Earlier this month lingerie brand Aerie was praised for its latest lingerie campaign which included people with disabilities.
The brand chose models with crutches, type 1 diabetes, and a woman with inflammatory bowel disease, who wears a stoma bag, to wear its items.
Aerie’s campaign has been a huge success with many people on social media congratulating them on being inclusive of those with visible disabilities.
One woman who’s totally over moon about the campaign is Gaylyn Henderson, the woman with the stoma bag who actually modelled for the brand.
Gaylyn is 33 and is from Atlanta. Though this is her first campaign, she’s been modelling for a long time and has had her stoma bag for ten years, due to Crohn’s disease – a form of inflammatory bowel disease.
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease when I was 14 years old and struggled immensely for over a decade due to the severity of my condition.
‘I adapted my life to live while being in excruciating pain some days and in pain most.
‘Crohn’s disease took my health in every way possible. It distorted my mental and physical health.
‘I became oblivious to the fact my quality of life was gone. Over the course of my life, I’ve had several surgeries, procedures, and multiple hospitalisations, with the overall goal of restoring my health and quality of life.
‘My latest surgery I had a total proctocolectomy in which they removed my entire colon leaving me with an ileostomy.
‘I held on as long as I could to my colon because if it didn’t work then what next?
‘I was still striving to be “normal” by clinging to the very thing that was killing me.
‘But it came a time that I had no choice, and it was the best thing that has happened to me. There is absolutely no way I would want to go back other than to do it sooner.’
Gaylyn says that looking back, she can’t believe that one of the sole reasons she didn’t want a stoma was because of the stigma.
She decided to do something about that lingering stigma. She didn’t want others to suffer like she did because they were worried about what other people might think.
And so, she started a blog for other women with stoma bags, called Gutless and Glamorous.
She said: ‘I didn’t want others to suffer unnecessarily as I did because of the negative stigma surrounding having and living with an ostomy.
‘There is little to no positive awareness or programs specifically targeted at increasing self-worth as it relates to living with an ostomy.
‘So, I started Gutless and Glamorous. The mission of Gutless and Glamorous is to empower those living with or contemplating ostomy surgery due to illness or injury and to erase the negative stigmas and misconceptions of living with an ostomy.’
Gaylyn explained that she landed Aerie’s campaign after the brand did a callout on social media.
She said: ‘Aerie posted an open call on their social media to be featured in their new bra campaign.
‘I thought to myself oh this would be pretty cool, but never thought I would actually be chosen.
‘I submitted a video for the open call and I was chosen!
‘So to have this opportunity is surreal! For Aerie to give me this opportunity, I’m beyond grateful and thankful they would give someone like me a shot!’
Gaylyn says she was ‘very excited’ to be featured in the campaign, something which she says is ‘amazing’.
‘I have struggled with self-acceptance due to illness and the devastating physical and psychological effects that illness can cause,’ she said.
‘I understand all too well the magnitude of what this campaign means and how very special it is!
‘Many, myself included, have never seen a model with an ostomy. For the most part, in mainstream media it’s often referenced as having an ostomy in a negative connotation.
‘Society can make a drastic impact on a person’s decision to receive an ostomy and can have a drastic impact on a person living with an ostomy.
‘Even though ostomy is lifesaving surgery many are reluctant to receive them because of the negative stigma.
‘All of these factors combined makes it that much more significant that Aerie recognised how having a model with an ostomy has the ability to change and save lives!’
According to Gaylyn, the response to the campaign has been amazing so far, and she’s been moved to tears by the love and support she has been receiving.
https://twitter.com/samanthabmiller/status/1019755629471305728
She said: ‘Having the support of an influential brand like American Eagle to promote positive ostomy awareness has already changed lives and I know this because of the feedback I am seeing and receiving!
‘The messages, the kind words, the repost and shares, it is humbling and truly amazing!’
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Gaylyn says you should never let a stoma bag stop you from stepping into the modelling world.
She said: ‘Do not let “no” stop you. Do not let somebody else’s no limit your possibilities.
‘Do not let somebody else’s view of what beautiful is dictate how you view or feel about yourself.
‘Keep going, keep living your truth, anything truly is possible.’
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