I fell victim to the ugly prejudice of f ickle fashionistas
Model rejected ‘due to disability’, but now she fulfils dream
WITH her long hair, dazzling smile and slender physique she is the epitome of modern-day beauty.
But to fulfil her dream of being a model, Caitlyn Fulton had to defy disability and prejudice.
For the Scots teenager has cerebral palsy, uses a wheelchair and also has a stammer.
When she wrote to modelling agencies, her letters went unanswered. But now the 17-year-old has signed up to the UK’s first agency for people with disabilities, and this weekend she took part in her first photoshoot in London.
Although she is sworn to secrecy about the identity of the client, the agency she works for has contracts with High Street names including River Island.
Caitlyn said: ‘I decided to go into modelling because I wanted to make a change, to encourage others to do whatever they want to do, regardless of the barriers.
‘And I want to change the way things are in the fashion industry, to change what the norms are – because diversity is what fashion is about.
‘I believe I was rejected from other agencies because of my wheelchair – and I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to others.’
Caitlyn was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was 11 months old, after she took longer than expected to roll and sit up. The condition affects the part of her brain that controls balance and movement and as a child she needed a walking frame.
Aged nine, her legs became too painful to walk on, struggling to support her as she grew.
A year later she had several debilitating operations to insert plates in her legs and she has had to use a wheelchair since.
Caitlyn said: ‘The recovery was much longer than I anticipated – I was off school for six months. I spent a lot of my time watching fashion shows and reading clothing magazines – I wanted to become a fashion designer back then. Last year I decided I wanted to be the one showcasing the fashion, not designing it, so I chose to pursue modelling.’
The teenager developed a stammer when she was aged 11. She said: ‘I can remember vividly the moment my stammer came.
‘I was in primary six. I was doing group work, and it was my turn to talk. I began speaking, and something wasn’t right. It was really difficult to talk and to get my words out. I couldn’t do it properly. I have had a stammer ever since. I hate having it, it knocks my confidence and holds me back.
‘But modelling helps it a lot, as I feel confident and empowered, and it distracts me from how I sound.’
This year Caitlyn applied to agencies around Britain but did not receive one reply. She said: ‘I think the reason behind that was the wheelchair – it put them off.
‘I had experienced that before, when I went to high school. Friends I’d made at primary school left me out in secondary school, because I was disabled.
‘Luckily I am fortunate enough now to have a group of true friends who love me for who I am. Modelling agencies should be the same. When I got no replies, I thought, “this just shouldn’t be the case”. I wanted to do something about it, so I applied to Zebedee Management and they said replied and told me I might be what they were looking for.
‘I then travelled to London for a test shoot, and shortly afterwards I was signed.
‘One of my main goals would be to do a catwalk – because it would really show people that anyone can do it. I want people to know that it doesn’t matter what you look like, we are all the same in the end.’
Zoe Proctor, 43, a former model, and Laura Johnson, 34, from Sheffield, set up Zebedee this year.
They represent an impressive list of clients including James Shaw, 21, a world-class wheelchair tennis star, and have models working with big names including Disney.
They also have works in the pipeline with high-end designer-name brands, as well as with casting directors for advertising, television and film.
Meanwhile, Caitlyn will travel to London for her first shoot with them this weekend for an undisclosed project.
Mrs Johnson said: ‘Caitlyn came to one of our shoots and she was amazing. It was as though she had been modelling for years and she also has a great personality.
‘We want our models to have access to the same briefs non-disabled people have. No other industries could discriminate in this way and we want to challenge this.’
‘My friends love me for who I am’