Meet Spain's First Male Model With Down Syndrome
“I’m a fighter,” Raúl Rodríguez says in the video below. “I fight my limitations.”
Rodríguez is reportedly Spain’s first male model with Down syndrome, and he’s using the spotlight to break down some barriers.
This February, Silbon, a Spanish clothing company, launched a campaign called Commitment, or “compromiso” in Spanish, to send home the message that people with Down syndrome can lead normal lives.Rodríguez, 32, is its star. According to the campaign’s website, throughout the month, it donated a euro for each item sold in any of Silbon’s stores across the country to a Down syndrome association in Córdoba, Spain, called Down Córdoba.
Rodríguez, 32, is from Córdoba. Along with modeling, he’s also a competitive swimmer, according to El Comercio.
“Down syndrome is not a sickness,” Rodríguez says in the video below. “I’m not sick. I’m an adult person, and I learn as any such person.”
Check out some of his photos below:
Watch this video to see Rodríguez in action during a photo shoot:
h/t Voxxi
Melissa McGlensey is the former News Editor at The Mighty. Her writing can also be seen in Ms. Magazine, on the Ms.Magazine blog and in The Huffington Post’s Good News, Comedy and Impact sections. Melissa is also a New York City comedian who does sketch, improv and stand up. She is passionate about social justice, politics, Thai food, literature, disability rights and more. She is currently in a long-distance relationship with her cat, Sneakers, who lives in California. You can follow her on twitter at @OhHeyMeliss.
melissa-mcglensey