As much as we say and try, we often miss out on being sensitive towards differences. For instance, pageants usually promote a particular idea of beauty and ‘perfection’. So, moments and times that acknowledge the need for inclusion, always sound like good and endearing news. That’s exactly how the internet feels after Ali Appleby won the tittle of Miss Dallas Teen 2022.
The 17-year-old from Sherman, Texas was diagnosed with epilepsy two years ago. Brady, her service dog in training, assists Appleby by alerting her to oncoming seizures and is training to fetch her medication in the future. Appleby shared pictures from the pageant and added in the caption how she was told that ‘pageant girls don’t have disabilities’. Well, she did it and this seems like a wake-up call for people who are too rigid with their standards of perfection.
“When I signed up for this pageant, a random stranger told me, “You can’t do that, you have a service dog. Pageant girls don’t have disabilities!” Well, here we are!”
After winning the title, both Appleby and her service dog Brady were crowned, and it definitely has to be one of the most wholesome moments from 2022. She also added that intends to do more as a part of advocating for people with disabilities.
“I attended with the intentions of having fun and advocating for other girls with disabilities. Now I am blessed to have many more opportunities to do so!”
This has definitely left the internet happy.
You can watch the full video here:
It makes people happy to witness moments like these, because they acknowledge and celebrate differences in ways that they should be.