Since dropping her "Formation" branded merchandise during the initial video drop earlier this year, Beyoncé has chosen a fresh group of models to feature in an online ad campaign. One of the new faces is Jillian Mercado, a blogger and IMG-signed model who is diagnosed with muscular dystrophy.
Mercado was overjoyed to share that she was able to be a part of the project, posting to her Instagram with a screenshot of the advertisement: "So BEYond excited to announce that I'm on the official @beyonce website!!!!" In an interview with Vogue magazine last year, Mercado expressed that choosing to model was not always an easy decision for her. “At first I was very hesitant,” Mercado told Vogue. “I wasn’t sure about showing everyone my world because I didn’t know if there would be an audience. We’ve been brainwashed [as a society] not to care about someone who has a disability, or their world.” Now with a little help from Bey, Mercado is able to proudly represent herself and other women with disabilities on a larger scale than ever before.
