Does advertising ever equal diversity? Not usually. Kmart Australia are trying to make its ads more representative of the ‘people’ by including two models with disabilities in their Easter Kmart catalogue.
Following on from Target Australia’s choice to use a model with Down Syndrome and Target USA’s feature that shows a girl using arm crutches, Kmart told BuzzFeed, “This is not a new focus for Kmart Australia, but an extension of our broader and very important focus on improving diversity within our business and truly representing our team, customers and communities that we operate in and are part of.”
Cooper, the 11-year-old model with Cerebral Palsy, “Was so excited to see himself represent Kmart and represent kids who have a disability,” according to his mum Bronwyn. Cooper’s mum also noted that during the photo shoot everyone was very “respectful and engaging. They spoke to Cooper just as they would any 11-year-old. He felt extremely welcome and proud.”
