Friday, September 21, 2012

Role model: Down's syndrome boy, 4, to star in Marks & Spencer Christmas magazine


by Richard Smith from Mirror:Proud mum posted message on shop's Facebook saying Seb "charms the pants off everyone he meets and his little face is full of magic and mischief"Little Seb White is a good advert for positive attitudes.
The four-year-old’s mum had noticed how rarely Down’s syndrome kids featured in fashion shoots.
So she wrote to Marks & Spencer offering him as a model and to her delight the company said yes.
Seb will star in the M&S Christmas magazine. Proud mum Caroline, 39, who contacted the firm on Facebook, said yesterday: “He shows being ‘different’ isn’t any less wonderful – or even different.”
Mum-of-two Caroline added: “When Seb was born I vividly remember seeing lots of ads with hundreds of beautifully perfect kids in them and it just added to my sense of isolation.
“Then in July when we were shopping for Seb’s school uniform it occurred to me again that all the ‘different’ children out there are just not represented.”
Caroline, of Bath, Somerset, posted a message on M&S’s Facebook page saying: “Seb has striking, unusual features, charms the pants off everyone he meets and his little face is full of magic and mischief. So here’s the thing. He also happens to have Down’s syndrome. When he was born I was shocked to my core.
"I knew nothing about the condition and what should have been the happiest day of my life turned out to be the worst.
“I could never have imagined how excited and proud I would feel about him starting mainstream school in a couple of weeks. I wouldn’t swap him for the world.”
Product manager Caroline and husband Simon, 36, manager at a toiletries company, received a message asking them to call the store giant.
Seb – who started school last week – was invited to a photoshoot in London.
An M&S spokesman said: “We always look for kids who have fun in front of the camera and Sebastian was a pleasure to work with. We are really looking forward to seeing Sebastian in our Christmas magazine.”

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