i-D Meets Aaron Philip | i-D

Teenage model Aaron Philip is not only taking on the fashion industry, she’s also winning. Born in Antigua, Bronx-based model Aaron Philip experienced countless challenges in her early life. Having been born with cerebral palsy, her parents moved to the US to help a young Aaron get the medical attention she required, resulting in the family living in a homeless shelter at one point. Despite her radiant optimism, Aaron was misunderstood by the other kids at school, and began harnessing the power of the internet, garnering an avid following for herself through documentation of her daily life on social media sites like Tumblr and Instagram. Embracing her gender non-conforming trans identity, brands and publications started to get in touch, prompting Aaron to start using her identity and image for positive change. Watch as i-D Aaron’s celebrates her 18th birthday party in New York, and find out the challenges in her career so far – and, more importantly, how she overcame them. Follow i-D: YouTube http://bit.l