Hillcrest fifth grader Owen Chaidez is changing the face of beauty, literally.
Changing the Face of Beauty is a nonprofit that aims to encourage the media to feature all types of people in advertisements – including differently-abled people. Owen and his family have worked with Changing the Face of Beauty on a number of projects, including this video! Here, Owen describes his experiences viewing media, noting the distinct absence of differently-abled people across platforms.
“The lack of differently-abled people in advertising makes them feel invisible,” Owen said in the video. “Hey advertisers! You have to have more differently-abled people in your advertising!”
The video also features Hillcrest fifth grader Charlie, one of Owen’s best friends.
Owen served as the inspiration for Hillcrest’s new all-inclusive playground, called “Owen’s Playground.” His mother, Peg Chaidez, led a two-year collaborative community effort to open an all-accessible public school playground at Hillcrest, the first of its kind in DuPage County. It opened with great anticipation in August 2016.
“It has been great for Owen to learn and meet new people and he is growing into being a strong advocate,” said Mrs. Chaidez.
Thank you for your advocacy and hard work, Owen!