Francesca Rausi is a fast-rising 5-year-old fashion model hailing from Malta and living with Down syndrome. For the last couple of years, she’s captivated audiences worldwide as people are captivated by the little girl’s adorable walk and stunning features. While she’s still young, Francesca’s already making quite a name for herself.
The little girl walked at a fashion show for differently abled models in Malta in 2019 when she was just four years old. Since that time, Francesca has participated in numerous modeling competitions, including one where she earned the Top Junior Model title, among other incredible achievements.
Francesca is not the only model with Down syndrome who has made waves in the fashion world, but she definitely the youngest.
She’s also helping to change society’s perception of what it means to be beautiful ever since she began her modeling career.
In an interview, her mom Michelle said that her daughter had been modeling since she was just a toddler ever since she has appeared over five times on the catwalk at fashion shows and has become very comfortable on stage.
It all began when Michelle’s friend, who operated a leading model agency in Malta, convinced her to have Francesca walk in a fashion show. While initially skeptical, Michelle then signed her daughter up for a modeling competition.
“Another friend of mine asked me to take her to a modeling competition and I was scared at first,” she shared. “But I know Fran loves it and it will be great for (Down syndrome) awareness.”
“Wherever we go, everybody (recognizes) Francesca as she appears often on Maltese TV and social media,” added Michelle. “So whenever you are with Fran, you’ll need more time because everyone will stop us in the streets, in restaurants, wherever we are.”
One of Francesca’s appearances was in a modeling show in Malta organized by Tiziana Randisi to promote the inclusion of differently-abled women in the world of fashion. The show featured 22 differently-abled models aged 4 to 24.
The goal was to help change the perceptions of those who think of differently-abled people as being limited and show that these models are far from limited.
You can watch a heartwarming video about this amazing little girl below.
Plus, you can watch Francesca modeling at a fashion show in London, England, in the video below.
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Sources:
- “5-Year-Old Model With Down Syndrome Captures Audience’s Hearts By Defying Beauty Stereotypes” Apost.