Asher Nash, The Boy Who Was Told He Couldn’t Work In Advertising
Asher Nash is 15 months old. When you have a camera in front of you, your vibrant and beautiful face lights up with happiness. He is blond, has blue eyes and one of those smiles that instantly captivates. However, the advertising agencies do not want it, they reject it. Can you guess the reason? Indeed, little Asher has an extra chromosome.
Having Down syndrome is still a barrier in this global world, advanced and supposedly more open to special needs. It is possible that in many scenarios this supposed equality of opportunities is sought, but what there is not is inclusion. The big advertising brands have not yet finished accepting this group that, for many, does not fit in with a positive image of a sales product.
The firm that our little protagonist wanted to represent was Carter’s, a well-known children’s clothing brand in the United States. Advertisers were looking for “a pretty face.” However, little Asher was rejected for a very specific reason “because of his genetic disorder . ” The firm did not want children with special needs.
His mom, Meagan Nash, didn’t stop here. We tell you its story.
Asher Nash, the boy who dreams of being a model
There are children who, from a very young age, already point out ways. Maybe it’s because of her resolve, because of her safety, because of a skill that other boys and girls her age don’t have. The same is what happens to Asher Nash: he loves to be photographed, he knows how to stay still, smile and show the best of himself.
Asher exudes joy and vitality because he is a happy child. His mother, Meagan, father, sister, and grandparents adore him. He lives in Atlanta, United States, and at the moment, he has not yet realized that he is a different child from the others. However, society itself is letting him know, and more so after what he experienced in his first casting as a model.
We want a pretty face
That was the slogan that the Carter´s clothing firm indicated when it launched the selection of a group of children for its new clothing campaign. Meagan Cash didn’t hesitate to bring Asher. He dressed him in a nice suit, a bow tie and got ready to go to the tryouts. They did the photo session, there where the little one felt incredibly comfortable. Since he was born he has always had a smartphone or a camera in front of him.
- His mother hoped that among all the children they were going to select, there would also be the name Asher Cash. How could it not be with how precious it is? However, it was not. It is clear that for every mother her child is the most beautiful. It is also clear that each clothing firm is very free to choose the type of models that it wishes for its firm.
- However, the response to Meagan Cash was somewhat bleak: We are not looking for children with genetic disorders or special needs. In short, they didn’t want models with Down syndrome.
Let’s change the world, let’s recognize that my son is also “a pretty face”
Asher Cash’s family was well aware that the clothing firm and the advertising agency was not to blame . Because the essential problem is not in the clothing brands themselves, in the brands of diapers or toys that do not want children with disabilities in their advertisements.
- The root of the problem is in us, in the population. People have not yet finished seeing these children, this group, normally. What is different is uncomfortable, and what is uncomfortable for the majority of the population does not sell. Large companies know this well and therefore avoid it, which is why they rejected Asher Cash.
- This little one’s mother immediately started an Internet campaign. She opened a Facebook profile called Changing the Face of Beauty which has made a huge impact.
- Its purpose is very simple: to normalize the person with Down syndrome. Get us to see them as they are, to discover that they are just as beautiful and special as any normal child.
If we, the great population, accept them, then we will take a big step so that on the least expected day, they appear on television and in magazines like any other child, who, like Asher Cash, dreams of being a model.
For now, thanks to the success of their initiative, the OshKosh company has already contacted them. Hopefully in a short time we can see Asher in his next campaign.
