In a slight deviation from its usual way, American Girl featured four-year-old Ivy Kimble in its October catalog.

What made Ivy’s presence a special one is the fact that she has Down syndrome.

Wearing a twinkling red dress, Ivy just nailed it as she held her baby doll in the shots.

Speaking to WLS-TV, Ivy’s mom Kristin Kimble said: “It’s a big deal for her. There’s not a lot of print or media with a lot of kids with Down syndrome.”

Ivy wore her hair in pigtails and posed with her doll, also sporting a red dress, as she stood in front of a Christmas tree beside another young model.

“She’s adorable and great to work with, and the shots we captured with her for our holiday catalogs are beautiful,” an American Girl spokeswoman told PEOPLE.

“We look forward to continuing our work in celebrating all girls.”

Kristin, who hails from Chicago, said Ivy’s performance in the ad was exciting not only for her three other daughters but also for all those differently-abled people who don’t see the likes of them in media.

“For us, we want to keep seeing kids of all abilities out there in print,” she said.

“I love that these companies are trying to make a conscious effort to continue to put them in print. My hope is that it continues to grow, but it stops being a conscious effort, and just becomes natural.”

Ivy’s performance has already sparked conversations about how people with Down syndrome can participate in the modeling industry.

Kristin believes it will raise awareness about Down syndrome and will help normalize the disability.

“My kids, people are asking them about Down syndrome now. ‘Oh, Ivy has Down syndrome and she’s in the American Girl catalog?’” she said.

“Yeah, everyone can be an American Girl and that’s the great thing about it.”

Just recently, a number of models like Ivy – such as Australian model Madeline Stuart and Spanish model Marian Avila – made headlines after they participated in New York Fashion Week.

Stuart, who signed Glossigirl in 2015, holds the honor of being the first model with Down syndrome to have landed a beauty contract.

 

 

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