A heartfelt story that started with an Ulta ad is making rounds on social media. People are captivated by the picture of a girl in a wheelchair looking at a photo of a model who is also in a wheelchair.
Carolyn Kovacs Anderson viral post
The photo was shared by the girl’s mom, Carolyn Kovacs Anderson on her Facebook account with the caption:
“Well Ulta, you absolutely stopped my girl in her tracks this evening. It was mesmerizing to watch her stop, turn and gaze at this poster. So thank you ❤️ — at Ulta Beauty.”
In the photo, we can see the little girl fully focused on the image of the smiling wheelchair-clad woman in the photo.
The girl who was charmed
At a young age, 4-year-old Maren Anderson was struck by a rare disease caused by a genetic mutation.
This caused her to be bound to her wheelchair that she had just gotten used to navigating.
One night, she and her mom were out and about when Maren stopped in her tracks and started gazing at the poster.
Ulta reacts to viral photo
The beauty store caught wind of the viral photo. In a statement, an Ulta spokeswoman said,
“We love that this family shared such an amazing moment and were touched to see Maren looking at the image in our window — it makes us incredibly proud,”
Steph Aiello, the model in the poster, is also a wheelchair-bound beauty influencer.
She was asked to model in the ad “as part of an initiative to ensure that every guest feels represented and can see themselves represented.”
The internet sends their love
People on the internet are also giving Ulta a pat on the back for capturing this young girl’s attention.
One netizen was so touched by the company’s gesture that they wrote,
“I just saw this the first time today and was so happy for the little people in my life who are in wheelchairs.”
Ulta did a great job in representing the differently-abled community through their ad campaigns.
Hopefully, every big brand companies will follow suit in showing their support for this group of people, too.
Photo courtesy of Carolyn Kovacs Anderson