Woman With Cerebral Palsy Wants to Have Nashville’s First Inclusive Fashion Show

Alicia Searcy, of Nashville, lives with cerebral palsy, but she doesn’t let her disorder stop her from being a fashionista and spreading awareness about how to have style while confined to a wheelchair. She plans to be the first person with cerebral palsy to participate in Nashville’s first inclusive fashion show.

The Mighty reports that Searcy, a fan of fashion and style, stated that it’s not just for thin people, young people, or people with limited abilities. Yet, most people don’t see a lot of fashion models with special needs or disorders such as cerebral palsy. In turn, she created an IndiGoGo page, entitled, “Fashion is for Every Body,” to help fund the fashion show. Searcy said,

Fashion isn’t just for the young, thin, and able-bodied. Imagine how successful [fashion designers] could be if they began embracing a broader size and shape spectrum into their designs, and how empowering and uplifting it would be for women and men who feel ‘less than’ about their bodies to be able to wear something chic and stylish.”

She also added,

“Every year I attend numerous fashion shows, including Nashville Fashion Week, that showcase the best and most promising designers our area has to offer. I want to show designers and boutique owners that their clothes can look beautiful on an unconventional model.”

So far, Searcy is making progress. She’s raised over $2,000 of her flexible goal of $4,000, and already has her fashion line planned out. She stated that her “Fashion for Every Body” show will include collections from nine of Nashville’s fashion designers and a few pieces from local boutiques.

Twenty models with disabilities have already signed up to participate in the fashion show. The participants’ disabilities encompass a range of disorders, including fibromyalgia, cerebral palsy, trigeminal neuralgia, hypothyroidism, muscular dystrophy, and more.

Searcy herself plans to model while sitting in her wheelchair, something that she’s proud of. She hopes that the show will show others with disabilities that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to fashion shows.

When it comes to looking stylish from the seat of a wheelchair, I’ve found that there are more options than limitations. I try to encourage other women – especially other women with disabilities – to embrace who they are.”

Searcy writes for the website “Spashionista,” where she blogs regularly about fashion, beauty tips, and living with cerebral palsy. She recently participated in a photographer model meetup in Franklin, Tennessee. She can also be found on Twitter, where she posts regular updates about the fashion show and other tidbits.

Hello Nashville. #spashionista #cerebralpalsy #nashville #cp #50plusandfabulous #fashion… https://t.co/GROzv655aG pic.twitter.com/Ot6TaL1c2i

— Spashionista (@Spashionista) June 8, 2016

The fashion show is scheduled to premiere on September 10, at 6 p.m. at Nashville’s abrasiveMedia, located at 438 Houston St #257. For more information on the show or how to donate to help Searcy reach her goals, visit Searcy’s official webpage for details.