An artist and disability advocate is using her platform to challenge traditional beauty standards in fashion, saying “all disabled bodies are beautiful” ahead of her debut on the Disability Pride Catwalk in Manchester.

Josie Tang, from Penryn, is among 17 participants taking part in the event, which showcases adaptive fashion designed specifically for disabled people. The runway will feature clothing from disability-friendly label Recondition, highlighting designs tailored to accessibility, comfort, and self-expression.

A Personal Journey Into Fashion and Identity

The 21-year-old, who recently completed a degree in fashion styling and artistic direction at Falmouth University, lives with autism, ADHD, and multiple chronic health conditions, including endometriosis, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).

Tang said her motivation for joining the event came from a desire to feel represented in an industry that often excludes disabled people from mainstream visibility.

Seeing herself reflected in fashion spaces, she said, reinforces a sense of belonging that is often missing from traditional runway culture.

Challenging Traditional Beauty Standards

Tang emphasised the importance of showcasing a wide range of body types and lived experiences within fashion, arguing that mainstream modelling standards can reinforce narrow definitions of beauty.

“We see such a standard runway figure a lot of the time,” she said. “I think that pushes this idea that only this type of body can be beautiful.”

She added that inclusive events like the Disability Pride Catwalk help challenge those assumptions by celebrating diversity in all its forms.

Representation on the Runway

The Disability Pride Catwalk brings together disabled models and designers working with adaptive fashion to highlight how clothing can be both functional and expressive.

For Tang, the event is not just a fashion showcase but also a statement on visibility and inclusion, reinforcing the message that disabled people deserve to be seen and celebrated in creative industries.

“Just seeing a different range of disabled people—we come in so many shapes and forms and experiences,” she said. “For this to platform such a wide range of bodies and celebrate that, I think it’s really huge.”