She made history as the first disabled model using a wheelchair to walk for a major luxury fashion brand with Moschino during New York Fashion Week.
Aaron Rose Philip is a 23 year old model, actress, media personality, artist, and writer. In 2021, she made history as the first disabled model using a wheelchair to walk for a major luxury fashion brand with Moschino during New York Fashion Week. She's since featured on the cover of British Vogue’s May 2023 issue, and was featured in the MET Museum’s Women Dressing Women exhibit as a custom mannequin in collaboration with rising fashion brand Collina Strada. Philip has worked with major brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Sephora, Calvin Klein and BOSS. She was also interviewed by Naomi Campbell, the supermodel, for Paper Magazine - which was Philip’s first major magazine cover.
What does feminism mean to you?
What feminism means to me is protecting the human rights of all women across the world, including myself.
You’ve broken multiple barriers as a Black, transgender, and disabled model. How do you navigate these intersecting identities in an industry that often lacks representation in all three areas?
Well, none of it should even be as big of a deal as it is. Being Black, being transsexual, being physically, disabled - in the eyes of society along with the fashion sphere, I can for sure be considered as ”different”. It is isolating to always feel so different - to be the only person like me in a room of people all the time, advocating for industry-wide equity and diversity that should already exist, and being authentic as well as outspoken about my life experiences. It’s isolating to be turned away rather than embraced, because I’m “different”. However, I navigate myself and all the challenges I face with both persistence and confidence. My identities are relevant to my life and what I experience, but not definitive of my whole person or soul. My identities do not define my level of talent, or what my worth should or shouldn’t be in the world. I have been met with so much prejudice and bias for existing, doing my job and being real in general - when really, what most people need to do is simply just mind their own business if they don’t understand me.
Your memoir, This Kid Can Fly, shares your perspective on ability, not disability. Why was this reframing so important to you?
The reframing of ability as more significant than disability at the time I wrote my memoir was really important to me, because so much of the world does not let themselves perceive or understand disabled people past what our disabilities make us look like —what we endure physically, or mentally, in our varying conditions. Disabled people are discriminated against, bullied, feared and ostracized. We are infantilized, made to be gimmicks in both media or business, and considered as undesirables by a huge portion of society - ignorantly so. We are often seen as irrelevant or incapable members of society, when in reality - there are 1 billion people across the world living with some form of disability. Those numbers only keep growing. As a child, I especially felt like, ”why is my life all about being disabled?” I had a great desire to prove to the world through my young life - that disability, is ability. However, the woman I am today is nothing but confident about the power and strength to be found in living with a disability.
How do you use your voice and platform to advocate for change?
I do my best with using my voice to advocate for change in the fashion industry and in society by just being persistent in addressing the inequities going on in society and the fashion industry. I am affected by many of the inequities in society and the fashion industry, which is why it’s not difficult for me to advocate for inclusion or human rights in general. Many of my supporters, as well as fellow community members are affected by both a lack of and dwindling inclusion, diversity, equity & human rights in general. It’s about simply having empathy, which is feeling like a lost skill and art in the world we live in.
In your opinion, what role does the fashion industry play in driving broader societal change, and how can it better support movements for equality and inclusion?
The fashion industry is a tremendous contributor to the way contemporary society sees itself. The relevancy that comes from the youth, celebrity culture and TV/film pushes forth the fashion world into the mainstream, and all over social media as well. You are being told and sold as to what is in - what is chic, trending, beautiful, or desirable. If you are told and sold that there is no real room for you in this piece of society - because you are perhaps disabled, or a Black trans person, or not white, or not skinny - that those parts of someone makes them less than desirable to sell fashion towards, or to represent fashion and beauty in any way — people end up really believing that. Society ends up believing that. The industry ends up believing that. Everyone ends up believing something that should’ve never been considered true or real about underserved populations of the world — who are in fact not at all less than, and incredibly capable & relevant. That is why equality and inclusion are so crucial in the fashion industry - and why it needs to be done beyond myself, my work and the work of fellow disabled, and/or Black trans advocates. My TEDx talk about the fashion industry is out on YouTube, and I encourage those in the fashion industry - and not - to watch it and share. Equality, equity and inclusion needs to be taken seriously both in corporate & creative meetings, amongst major designers, brands, creative directors, casting directors, etc.
You’ve talked about the need for greater disabled representation in fashion. What advice would you give to young, aspiring models with disabilities who face a similar lack of visibility?
The advice I would give to young, aspiring disabled models, is to find yourself - as well as your desired community and supports, completely outside of fashion. In an industry where we are currently hardly seen, discussed seriously, or accommodated towards physically in any sort of way - put yourself first. Love yourself. Think critically, serve hard and be persistent about your goals. However, this is your show and you’re running it. Never lose yourself in that isolating feeling of FOMO, or in feeling undesirable when you experience pushback in your life — as well as your goals. Put yourself as a human being first.
How can people best support you and your work?
Make me go viral. Seriously. So many horrible, senseless things go viral all the time. I’m a star, and I’m working to change real issues, discussing real things - make something real go viral. Watch and share my TEDx talk, do a deep dive of my modeling work and advocacy efforts, advocate for more of myself, and people like me in the industry. Support the Palestinian people, and lead a more conscious, compassionate life overall.
