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- An amputee model from New Zealand was accused by trolls on social media of photoshopping her leg out for attention.
- She proved her haters wrong by modelling for big brands such as Kim Kardashian's SKIMS.
- She also booked a runway modelling gig for the LA Fashion Week for Issa Rae in collaboration with Delta.
Model and actor Cherie Louise, 30, from Taranaki, New Zealand, has soared to success, booking incredible modelling gigs in spite of her disability and the accompanying critics. Cherie was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer, osteosarcoma, at the age of six. She began having a persistent high fever and pains in her left hip.
Osteosarcoma is a form of bone cancer where the tumours look like early forms of bone cells that usually help make new bone tissue. To save her life, Cherie’s parents were told that her entire left leg and half of her pelvis had to be amputated.
The amputation, called an external hemipelvectomy, is an extremely rare and high-risk operation, making prosthetics difficult to use.
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Cherie has received insensitive and hateful comments on social media about her disability, with people even accusing her of photoshopping her leg off to gain attention.
At age 16, Cherie moved to Australia to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She took inspiration from an amputee model on Instagram, Mama Cax, who has sadly died.
Since then, Cherie has gained momentum as a model, signing up with the US agency Other People’s Children. In July 2022, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career further and was quickly booked on Kim Kardashian’s clothing campaign SKIMS.
This year, she was also booked to do her first-ever catwalk show, walking in LA Fashion Week in October. She had been due to walk in Sydney Fashion Week, but was unable to participate after she contracted Covid-19.
Despite her success, the hardest part for Cherie is navigating the instability of the industry.
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She has to be ready at any minute for a casting call and struggles to make plans with her friends and family back home.
Cherie talks about her incredible experience on Kim Kardashian’s campaign and LA Fashion Week.
"After moving to Los Angeles, I was booked for my first campaign for Kim Kardashian’s clothing brand, SKIMS.
"It was their first-ever bra campaign and I was booked to model for the campaign along with many other incredible women that I have looked up to, such as Brooke Shields and Chelsea Handler. It was a big day with so many models included in the campaign, and the experience was a very positive one for me."
She says the production was very well run and that she could tell that the people she was working with were trusted and the best at what they do.
"I really hope to work with them again soon. I was booked to walk in LA Fashion week this year and it was actually my first ever catwalk show. I was booked for my first catwalk in Sydney Fashion Week in May this year, and fell ill with Covid only two days before the show. I was heartbroken," she says.
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Then in October, she received the call to walk in a huge show curated by Issa Rae in collaboration with Delta for LA Fashion week. It was another great production to be a part of and the perfect experience for her first catwalk show.
"I felt really proud of being selected among such incredible models."
But Cherie also talks about the negative comments she has received.
"People on social media often accuse me of faking having one leg and claim that I photoshop my leg out of my photos for attention," she says.
"They can't grasp that images flip depending on whether you use the front or rear camera on your phone, or if a photo is taken in a mirror."
Cherie opens up about some of the difficulties she has faced in the industry.
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The most difficult part for her, she says, has been navigating the instability of the industry.
As someone just starting to break into the industry, it had taken a lot mentally for her to stick with it, when "the industry itself is quiet and there isn’t much happening".
"I try to keep busy in other ways and always take action to try and attract more interest/exposure to myself as a model. The industry is unpredictable, and you just have to be ready at all times for something to come at the last minute. You’ll get a casting call for something the next day," she says.
"That means I can’t really plan to go see my friends or family back home without risking missing out on work, and that’s something I’m learning to deal with.
Cherie comments on what she is proudest of achieving and her increasing success.
She says her move to America to work as a model/actress is her biggest achievement. She had to build up her career and accomplishments for years before having enough behind her to be able to apply for a visa to work in the US.
"I know this visa is really difficult to get, and being approved for that was a huge step in my career. I wasn’t sure what would happen after moving to Los Angeles. I didn’t know if I’d get work or how things would turn out at all," she says.
But after being in the US for a few months, she's been getting booked for amazing jobs and knows that this is "where she's meant to be right now".
