While disability rarely graces the runways of major fashion shows, it is not incompatible with the art of fashion. For content creator @allysstar_, who has an amputated leg, it's not an obstacle to style but an invitation to create differently and to be inventive. Thus, her prosthesis is not simply a medical device for balance: it's the cornerstone of her look, the centerpiece of her outfits.
A prosthesis unique in its kind
Content creator @allysstar_ is a one-woman inspiration. This style-forward woman dresses like magazine models and offers her own take on trends. She runs the kind of Instagram account that makes you want to pin everything. She doesn't just follow hashtags ending in "core" or copy what already exists.
Known for her understated yet distinctive looks, she manages to create iconic outfits from even the simplest wardrobe staples. She's one of those lucky few who can pull off every look, even the most nonchalant ones. And her aura isn't the only reason for such a "wow" effect. Just as Lagerfeld made his dark sunglasses iconic, and Chanel did with her ever-present tweed, Alice, her real name, also has her signature accessory. And originally, it was more imposed upon her than chosen.
With each outfit, she dons a garment that responds neither to a fashion trend nor to the dictates of a women's magazine, but to a physical need. It's a prosthesis, and it doesn't perfectly mimic the physical appearance of a normal leg. It reflects the free and joyful personality of its owner. It's a superb trompe l'oeil: a false leg covered in an almost complete tattoo that looks more real than life. A single motif that provides all the whimsy an outfit demands.
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When fashion and disability become one
On the Fashion Week catwalks, in the XXL-sized urban advertisements displayed on the street or inside magazines, disability is underrepresented, if not completely invisible. This is hardly surprising, since the fashion industry designs its pieces based on "able-bodied" bodies, without physical differences and often molded according to standard models.
However, while she may regularly fall short in her commitment to inclusivity , Alice proves that disability is far from being an obstacle in this quest for style. The young woman, who evokes resilience in every post, shows what she would like to see more often at Victoria's Secret shows or Fashion Week.
She doesn't hide her prosthesis under thick layers of clothing to blend in and go unnoticed in public. She proudly displays it, like others do with a designer handbag or valuable jewelry. Her custom-designed prosthesis is her trademark, her touch of whimsy, a language all its own. Because no, disability is not a taboo word, nor a limit to self-expression.
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A representation that matters
Disability has been present in less than 1% of advertisements for the past 25 years. In Hollywood, 95% of roles involving a "disability" are played by able-bodied actors. According to these alarming figures, disability appears to be a major obstacle in casting selection.
Those affected then feel marginalized, forgotten, unfairly left in the spotlight. Through her "get ready with me" style videos and her introspective yet aesthetically pleasing content, Alice opens up a world of possibilities where disability is discussed without filters or shame.
A fashion icon, but also a purveyor of hope and optimism, she proves that barriers are mostly in the mind. She doesn't see her disability as a loss, but as an opportunity to renew herself, reinvent herself, and inhabit her clothes differently, with even more freedom and pleasure.
