With Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, Melissa Blake is a lady who suffers from a genetic bone ailment. Despite the fact that she was warned that her impairment would prevent her from ever becoming a model, she never stopped pursuing her dream of becoming a model. She was finally able to model during New York Fashion Week after many years had passed.
As a journalist, Melissa Blake covers a wide range of topics, including pop culture, relationships, popular culture, and disabilities. There is a genetic bone and muscular condition known as Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, which Blake was born with.
Approximately twenty-six surgical procedures have been performed on the journalist’s knees, hands, hips, and spine. Blake’s desire of becoming a model was something she had always had, despite the difficulties that her condition presented. She claimed that she had spent her childhood reading all of the widely circulated glossy publications, but she had never encountered anyone who looked like her.
Blake’s ambitions were dashed when she was a youngster when she was told that she would never be able to become a model due to the fact that she had a disability. The unfavorable comments remained in her mind for a considerable amount of time.
It was more than just a manner of putting an end to her dreams that she was discouraged. The fact that it propagated the narrow-minded notion that disabled people do not have a place in the fashion and beauty industry was another element that was quite upsetting.
Blake had no idea that she would soon become one of the individuals who contributed to changing the narrative of disabled persons in the fashion business. These individuals helped shift the narrative. Approximately twenty years later, the 42-year-old woman witnessed the realization of her dream.
She was a model for Zappos’s new adaptive apparel collection, which she promoted during New York Fashion Week by walking the runway. Due to the fact that Blake was practicing modeling during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had the opportunity to be a part of a significant transitional period in the globe.
It was highlighted by the journalist that a reformation of beauty standards was long overdue, despite the fact that she acknowledged that the pandemic was a vulnerable moment for disabled people, leaving them with limited access to health care and other requirements. Therefore, she felt a sense of pride in being one of the faces of this revolution in the fashion industry during this time.
In addition, she stated that the epidemic not only altered the way people lived their lives, but it also brought about a revolution in the manner in which individuals express themselves through the apparel they wear.
Filming of Blake’s walk down the runway took place in the convenience of her own home. All twenty-five models were featured in unique videos that showcased their fashionable attire and included personal narratives about their experiences of living with impairments. These narratives also included the models’ thoughts on what it meant for them to be a part of the process of developing spaces for people with disabilities.
Seeing the fashion business becoming more welcoming to people of all backgrounds was a source of great excitement for the journalist. She was thrilled to see non-profit groups like Runway of Dreams, which Mindy Scheier had founded, because she had looked back at the way beauty magazines only depicted a specific sort of woman.
The muscular dystrophy condition was present at birth in Scheier’s son. After he reached a certain age, he desired to wear clothes that were comparable to those worn by individuals his age; nevertheless, he discovered that he had difficulty opening the buttons and zippers on those outfits.
By this point, it was very evident that disabled individuals did not have access to a sufficient amount of clothing that was both fashionable and useful. Furthermore, in order to promote inclusive apparel, Scheier’s group makes use of events such as New York Fashion Week. “So About What I Said…” is a blog that Blake uses to discuss the experience of finding love as a person who lives with disabilities. Although Blake looks up to people like Scheier, she also uses her blog to delve into the topic.
Many reputable websites, such as Psychology Today, have benefited from her insights. Additionally, the title refers to the provision of the opportunity for individuals to revisit and rectify or explain incorrect statements that may have been made at an inappropriate moment.
When confronted by bullies online, Blake never fails to defend himself. Three photographs were uploaded by the blogger in the year 2019. As a form of retaliation against those who had posted unpleasant comments, she included the following caption: “During the most recent round of trollgate, people said that I should be banned from posting photos of myself because I’m too ugly.”
Blake looked back at her tweet three years later and remembered it with another clap back, saying, “Because of you, I blossomed instead of withering, took up space instead of hiding.” Her tweet went viral that year. According to what she wrote, “I’m still standing…and rolling!”
