cool, and assortment sells."
But to advice the appearance industry bolt up a little quicker, Knox, forth with her agent, Lisa Balcombe, launched the Assortment Not Affliction attack at the end of January.
"When humans anticipate about assortment in fashion, they anticipate about colour, size, and transgender – never disability," Knox says. "It needs to be allotment of the assortment calendar – for the change of fashion."
And Knox is already authoritative advance – she'll airing in London Appearance Week – and yes, New York Appearance Week – this fall.
"I am on a mission to accomplish the apple a added inclusive, inspirational, absolute and according abode to be – one photo-shoot at a time."
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