My First Modeling Gig for Aerie x Liberare

You may have seen... We partnered with Aerie last month, and we can't express how much this of a massive achievement it is for Liberare. After only launching in February, we partnered with one of the biggest brands around. This shows how strong and massive the disability community is! With our platform, we chose Anastasia as our Aerie model, and we couldn't be happier with the final images!! We interviewed Anastasia on her background and shooting for Aerie. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok where she has over 1 million followers!

Hi everyone! I am currently a Junior at UNC, and I am studying psychology to either become a children’s therapist or a sports team therapist. As I am a full-time student, I babysit and dog-sit as a side job whenever I can get the chance. And some of my hobbies include dancing, cooking, working out (love the weights!!), puzzles, and playing video games from time to time.

My day with Aerie x Liberare was amazing! It was my first-time modeling on a professional set, and everyone was so welcoming. It was something I would love to do again. I was so happy to meet everyone and talk to everyone. The food was also very delicious, and I loved the brownies! I was not expecting to be as tired as I was shooting the last set, but I am glad I pushed through, and we were able to get everything done in one day!!

Learn more about the Aerie x Liberare partnership.

When I got confirmed, I honestly couldn’t believe it at first. I was on edge up until the moment I walked into the AEO building because it didn't feel real. I was also honored that Liberare thought of me to model for their top secret shoot and be the representation of the line. I never thought I would be a model for Aerie, and it has honestly been a dream come true. My family is so proud of me, and my friends were beyond ecstatic when they saw me on the website.

This shoot has made me realize I can be a part of modeling, and that there is a lot more inclusion going on that I want to pursue further to represent the disability community in every way I can! Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to pursue modeling, but I always thought I was too short or was just not the right look for it. My main goal was to become a hair model since my hair has always been something many seem to take interest in, I never thought I would be modeling clothing! But this partnership opened my eyes to how many people actually care about representation in the fashion industry.

You may have seen me dancing on the shoot! I have been dancing since I was about 8 and it just felt so natural to me to dance my heart away! I have learned my self-confidence in dancing by performing and realizing how happy and free it makes me feel. If I could I would just dance all the time! Dance has always made me feel better and at the shoot it just made me feel more relaxed and in place.

 

When I was younger, I would have never thought that I would be modeling or have a platform as big as I do. I never really saw myself doing something like this until it happened. I would definitely tell myself to be proud of who I am and to not hide my hand or be ashamed about it. I would also tell myself that it is okay that you cannot do everything that other people can do at the same time, and that it is okay to take your time and learn how to adapt accordingly. There is no reason to get frustrated or worried that you are behind. You go at your own pace and there is no need to overthink what you cannot control!

It normally never talks about my following or what videos have blown up and it is sometimes hard for me to. It isn't that I am shy about it, I just never really think about mentioning it or bringing it up. But it does make me so happy that they blow up and that people get to understand disabilities just a bit more and appreciate the work I put behind the videos. I always want to make people smile and one thing I try to teach others is that it's okay to laugh at disability jokes that I make, I want you to laugh! I think disability humor is so funny and making funny videos helps people understand that hey, it's okay and to accept it and not be worried about cracking a laugh.

Partnerships like Aerie x Liberare are important because people are starting to realize adaptive clothing is what the world needs more of. It is recognizing a whole community and hopefully inspiring other companies to get involved. Liberare’s products mean to me that someone is taking initiative in caring for those who need adaptive apparel and considering all the things they need to include to make someone feel comfortable, sexy, and unique.