Meet The First Person With Down Syndrome To Be The Face Of A Beauty Brand

"Beauty belongs to everyone."

Meet Katie Meade, the first person with Down syndrome to be the face of a beauty campaign.

Meade, who is 32 and from Iowa, is a global ambassador for Best Buddies, a non-profit that promotes one-on-one friendships between people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and volunteer "buddies."

She met Kenny Kahn, the CEO of haircare company Beauty & Pin-Ups, in July through Best Buddies, and they "instantly became family and friends," Kahn told BuzzFeed.

Beauty & Pin-Ups

"As soon as we said [the new haircare line] was going to be called Fearless, we said, 'There's nobody more fearless than Katie. She's the next pin-up," Kahn said.

And yeah, she's pretty amazing.

"I'm confident in myself," Meade told BuzzFeed. "I want to inspire everybody to feel good about themselves, like I do right now. I want to share my story of what being fearless means to me."

Beauty & Pin-Ups

Meade had never modeled before, but had acquired a love of fashion and beauty from her two sisters and her aunt.

"My sisters love fashion and beauty…and when we get together, they help me decide on clothes and shoes," she said. "We have fun together, laugh about it, listen to music and get ready together."

Meade's aunt, who uses a wheelchair and loves to do her hair and makeup, also helped her realize that beauty and disability can go hand-in-hand.

Beauty & Pin-Ups

The reaction to the campaign so far has been overwhelmingly positive.

"It's amazing. It's crazy. It's unreal," said Meade. "I look at the comments and I feel like I am making a difference in the world."

A portion of all Beauty & Pin-Ups proceeds will go towards Best Buddies.

Beauty & Pin-Ups

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