Kanya Sesser, 23, is a stunning example. She is breaking the mold for traditional beauty standards, all while exhibiting fierce female strength and skill.

Growing up in California, she was determined from an early age to overcome her disability, and she began modeling for sports brands at the age of fifteen. After working for a number of sports outlets, and being featured by Billabong, she was soon approached by swimwear and lingerie manufacturers.  

Now she combines her career as a model with being a motivational speaker and also with a passion for sports. Sesser is a very accomplished skateboarder, and is currently in training for the Winter Paralympics in 2018.  

Kanya, who lives in Los Angeles, was adopted from an orphanage in Thailand when she was about five years old. Her new family brought her to Portland, Oregon, where she grew up. Instead of a wheelchair, she learned to walk on her hands and also uses a skateboard to get around. She comments that she does not need legs to feel sexy, and through her work she hopes to prove that “different” is beautiful and desirable. Although modelling was not something she always dreamed of doing, it happened naturally for her, and she enjoys having it as a lucrative career. She feels that the images of her in the media portray her strength and the beauty present in atypical aesthetics.

Kanya has a very supportive boyfriend and is currently writing a book about her amazing life journey, due out in 2016. She also loves extreme sports and is hoping to be a mono-ski competitor in the Winter Paralympics in Pyongyang, South Korea, in 2018. 

Kudos to this brave, inspirational woman, who is doing a great job of redefining traditional standards of beautify and strength.

Picture courtesy of wwww.catersnews.com