Like many of the beautiful, well dressed women assembled for the casting, Sara Shams was nervous. It was her first foray into modelling, with Designer Q Fashion, and she was the only applicant with a disability.
“I felt so self-conscious,” Sara remembers. “I overheard one of the other models saying ‘what happens if I fall over?’ Wearing two prosthetic legs, I was ten times more likely to fall over, but I didn’t. And I’m happy to report that I was selected.”
That was “just the beginning” of Sara’s modelling career. It led to her first runway show, in September last year, plus three more in quick succession, including the Brisbane Fashion Week Finale Show. Last month (June) Sara again proudly strutted her stuff at Cairns Fashion Week.
All these experiences have been milestones for the pharmacist who studied Biomedical Science at UNE before emerging as a disability advocate. Acknowledging her painful high school nickname through the Instagram account @NoLegs_NoWorries, Sara has earned a legion of followers.There, they can find practical tips on how to negotiate stairs and paint prosthetic toenails, as well as powerful posts aimed at engendering inclusivity. Keep an eye out for Sara’s dance and catwalk moves, too.
“My disability was not something I discussed much growing up; I was uncomfortable about it until about three years ago,” she says. “Becoming active on Instagram was part of my growth; of accepting my disability and embracing it. Social media has become an avenue for me to do that, and to learn from and educate others.”
Sara was born in Bangladesh with a congenital anomaly called tibial hemimelia, whereby her tibia were missing. At six she underwent an above-knee bilateral amputation, but enjoyed playing netball and softball in her younger years, scooting around on her knees using kneepads.
“My parents raised me to believe that the only limits were those that I imposed on myself and that very much shaped me as a person,” Sara says. “I obviously got teased in primary school but it didn’t impact me as much as it did in high school, when we all become conscious of our body image. For me it was tenfold, because I was so different, and that’s when I started wearing my prosthetic legs.”
“I didn’t see anyone like myself on TV, on runways, or among our leaders, and I hid my disability all the time with long pants, stockings and long skirts.”
Sara on the catwalk at the Designer Q Fashion Runway Show wearing a Mason & Eve blue and white dress. Image by: Momento Road Photography.
But contemporary beauty standards caused Sara’s self-esteem to plummet. “I didn’t see anyone like myself on TV, on runways, or among our leaders, and I hid my disability all the time with long pants, stockings and long skirts.”
Over time, as her personal confidence grew, Sara began to question what message this sent to others with disability. And soon she was stepping into the spotlight – first studying at UNE, then a Master of Pharmacy at the University of Newcastle, and then taking on public speaking engagements. With the help of the Master of Public Health she is undertaking, Sara hopes to eventually “make tangible changes on the public policy side”, to give people with lived experience of disability a stronger voice.
“Diversity and inclusion is more than tokenistic representation; it means listening to the voices of different people and using their lived experience to make a positive impact for others,” says Sara, who recently commenced a board director role. “It’s not only about putting in a ramp but also having us at the table and in leadership positions. People with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in boardrooms across Australia and I am working towards building disability-confident spaces.”
Modelling is a creative avenue for Sara to display her disability pride. “We are seeing greater representation of all bodies, shapes and sizes, which is fantastic, but it has to continue and be authentic,” she says. “I’m working towards the day when it’s not ground-breaking to see someone like me or a model in a wheelchair on a runway or in a catalogue.
“I’m proud to be representing people with disability on the catwalk, being the kind of person I wanted to see growing up. I want to empower all people, whatever their doubts, to have confidence to take that next step, but also to help create a more inclusive society, where we are all given the same opportunities to thrive.”
As a peer volunteer for the charity Limbs 4 Life, Sara also supports new amputees and their families. “I hope I am living proof that you can achieve your goals, whatever they may be,” she says.
