Teen with Down syndrome becomes magazine model

by CNN Wire:
COLLINSVILLE, Ill. (KMOV) –  Monday was “Karrie Brown Day” in Collinsville, Illinois. The teenager was honored after she made her modeling debut in a national magazine.
After the 17-year-old girl’s Facebook page received 11,000 “likes” in less than a week, her favorite clothing store, Wet Seal, flew her to California to become their first model with Down syndrome.
“One of the girls from corporate Wet Seal said where did she learn to do those modeling moves? I said I have absolutely no idea, they said, she’s got a natural talent for it,” Karrie’s mom Sue Brown said.
When Karrie was a week old, a doctor told Sue never to expect anything from her. More than 28,000 Facebook likes and a stint in a national magazine later, it’s Sue who has the last laugh.
“They did a two page article on her which just kind of blew Karrie away, to see her picture in the same magazine with Ross Lynch and Selena Gomez and One Direction,” Sue said.
Karrie will walk the red carpet at a pre-Oscar event on March 1.

Teen with Down Syndrome stars in Wet Seal campaign

 from Rebecca Fishbein from Today:
Karrie Brown got to live out every teenager's dream last month when her favorite clothing company, Wet Seal, asked her to model for them. But the 17-year-old high school junior from Collinsville, Ill. isn't like most other models: She has Down Syndrome.
But that wasn't going to keep Karrie away from the camera. In August, her mother, Sue Brown, took a picture of Karrie dressed in her favorite Wet Seal outfit and put it on a Facebook page titled "Karrie Brown — Modeling the Future."
"The next day, people started texting and tweeting at Wet Seal, and leaving voicemails for them that they should check out Karrie, that she wants to be a model," Brown told TODAY.com. "On their website, they say they believe in diversity and inclusion, and it was just a perfect fit."
Karrie's fans caught Wet Seal's attention, and the clothing company contacted Brown the next day.
"That's when they said if we had 10,000 Facebook 'likes' by that Friday at noon, they'd have a surprise," Brown said. "We had 11,000 'likes.'"

Karrie Brown hopes to dance with Ellen Degeneres

from KSDK News Channel 5:
Karrie Brown's first day of school outfit went viral, resulting in not only thousands of fans but a photo shoot for a national clothing store.
The Collinsville High School Junior has Down syndrome and autism. A self-proclaimed fashion lover and aspiring model, Karrie's favorite store is Wet Seal. Her mother, Sue Brown, posted a picture of Karrie in her brand new threads on the first day of school August 12th and was flooded with responses about how great Karrie looked.

Soon enough, a family friend launched a Facebook Fan page displaying all of Karrie's daily school outfits.
Thousands of people liked the page and within a couple days Wet Seal was calling.
The retailer is flying Karrie out to California next week for a photo shoot.
Karrie is a teen who is constantly giving back to her community. She volunteers at her local YMCA and library branch. She also takes Zumba classes and Hip Hop classes because dancing is her favorite thing to do. Her love of dance has given birth to her ultimate dream -- dancing with Ellen Degeneres -- which has yet to be realized.