Alexandra sustained an injury at birth and has been a wheelchair user all her life. She was born in Ukraine and she attended a school where she was the only student with a mobility disability. Because the school was not accessible, her father or grandfather had to carry her up stairs in order for her to attend classes. “Yes, it was difficult, but it is generally difficult to be a person with limited physical mobility in our country. Everyone knows that,” shares Alexandra.
As she grew, she became interested in modeling. She applied to many agencies, but always received the same response:
“They told me that I am very pretty, but they do not know how to promote me because the market is still not ready for this.”
Alexandra continued to pursue the idea of modeling, but she had trouble finding other models with disabilities that she could look up to. But then Alexandra saw footage from 1999 of paralympian Aimee Mullins modeling in prosthetic legs at an Alexander McQueen show, and Alexandra had found the inspiration she needed. “It was a huge stimulus for me, a huge inspiration. I wondered why, if it was possible back then, in 1999, why it could not be possible now for a girl in the wheelchair?”
Today, Alexandra is a rising model, and she’s also an advocate in her home town where she works to improve the city’s accessible for people with disabilities.
“It is always possible to grow, to evolve, to do something. The main thing is to create the conditions for these people whose great potential is hidden.”