Target Is Down With Down Syndrome

I'm a little late with this post, but it was such good news to me that I just had to include it here on WeHateNormal.


Target has included a six year old boy with Down Syndrome, Ryan, in a recent ad, alongside "typical" children. Ryan captures the essence of WeHateNormal, because here on this blog, I like to stray away from what's "normal." I like to showcase the beauty in what's not considered normal, and Ryan is most certainly a beautiful child. I commend Target because they did not separate him from the other children, and if you weren't looking carefully at the ad, you wouldn't even know he has Down Syndrome. He's the adorable boy in the orange shirt.

I'm aware that Target is not exactly high-fashion, and that most of us are not interested in childrenswear, but there are two reasons why I had to showcase this:
1.) I believe that everyone is beautiful. I think that being different and confident is the highest form of beauty. My two favorite models, Andrej Pejic and Rick Genest, are not the archetypical models. Andrej Pejic is an androgynous male who models both menswear and womenswear. He is a highly effeminate male, which is something that is not typically considered beautiful. Rick Genest is covered in tattoos head to toe. He coined the nickname "Zombie Boy" because his tattoos make him look ghoulish and a bit freaky. Of course, this is not typically considered beautiful either. Despite how different they are from the typical model, both of them are very successful.

Oh... and I have to include this picture of myself and Rick Genest. I met him a few months ago at Nicola Formichetti's Pop-Up Store in Tribeca. It was enchanting to get to speak with him, as he is the poster boy for opposing normality, and a hero of mine. 

:)

2.) I love children, and I think they should all be told that they are beautiful and that their dreams are possible, no matter what. I've worked closely with two kids who have Down Syndrome, and they are just like all the other kids. They should never be seen as inferior. I believe that people are people, simple as that. We are all equal and nobody should ever be left out. If a kid with Down Syndrome wants to become a model, nobody should tell him he can't. Who knows, maybe little Ryan will follow in the footsteps of Andrej Pejic and Rick Genest. 

Abnormality is beauty. 

Pretty In Punk

This post is just to show you guys what I wore today. I went to the local lake with my friend Cheryl, who is a fantastic photographer, and she took a few pictures of me. 

ASOS Vest

ASOS Boots

Galian New York Bag

H&M Shirt

Zara Leggings

Breaking It In

My wonderful friend Chelsea has convinced me to change my plans for this blog a little bit. I didn't think I would ever post anything having to do with myself, but after hearing her words, it sounds like a wonderful idea. Here's what she had to say:


"There are tons of fashion blogs out there, anyone can post that stuff. But Nicky, you're 18 and you're going to fashion school in New York City. You're finally coming into your own and getting comfortable with yourself. People would love to read about your experiences, and nobody else can write about that."


After hearing her say that, I completely agree. I didn't realize that to someone else, my life might actually be interesting. I do have wonderful experiences living in New York City and attending FIT, so from now on I will post about them here. And when I do post something kind of personal, I'd like my readers to have a little bit of background knowledge on me, so here we go.

That's me; I'm Nicky. I'm an 18 year old boy (which causes quite a bit of confusion.) I've been called androgynous, genderless... whatever you want to call it, I'm just me. This is my first year attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. My major is Fashion Merchandising Management. I grew up in Long Island, New York, but relocated to New York City for school. The past few months living in the city have been the best few months of my life. It has been wonderful living without judgement from my parents, and my narrow-minded hometown. My parents, along with the general population from home, do not understand me, nor do they understand fashion. I'm home on winter break right now and it's miserable. When I come home, I have to revert to the old me, and I hate the old me. I was afraid to shine, afraid to stand out from the crowd, and afraid to stray from my parents' expectations. But when I'm in New York City, I truly live my life the way I want to live it, and that's when I love myself. 


So I'll stop myself there, before I give write too much. There you have some very basic, primary background information on me. I hope to let my readers get to know me on a much larger scale through future posts, but don't worry, all future posts will be fashion related, so please keep reading! :)