Irish influencer and fashion activist Sinéad Burke has become a contributing editor for British Vogue. This extraordinary feat follows a list of accomplishments that we have come to expect from the trailblazer.
This year alone, the Navan woman became a cover star alongside Kim Kardashian for The Business of Fashion, met with Meghan Markle at the British ambassador's residence at Glencairn and joined Vogue's list of 25 women shaping 2018.
Sinéad, who has had a remarkable year by any standard, has now gone one step further in her fashionable career by joining the team at British Vogue as a contributing editor.
In her first column, the 3ft 5in tall powerhouse reflects on why society aspires for normality and why, at age 11, she decided to stay true to herself rather than pander to others.
"Normality was not something I was aiming for. I sought fulfilment, self-belief, boundless joy and a sarcastic wit - all of which could only flourish from becoming comfortable with being me," she wrote.
Today, we know Sinéad as a fashionista, writer and academic but once upon a time she was Ms Burke, a teacher in a classroom of children.
During that time, the subject of Sinéad's Achondroplasia - the most common form of dwarfism - would arise as a topic of conversation amongst the students.
"When they asked me: 'Why are you so small?', I answered, 'Why are you so big?'.
"Confusion meandered across their faces, they’d raise an eyebrow and respond with a slight smirk: ‘I don’t know, I was born like this’. They were right," she said.
In her role as teacher, Sinéad found opportunities to shape young minds by asking them to consider the meaning and significance of being 'normal'. Now, outside of the classroom, the design advocate is using her platform to pose the same questions to adults.
We can't wait to see what she does next.
If you want to find out more about Sinéad's work watch her TED talk Why Design Should Include Everyone above.
