“The shorter the dress, the closer you are to heaven.” - Mama Cax

At the age of 14 Mama Cax was diagnosed with bone and lung cancer. Complications arose and her right leg had to be amputated. Devastated, Cax first sought to cover her skin toned prosthetic as much as possible, even avoiding activities like swimming.

Eventually Cax’s love of fashion took over and she began to document her experiences through blogging and social media where she photographed her prosthetic adorned to coordinate with each outfit.

The fashion world took notice. Cax began booking photoshoots, signed with an agency, and walked the runway. Modeling provided her with a platform she used to advocate for disability inclusion in the fashion industry.

“To me the label of disability is not a bad thing. It just describes one of my identities and I fully embrace it…Oftentimes when we talk about diversity, disability is not taken into that equation. We look at ethnicity, we look at body type, gender, sexual orientation. It’s very rare that we think of disability as an aspect of diversity in general. People with disabilities are the largest group of marginalized people so there is a huge community out there being left out.”

In December 2019 Cax was rushed to the emergency room and several blood clots were discovered. She died at the age of 30 on December 15, 2019. Her legacy lives on in the growing representation of disabled models in all aspects of fashion. Disability visibility shows what is possible. Representation matters.

View the complete Affirm Black Women portrait series here