Kate Hackett
Jessica Jacinto is a 22-year-old model from Valencia, Venezuela who has taken the beauty industry by storm. She also has Down Syndrome.
Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome, which changes how a person’s body and brain develop. This can cause mental and physical challenges, but Jessica has not let anything stand in her way.
The syndrome is the most common chromosomal condition in the US, but people with the condition are still treated differently than others.
“People with Down syndrome have been subject to exclusion from society and from discrimination across the board – in educational settings, employment, and in their communities,” David Tolleson, Executive Director of the National Down Syndrome Congress, said.
“Much of it is due to a lack of understanding and education and exposure to people with Down syndrome.”
When Jessica was 14, she was invited to participate in a beauty pageant and found her calling.
In high school, she also played sports, but they did not ignite her interest the way modeling did. When Yanira, Jessica’s mother, saw her daughter walk the runway in a pageant for girls with Down, she says she realized “this was her world.”
And Jessica loves it.
“For me, being a model is like studying a career that you like, that you are really passionate about,” said Jessica. “And even if you don’t believe it, it takes dedication and innovation to improve yourself. The minute I’m on the catwalk, I become someone else. It’s almost as if there was someone else inside me suddenly coming out. I feel empowered.”
She has worked as a model for ten years with her mother helping her find opportunities and manage her social media accounts.
People who have worked with Jessica have described her as charismatic, strong, and a pleasure to work with.
Despite the success, Yanira notes that “there is still a long way to go in Venezuela in terms of inclusion.”
A few large agencies and brands have promised a callback but never done so, but that does not hold Jessica back. Modeling can be a brutal industry for anyone; the impossible standards of beauty are hard to live up to and results in healthy girls losing far too much weight in an effort to stay relevant. But equal representation in the beauty industry is worth fighting for!
Jessica joined a project called “We are different, but not inferior” and said “the project showed me that I could do anything I set my mind to and that I could perform various activities. That is why I am in a dance academy, also in skating.”
Jessica enthusiastically looks forward to her journey and is thrilled to have her parents standing behind her.
She said “they see that every day I work hard and I’m very disciplined, every day more and more. And of course, they see I’m happy, which is what they really want for me.”
