Sarah Carolyn may be a hugely popular TikTok star with almost 3 million followers, but she is more than happy to share the spotlight with her sister Emily. Just last month, Sarah and her sister, who has Down Syndrome, decided to walk the catwalk together at New York Fashion Week. As Sarah wrote on TikTok alongside a clip of the pair, this simple walk broke barriers as Emily shattered "expectations that lie within the fashion industry" in terms of the way people "look, walk and dress," as she put it. Her video has since racked up over 2.2 million views. Here's why.
The sisters' appearance was a part of the Jaqueline City Apparel charity fashion show, and Jaqueline herself designed their outfits. Taking to TikTok, she explained the process leading up to this monumental moment. "Emily is very sensitive to clothing, so I did not create her an outfit head-to-toe [for her]. I gave her a bunch of different options; she was so excited. I wanted to give her the room to be able to choose her own outfit as opposed to create her an outfit based on her story—because her sensory issues are part of her story—and I wanted to recognize that."
@sar_carolyn Last night we changed history. #downsyndrome #fashionweek #breakingbarriers #nyc #sisterduo #foryoupage ♬ Forever - Labrinth
For Sarah's outfit, Jaqueline wanted the look to reflect the TikToker's own life journey. "Something that really inspires me from Sarah's story is that she is a survivor as well," she recalled. "She found the courage to keep going and to keep living her life despite these things that were weighing her down. So, I really want to focus on the chain aspect." The outfits they finally decided on were unique to each sister's tastes. Emily wore a pink T-shirt with the words "Disabled is Not a Dirty Word," along with gray leggings and black sneakers. Sarah wore a basic white T-shirt, a tulle skirt, and black heels. She accessorized the look with chains and what looked like a shield.
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As the youngest Down Syndrome Model to ever walk the catwalk, Sarah was incredibly proud of her sister and this incredible achievement. The sisters have said in another TikTok post that they welcome any hate as they believe it can be used to raise awareness of the issue. "Someone has to be the first to do it, and that's exactly what we're doing."
