Aimee Mullins is an athlete, model, actor, motivational speaker and activist who was born without fibular bones, and had both of her legs amputated below the knee when she was an infant.
She learned to walk on prosthetics, then to run – competing at the national and international level as a champion sprinter, and setting world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta. At Georgetown, where she double-majored in history and diplomacy, she became the first double amputee to compete in NCAA Division 1 track and field.
After school, Mullins did some modeling including a legendary runway show for Alexander McQueen where she walked on hand carved wooden legs made from solid ash. This sparked a modeling career which included covers for ID and Dazed and Confused and challenged old notions of “beauty”. Mullins then turned to acting, appearing as the Leopard Queen in acclaimed artist Matthew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle. Amazing.
