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[title]James Parr wears the responsibility of being an intersectional role model much like he wears the designer clothes he models on runways – with seemingly effortless ease. As a First Nations queer man with a disability, he provides representation in the fashion industry for a vast scope of marginalised people. But behind his rise as an in-demand model, is a core dedication to advocacy.
Parr’s flourishing career in fashion is a relatively new development in his life, which he found as a somewhat unexpected passion after becoming an amputee. In 2019, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, otherwise known as bone cancer, which led to the sudden amputation of one of his legs below the knee. In the short time since, Parr has not only worked as a model, but also as a passionate advocate for representation of people with disabilities. He was just named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for the Asia Pacific region, and to top it all off, he also competes in para-triathlons on the side. Impressive doesn’t begin to cover it.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Parr to reach this point. After his cancer diagnosis, he spent a year receiving treatment and feeling like he’d lost his grip on what was left of the life he knew before.
“In that year, you've lost control of any aspect of your life. So I couldn't make plans, I couldn't do anything,” Parr says. “Throughout that, I would constantly have people telling me what I could and couldn't do or how long it would take me to be able to do this or that.”
What was a tough period in Parr’s life became a huge turning point, as he found motivation to chase ambitious goals to defy those who thought his disability would hold him back.
“Having the amputation and acquiring a disability opened up a whole new insight, especially with having the lens of someone who was able-bodied, and seeing the way people treated me differently and spoke to me differently afterwards.
“It gave me the drive.”
Parr is now a rising star model (he was named GQ’s Model of the Year in 2023), walking runways in fashion events across the country. But he says the move to a career in fashion (he was previously a disability support worker, even before becoming an amputee), came from a place of wanting to shift the collective perception of people with disabilities. His biggest source of fulfilment comes from working to improve representation and inclusion, on the runway or elsewhere.
“Having a disability isn’t sad,” says Parr. “I don’t think being disabled is a bad thing or a bad word, but it has such a negative connotation or perception attached to it… but it’s actually not a negative thing.”
He said the realisation that he could change other people’s minds about what it means to have a disability was sparked from a simple conversation with a close friend.
“My friend and I were talking about dating, and I asked her: ‘Would you ever date someone with some kind of disability?’ And she said yes.
“Then I asked her if she would’ve said the same answer before what happened to me, and she said no. So that just opened my eyes – if I could change one person’s mind maybe I could change others.”
Now, he dedicates much of his time to advocating for people with disabilities, and is currently working as an ambassador for organisations like the Push Up Challenge and Allknd, centring mental health in his advocacy work.
“Just being able to share my lived experience and hopefully use that to help others… that’s my favourite part about what I do,” he says.
“I just hope we get to a future where my role is actually redundant and I, or anyone, don't need to be doing this. We’re all accepted and no one has to advocate… a world where we all feel safe.”