Madeline Stuart The first ever Professional super With Down Syndrome

Modeling is something we all do; we all have our own styles in clothing that we model. People judge everyone for how they dress but it’s your life to live so live it confidently!

1/31/2021 by Gazelle W. Chen

Madeline Stuart (born 13th November 1996) is a 24-year-old super model, actress, dancer, advocate, and role model from Brisbane, Australia. Madeline decided to become a model in 2014 when her mother, Rosanne Stuart, brought her to an Ekka (Queensland’s largest event showcasing the animal industry, local dance schools, and singers.) Madeline saw her first ever show there and instantly fell in love with it. She turned to her mother and told her she was going to be a model. And that is exactly what happened. The battle began: she started eating healthier and working out more, and she lost 20 kg altogether over three months. Shortly after that, Madeline’s mother brought her to a photoshoot, and when the pictures came back, they were great! Madeline and her mother posted the pictures online and they were viewed over 6.8 millon times within a day! Within three days people from all over the world were calling them asking Madeline to come model for them. Within the the first month she was asked to walk at New York fashion week. And in September 2015 Madeline walked her first runway in New York. The runway was the first spot that her mother felt Madeline was happy and loved by the world and said, “She is under the spotlight and everyone appreciates her.” Madeline has now modeled all over the world including , Russia, , China, New York and Dubai. She is the second person with Down Syndrome ever to walk the New York fashion week after her idol Jamie Brewer.

When Madeline was born, the doctors informed her mother that she had Down Syndrome and would not be able to live a full life to the same extent as other people, that Madeline would only ever mature to the level of a seven year old mentally, and that she would never amount to anything. The day that was supposed to be full of joy and happiness, the doctor had turned upside down for oblivious young 26 year old Rosanne Stuart. Rosanne shut down for three days, mulling over the fact that Madeline had Down Syndrome, and she would not see any visitors. Soon she decided that Madeline needed her and that no one would get in the way of Madeline persuing her dreams. Roseanne started to educate herself.

Madeline has Down Syndrome, trisomy 21 to be exact. Trisomy 21 is the most common type of the three types of Down Syndrome. It can cause both mental and physical challenges. It occurs when a person has an extra copy of the twenty-first chromosome. The other two types of Down Syndrome are translocation Down Syndrome, which is when each cell has part of the extra chromosome 21, and the third type of Down Syndrome is mosaic Down Syndrome, the most rare of the three, which happens when people have a mixture of cells. Some people have two copies of chromosome 21 and some people have three. Madeline has had many challenges such as her heart surgeries. At day ten of Madeline’s life she went into heart failure and by week 12 she underwent heart surgery to correct an ASD (atrial septal defect) and a VSD (ventricular septal defect). She had one other heart surgery early on in 2018. Unfortunately up to this day Madeline still has three holes in her heart and a leaky valve. She also has problems with her teeth: she has nine missing adult teeth, and when they grind out she will have to get implants. But Madeline’s biggest challenge has been communication. She can understand everything people are saying but people do not always understand what she is trying to say. This is because her muscle tone is stronger and it makes it harder for her to speak, as well as having limited speech.

Many people disregard Madeline because she has Down Syndrome, but the truth is that people with Down Syndrome fight for their dreams just as hard as people without Down Syndrome if not harder and achieve just as many goals. “We resolve any problem we face in the fashion world using the same technique: we show kindness when dealing with kind people and defend what is right,” Madeline told Tiny Hand, “Me and my mother posted the before and after pictures to encourage people with Down Syndrome to lead a happy healthy life.”

Though she has had many struggles during her life, Madeline has shown us all that we can always follow even our wildest dreams. She is a world wide sensation and has now gained 850,000 followers on social media. Modeling has been her dream for many years but it is not the only thing she uses to inspire people. In 2017 she started her own clothing line “21 Reasons Why”. She named it both after the 21st chromosome that defines when a person has Down Syndrome, as well as named it after her age, since she turned twenty-one that year. She has also helped organize the InsideOutside Dance Ensemble, which is a dance school that supports young people of all different levels and abilities who join the dance industry to have fun, make friends, and get fit. Madeline is not only opening new things, she also has modeling contracts signed with both Manifesta (a fitness wear brand) and Evermaya (a handbag brand).

Even though Madeline is making headlines all over the world, she does in fact have a social life outside of modeling (a fact about models many people forget). The latest relationship data I could find was from February 2016 when Madeline and her boyfriend of two years, Robbie Streeting, went back to the place where it all started, Dreamland. This is one of Queensland’s most popular theme parks, where Madeline and Robbie had their first date on Valentine’s Day and where they held hands and shared soft drinks. Robbie admitted that he had had a crush on Madeline since 2011 when they first met at a special Olympics event. Though it is hard to find in-depth information on the couple, there was news that they had planned to marry in the upcoming years.

Madeline Stuart is one of the most inspiring people in the modeling industry at the moment. She has millions of social media fans, she has time to put in seven gym days a week, she is an international super model, she has opened a dance school, she has started her own clothing line, she has managed to maintain a social life, she has kept on good terms with her family and she has Down Syndrome!

References

Inspirational Story: Prettiest Model, Madeline Stuart By Hadil Arja https://tinyhand.shorthandstories.com/-inspirational-story-madeline/index.html

Madeline Stuart: diversity advocate and the world’s first Down’s Syndrome model

By Emma Purcell (20/03/2020) https://disabilityhorizons.com/2020/03/madeline-stuart-we-speak-to-the-downs- Syndrome-disabled-model-and-diversity-advocate/

This model with Down Syndrome is taking the fashion industry by storm

By marilisaraccoglobal, Global News

https://globalnews.ca/news/4443239/model-with-down-Syndrome-madeline-stuart/

This Australian fashion model is in high demand. She also has Down Syndrome

By Cathy Free (11/02/2019) https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/02/11/this-australian-fashion-model-is- high-demand-she-also-has-down-Syndrome/

Madeline Stuart Model with Down Syndrome to Undergo Open-Heart Surgery Following Heart Failure

By Maura Hohman (10/12/2018) https://people.com/health/madeline-stuart-model-with-down-Syndrome-open- heart-surgery-after-heart-failure/

Brisbane model Madeline Stuart returns to where her international career began

By Anna Hartley (24/06/2019) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-25/brisbane-model-madeline-stuart-returns- home/11340100

Model Maddy’s more in love than ever

BY LIZZIE WILSON (15/02/2016) https://www.nowtolove.com.au/news/real-life/madeline-stuart-celebrates-two-years- with-her-boyfriend-31342

Ain't young love grand? Madeline Stuart, Australia's first model with Down Syndrome, reveals her romance

BY BLAKE NADILO 20/10/2015) https://www.nowtolove.com.au/relationships/relationship-advice/meet-madeline- stuarts-boyfriend-robbie-streeting-31644

One of the world's first models with Down Syndrome still can't get signed by a high-end agency

By Anna Medaris Miller (7/02/2020) https://www.insider.com/professional-model-down-Syndrome-cant-be-signed-by-top- agency-2020-2