Instagram Launches Fashion Diversity Series: #RunwayForAll

“#RunwayForAll means living in a world without color,” says Londone Myers (@londonemyers), who is from Georgia and lives in New York City. “Growing up, it was so hard to relate to the Cindy Crawfords and Christy Turlingtons,” she says. “It’s great to no longer see so many models of color with straightened hair. Can you imagine if white models were made to perm their hair to achieve a completely different texture for every single shoot? Finally, society is embracing us for how we are naturally.” Londone has come a long way from her days of being bullied in school. “I was super insecure about my wide-set, mostly buck teeth,” she says. “@aggy_deyn and @lindseywixson taught me to just be myself. A model should be more of a force than a person.” Every day this week, we’ll be sharing the story of a model who is redefining industry standards and making sure there’s room on the #RunwayForAll. #Boomerang by @londonemyers

A video posted by Instagram (@instagram) on Jun 2, 2016 at 8:03am PDT

“#RunwayforAll is not so much about what we look like anymore but more about what we represent,” says Clémentine Desseaux (@bonjourclem), who grew up in France. “I was always way bigger and taller than everyone when I was growing up, and I had those freckles,” she says. “When I saw the first plus models out there, I started thinking about trying it out. At that point I had no idea it would take me to where I am now.” Three years ago, Clementine moved to New York with $2,000 to her name and never looked back. “My size and look were in the way of me feeling invincible when I was young,” she says. “I hope I was the last generation of women to think like that. Role model is the new top model.” Every day this week, we’ll be sharing the story of a model who is redefining industry standards and making sure there’s room on the #RunwayForAll. Photo of @bonjourclem by @emmaandhercamera

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on Jun 1, 2016 at 1:59pm PDT

“#RunwayForAll is a world where everyone is treated the same,” says Shaun Ross (@shaundross). When he started modeling nearly a decade ago, Shaun was the only male model of color with albinism. “I remember when I first entered the industry all I saw were models that looked the same,” he says. “Now here we are almost 10 years later, and I see the choice I’ve made has helped the industry to see beauty in many ways, such as casting models and rising icons like @winnieharlow, @jilly_peppa and more to help pk-callout the fight with me to diversity.” When he started, Shaun was one of a few openly gay models in the industry. “Agents always told male models to be masculine, but that was never the case for me. I never wanted to hide my sexuality,” he says. “I’d rather be myself.” Photo by @shaundross

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on May 31, 2016 at 8:02am PDT

“#RunwayForAll means any teenager feels represented when they open a magazine or watch a fashion show,” says Mama Cax (@caxmee). Mama grew up in Haiti, lives in New York City and never aspired to be a model — “not only because there were very few dark models on magazine covers but also because I grew up with very little knowledge of the fashion industry,” she says. “Eight years ago, after getting my leg amputated, the idea of being a model was even more far-fetched.” Today, Mama is modeling and doing other things that she was told there was no audience for, like sharing tips for traveling as a black female amputee. “The majority of humans do not look like the mainstream idea of beauty,” she says. “One of the greatest barriers is not belonging. Through modeling I hope to show that beauty does not always wear a size zero and beauty does not always walk on two limbs.” Every day this week, we’ll be sharing the story of a model who is redefining industry standards and making sure there’s room on the #RunwayForAll. Photo of @caxmee by @simonhuemaen

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on May 30, 2016 at 8:00am PDT

“#RunwayForAll means realizing that you have the ability to start a revolution,” says Jillian Mercado (@jilly_peppa), a creative director and model who is living with muscular dystrophy, a group of diseases that cause weakness and loss of muscle mass over time. “Growing up, I had a room full of magazines and collages and would spend hours at the library reading up on designers and dreaming about being a part of that world,” the Hispanic born-and-raised New Yorker says. “But when you realize that there isn’t a single person that looks like you, it’s very hard to aspire to actually make it a reality.” With self-determination like Jillian’s, it’s not impossible: she has modeled in global campaigns, with billboards in cities from Venice to Tokyo. “It was pretty historic to know that I broke that barrier of disability in mainstream fashion,” she says. “When you want something to be done, you might as well do it yourself. I’m basically being the role model that I was looking for when I was a young girl.” Every day this week, we shared the story of a model who is redefining industry standards and making sure there’s room on the #RunwayForAll. Photo by @jilly_peppa

A photo posted by Instagram (@instagram) on Jun 3, 2016 at 7:59am PDT

Earlier this week, Instagram dove into a subject in need of acknowledgment: diversity in fashion. Every day this week, the social media platform will post a model who’s “redefining industry standards,” as each post is captioned, with the hashtag, #RunwayForAll. With such a huge following (163 million, to be exact), Instagram is hoping to open a discussion about opening up the fashion world to the beauty of those who aren’t of “the norm.” It’s the perfect place for a discussion like this, with the platform being so saturated in only the Karlie Klosses and Gigi Hadids of the fashion world.

A one-sided fashion community leaves very little room for others to truly break through. #RunwayForAll sheds light on those who are taking their dreams into their own hands and fighting through the discrimination. The campaign kicked off with Mama Cax, a Haitian model whose leg was amputated at age 18. Following suit are models Shaun Ross, Clementine Desseaux, and Londone Myers.

Following Alexandra Ilyashov from Refinery29.com

Instagram’s fashion arts community lead tells Refinery 29, “Our goal is to highlight some of the bravest and most creative models on Instagram who are building their own audiences and telling their own stories. These breakout stars aren’t conforming to the industry’s traditional mold, and in fact, are redefining it.”

This is another big step for the game-changers of the fashion industry. Hopefully, with the strides that are being made, “diversity” will be actually be “normal.”