2019-10-01 Cosmopolitan

WHO

Jillian

Mercado, 32

NOTABLE

CAMPAIGNS

Diesel, Olay

WHO

Mama Cax, 29

NOTABLE

CAMPAIGNS

Outdoor Voices,

Chromat

Her style in Just.

Three. Words:

“Fluid, colorful,

eccentric.”

How body image

dictated her fashion

choices: “I used to

not want to draw

too much attention

to my prosthetic,

so I’d wear more

oversize stuff and

longer pants and

skirts that would

cover it completely.

Now, it’s more

about wearing

very short things.

I want to show

off my colorful

prosthetics.”

Granny fashion

FTW: “There’s

something powerful

about a suit. I like

to channel grandma

or grandpa style—

stuff like a men’s

suit, high-waisted

pants, and an

oversize blazer.”

On being her

own tailor, tyvm:

“Sometimes I have

to cut the fabric

and sew it to make

it lie nice and even

around my leg—

the best things are

usually DIY!”

Her hopes for real

representation: “If

you are shooting

a campaign and

include a curvy girl

or a person with

a disability, you

don’t always have

to focus on what

makes them differ-

ent to get your

message across.”

On leaving the house

looking like her hot-

test self: “I can go

from a punk rock

to a very preppy

Hamptons kind of

style. It’s a spec-

trum. There are times

when I’m on the

street and someone

is like, ‘Omg, where

are you going?’ and

I’m like, ‘I’m just buy-

ing some milk.’”

Why modeling

is second nature

to her: “Some

of it might come

from years of

competitive

gymnastics, where

you learn to deal

with the pressure

and cameras.”

How she’s not what

people expect:

“When she goes

to modeling jobs,

at first everyone

might be a little

uncomfortable, but

as soon as they

meet Chelsea and

see how happy

and fun she is, that

all melts away.”

What makes her

proud: “That she

inspires people

who might have

someone in

their family with

a disability or

know somebody

with one.”

—WITH HER MOTHER,

LISA WERNER

Why she owns five(!)

l e a t h e r j a c k e t s :

“I feel like I can kick

anyone’s ass like

I’m a CIA agent or

Bond villain.”

Celeb closet she’d

raid: “Rihanna,

oh my god. No

matter what she

wears, she just

exudes confidence.”

Absolute worst

modeling

experience:

“I went to a

designer’s show, and

she had her PR team

kick me out because

apparently, in my

wheelchair, I was a

liability in the case

of an emergency

exit. I’m pretty sure I

cried, I was so mad.”

Why fashion com-

panies should just

improve their hir-

ing process already:

“If you preach about

inclusivity and

diversity with your

brand, you have to

hire people who are

diverse internally as

well. Not only do

we want to see ads

with a diverse cast,

but we also want

to know that the

employees are not

one type of person.”

Trends she’s v into:

“Jeans with holes

in them, overalls,

athleisure.”

Style icons: “Ken-

dall Jenner and

Gigi Hadid. She

gets a kick out

of seeing what

they’re wearing.”

Things that make

her go “ugh”

when shopping:

“She wears adult

sizes, but a lot of

the time, they’re

just too big—she’s

4'9", really petite.

Crop tops are

better, regular

tops are usually

too long, and

even dresses have

to be hemmed.”

WHO

Chelsea

Werner, 27

NOTABLE

CAMPAIGNS

Summersalt,

Target

fashion

October 2019 Cosmopolitan 51

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