Madeline Stuart, the 18-year-old model with Down syndrome lands contract

MADELINE Stuart is an 18-year-old Brisbane girl with Down syndrome who is on a mission to help change how the world sees beauty. Now she’s finally achieved her goal.

MADELINE Stuart is an 18-year-old Brisbane girl with Down syndrome who is on a mission to help change how the world sees beauty and challenge stereotypes about people with disabilities. Now she’s finally achieved her goal.

Madeline has landed has landed two professional modelling gigs with American fitness-wear brand Manifesta and lifestyle label everMaya.

In an interview posted on the blog Love Em, Madeline said she loves modelling because “it is a way to express myself when words don’t always come easy. Plus I get to embrace society and hopefully make people feel more comfortable around people with disabilities.”

Her huge social media presence — she has almost 400K Facebook likes and 42K followers on Instagram — means when she speaks, people listen.

Madeline is now modelling for body-positive American fitness-wear brand Manifesta and lifestyle label everMaya.

In May, she announced her dramatic 18-month weight loss transformation and encouraged others to get motivated about their health, making her the perfect ambassador for an activewear brand.

“So 18 months ago I decided to turn my weight around and to concentrate on my health,” Madeline wrote on Facebook.

“Please like and share my page if you believe our health is so important. Help me to encourage other people to get healthy.”

Madeline says her favourite thing about fashion modelling is “the clothes, the camera and getting to smile a lot.” She’d one day love to model for Myer, Gucci and in the pages of Vanity Fair magazine.

“I hope that I can ... change the world’s views on beauty and help everyone to feel beautiful in themselves and [to feel] included,” she said.

One of Madeline’s portfolio shots.

“I want to inspire ... young women and men to love their inner beauty and to realise with time that inner beauty and compassion is all that lasts and is what people really see us for. I want to inspire business professionals to employ people with disabilities as they will bring something so deep and beautiful to the work environment.

“I want to inspire families to have faith when they feel lost as everything can have a silver lining if you believe and never give up. I want to inspire people not to bully anyone to see worth in everyone as equals,” she said.

“Everyone should follow their dreams because ... our dreams are what truly matter, we only have one life and we should live it to the fullest.”

Madeline has been nominated for a Pride of Australia award.

Nominations for Pride of Australia awards close on July 19 couriermail.com.au/prideofaustralia.

To nominate click here.