Aimee Mullins

Blonde hair flowing in the wind and striding towards her goals, Aimee Mullins ran down the track in pursuit of her dreams. Mullins had many accomplishments that were caused by her mental along with her physical beauty. "Mullins worldwide recognition was first as an athlete. Very early on in her life she was born without fibulae in both legs, upon this discovery she was told by doctors that she would never walk and had to spend the rest of her life using a wheelchair. After Aimee's first birthday doctors amputated both her legs below the knee at an attempt to gain any independent mobility" (Women's Sports Foundation). She worked hard in order to earn world records in the 100 meter and 200 meter sprints along with a record in the long jump at the 1996 Paralympics. Mullins was very confident in her abilities, which pushed her to do her best, never give up, and look at the bright side of every situation. Mullins was a Paralympic athlete and model who stood out for her confidence, perseverance, and good attitude, which makes her a hero.

(http://www.lorealparis.ca/spokespeople.aspx ())

Aimee Mullins had confidence about her abilities despite her physical disabilities which were caused by her prosthetic legs. Mullins worked hard to accomplish goals such as being a Paralympic athlete, by showing confidence and determination along the way: "She loathed the label. "I hate the words 'handicapped' and 'disabled'. They imply that you are less than whole. I don't see myself that way at all." (Williams). Mullins didn't see herself as having a physical disability, she was confident enough to complete tasks that a person with real legs would do. Using her strength and poise she worked hard to have great accomplishments. Mullins didn't only show confidence in her athletics; she also showed confidence in her modeling career:"Sometimes it is because of her flowing blonde hair and blue eyes and natural confidence" ("She goes all out - on graphite legs: Georgetown's Aimee Mullins trains for 2000 Paralympics."). Through her modeling career, Mullins showed her assurance when she strutted down the catwalk at the London Fashion Week in 1999.Mullins naturally appeared confident because of her inner and outer beauty. Her confidence and overall beauty played a key role in her success, during the Paralympics and London's Fashion Week.

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Mullins persevered through several struggles on the path to her success, but those experiences only made her stronger. Having two prosthetic legs was a major setback in Mullins' life, but she pushed through to achieve her goals: "Undaunted, she faced up to the challenge of learning to walk on artificial limbs, and succeeded. Her early years were a hard-fought battle and she recalls being singled out and cruelly mocked by other children." ("I'm beautiful and proud of it, says the catwalk model who lost both her legs."). Even though others gave Mullins a hard time, because of her prosthetic legs, she was determined to continue working towards building up skills such as walking. When she was in a situation that would cause some people to give up on a goal, Mullins stood resolute and continued her journey towards her aspirations.Carrying out simple actions a stood as a challenge for Mullins, but soon she started to do more complex activities: "Mullins did not let this ailment stop her;as the time passed she learned how to walk using her prosthetic legs in which she spent her childhood partaking in sports such as soccer, swimming, biking, softball and skiing." ("Women's Sports Foundation"). Mullins started to do many activities that were often challenging for people with regular legs. She attempted to do tasks that were hard to continue, but she didn't give up because she lived off of the thrill of the challenge. Mullins went up against several challenges, but never gave up because she knew that she had to push through in order for her to reach her dreams.

(http://www.crsportsnews.com/?id=787293&pg=2&keys=A ())

A big part in Mullins' success was her good attitude towards having two prosthetic legs. Despite the fact that she had two artificial legs, Mullins had a good attitude about not letting that get to her: "My parents never told me that I couldn't do something," she says. "They expected me to excel." And she did." (Williams). Mullins had a positive attitude to overcome the fact that she was seen as having a disability, she wanted to prove to the world that she can do anything that she put her mind to. She had her mind set on exceeding what people expected from her and showing that having a "disability" doesn't prevent anyone from doing normal things. Mullins also showed that she didn't take having artificial legs too seriously by making jokes about her situation. "The most inspiring aspect of Aimee's approach to her disability is her wicked sense of humor." ("I'm beautiful and proud of it, says the catwalk model who lost both her legs."). She didn't see her situation as a burden; she looked at the bright side of things. Even though some may find it weird, she made jokes about having prosthetic legs, which revealed that she wasn't insecure about her legs. Mullins showed that having artificial limbs isn't as serious as some people make it out to be, in the end of the day it doesn't matter if you have real or artificial legs.

Aimee Mullins is considered a hero because she portrayed confidence, perseverance, and good attitude throughout her model and Paralympic career. She was determined to prove that having a "disability" didn't stop her from achieving great things. She showed that she was as capable of doing things just as well as anyone else. Mullins stands as an inspiration and role model for everyone to look up to. She showed that having two artificial limbs made things a little harder for her but didn't stop her from doing normal things. She showed that nothing should stop you from achieving your goals or reaching your dreams. Mullins proved that lofty goals are achievable despite the many struggles that one may encounter along the way. She has earned many achievements from the past and inspired others to chase their dreams.