A girl born with a curved spine defies expectations to become a fashion model before quitting after realising she was sending a superficial message.
Birmingham beauty Ayesha Jones, 24, was once told by her own doctor that she was “a pretty girl with an ugly back” – a callous remark which left the then teenager shattered.
As if to prove the insensitive doctor wrong, Ayesha, who suffers from severe scoliosis – a medical condition which causes an abnormal curvature of the spine – pursued a career in modelling.
The striking beauty enjoyed some success but after being turned away from a photo shoot in London by a photographer who didn’t like the curve in her back, the British stunner realised she was using modelling as a way to validate herself.
“Looking back, modelling was a way to prove that I was beautiful,” Ayesha told Express.uk.
“I didn’t want the doctor’s remarks to come true.*
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“I worked my socks off to become a model and put all my efforts into proving that in spite of my back, I was just as hot as everyone else.”
Ayesha eventually quit modelling and is now a visual artist.
Through her photography the brave beauty is trying to spread a message of body diversity and show other scoliosis sufferers that it’s alright to be different.
“My body is my shell and as long as it is healthy, I’m good,” she said.
“I want to inspire other young women to do something meaningful rather than just want to look attractive for a living.”
Ayesha told Express.uk she has a message to all young women out there who are struggling with their differences:
“Don’t believe the adverts when they tell you that you need to change to be accepted,” she said.
“Scoliosis made me take the focus off my body and into myself. Once I accepted that I couldn’t alter my body, I felt a lot happier in who I was.”
And while Ayesha’s story is inspiring, she’s not the only model defying the norms and challenging the boundaries of fashion’s body diversity.
Check out these brave people who prove that the best kind of beauty comes from within.
British beauty Ayesha Jones is an advocate for beauty diversity and trying to show other scoliosis sufferers that it’s alright to be different. PHOTO: Twitter.
Ayesha Jones in her modelling heyday. PHOTO: Twitter.
Canadian model Chantelle Brown-Young, who suffers from rare skin condition vitiligo, has been announced as the new face of Spanish designer Desigual. PHOTO: Instagram.
Chantelle Brown-Young first made waves in the fashion world when she was a contestant on America’s Next top Model. PHOTO: Instagram.
I-D magazine was praised when it featured a fashion spread with world-class Paralympians, Jonnie Peacock and Stefanie Reid, both of whom have had one leg amputated above the knee. PHOTO: I-D magazine.
Stefanie Reid also featured in a fashion campaign for UK department store, Debenhams earlier this year. PHOTO: Debenhams.
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