The common assumption towards people with disabilities in Pakistan is that they are always dependant on others. One Pakistani teen is busting that misconception on a large scale. Ridda Zahra Naqvi is Pakistan’s first beauty influencer with Down Syndrome.
People with Down Syndrome do struggle in the academic field given their learning disability. However, their creativity is no less astounding.
Ridda Zahra Naqvi immediately shot to fame after her sister Alina shared her first makeup tutorial video on Instagram in February 2021. Her video made rounds on the Internet, with almost 12,000 comments, nearly 75,000 likes, and about 800,000 views.
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Even Pakistani celebs including Zara Noor Abbas, Ayesha Omar, and Sana Javed lauded the teen. Soon enough she had over 40,000 Instagram followers. According to Bol News, in an interview, the beauty influencer shared how love was encouraging.
“I enjoy the comments the most. They make me really happy.”
Ridda’s sister Alina Naqvi, who is a make-up artist, manages her Instagram. Even she described the response as a ‘welcome surprise’.
“I am really happy to see Pakistan’s response because we did not expect it, … As we saw the video go viral, we wondered what was happening! This is because people in Pakistan do not usually look at special needs children like this.”
Following such a positive response from the public, Alina told, her sister Ridda was motivated to make more videos.
“This is the first time she’s done this, … We are really happy to get so much appreciation from people and the media.”
Although Ridda loves being a makeup artist, and Pakistan’s first beauty influencer with Down Syndrome, that’s not all she wants to do. She shared how she wants to test her expertise in different professions.
“I like making videos a lot and being a makeup artist,” she said, “but I also plan to be a photographer and go into teaching as well.”
In another interview, Ridda’s mother Farah Naqvi told the news outlet how proud she is. She said it takes a lot of patience to help your special child meet their goals.
“I am so proud of her. It feels like there is a lot of appreciation for her talent and how she carries herself. Members from Down syndrome communities in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad have been reaching out as well to tell us how happy they are.”
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That is how one teen with an extra chromosome ended up as Pakistan’s first beauty influencer with Down Syndrome. The rare developmental deviation occurs in one in every 700 babies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Children with Down Syndrome are slow learners, aside from the obvious physical characteristics that come with the disease. However, these individuals are high functioning, can sustain employment, and can even live on their own.
In fact, recently, an 18-year-old model with Down syndrome, Ellie Goldstein became the star of the new Gucci Beauty campaign for the brand’s L’Obscur mascara.
