Paraplegic Skims model blasted by Candace Owens fights back

The Skims model at the center of Candace Owens’ ablest rant says she is ‘disgusted’ by the controversial talk show host’s comments. 

Owens bashed a new Skims campaign that featured paraplegic model Haleigh Rosa seated in her wheelchair wearing the Skims adaptive bralette and panties that were specifically designed for people with disabilities.

The conservative host called the campaign ‘ridiculous’ on an episode of her show last month, drawing the ire of actress Christina Applegate and disability activists online. 

‘I don’t really understand how far we’re going to take this inclusivity thing. I really don’t get it,’ Owens, 33, said while showing the photo of Rosa, adding that she’s ‘tired of this inclusivity thing.’

Rosa, 34, now tells DailyMail.com, ‘Her words are very disturbing. To have my body attached to her words – I felt like I had to speak up. She spoke on something she has no idea about.’ 

Owens called Skims’ adaptive campaign ‘ridiculous’ and said she’s getting ‘tired of this inclusivity thing’

‘I don’t really understand how far we’re going to take this inclusivity thing. I really don’t get it,’ Owens, 33, said while showing the photo of Rosa, adding that she’s ‘tired of this inclusivity thing’

Rosa, who was left paralyzed from the waist down eight years ago in a car accident, said she had never heard of Candace Owens and was alerted to her commentary by a friend. 

‘The most outrageous thing is not only does she think we [people with disabilities] shouldn’t be in an adaptive campaign, she thinks we shouldn’t be in any campaign. I am human. I wear not only adaptive clothes, but regular clothes too,’ Rosa said.

The adaptive Skims line features fasteners on the front and side, to make it easier for those with physical limitations.

Owens said, ‘I don’t really understand how far we’re going to take this inclusivity thing. I really don’t get it. I don’t know. If I’m wrong, educate me. I just want to be educated in the comments. I don’t know why this needs to be done. I’m just getting tired of this inclusivity thing. It seems ridiculous.

‘Look, I assume that people who are in wheelchairs also have to buy bras, have to buy underwear, I just assume that is a thing. I didn’t know that we needed to see that in our face,’ she continued. ‘I didn’t know that now we’re going to have to look forward to campaigns where women that are in wheelchairs are now wearing bras and underwear because we as a society cannot get to the bottom of our ridiculousness.’

Rosa said, ‘I think she was uneducated. I don’t think she has journalistic integrity. She clearly didn’t do research. If she took five seconds to look into it she would understand the campaign.’

The South Florida resident said that Owens apologized days later.

‘She called me and gave me an apology, if you want to call it that,’ Rosa said. ‘It was insincere. She said sorry but I know her views are the same. She didn’t want to learn.’ 

Owens was back on her show on The Daily Wire to describe that apology in an episode titled ‘Sorry, Representation Does Not Matter’.

‘If I was a model that was in this campaign, and I heard Candace say ”what is this,” I would probably be offended. So I apologize to her,’ Owens said. 

But she went on to say that being featured in the ad was a ‘participation trophy’ for people who are disabled and called it ‘patronizing.’

Rosa said, ‘Her apology was along the lines of ”we’re going to have to agree to disagree.” She said I was checking boxes, that people like me shouldn’t be in an ad.’

Rosa said that Owens  was uneducated. ‘I don’t think she has journalistic integrity. She clearly didn’t do research. If she took five seconds to look into it she would understand the campaign,’ she said

The South Florida resident said that Owens apologized days later, but said the apology was ‘insincere’ 

Rosa has modeled for top brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Skims and Off-White and is hoping for more inclusive campaigns

Rosa, who was previously a reporter in North Dakota, has modeled for top brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Skims and Off-White and is hoping for more inclusive campaigns. 

‘I would love to see more brands reach out and add more people with disabilities in their campaigns for adaptive clothing.

‘Candace said that you shouldn’t strive to be just a model – and I’m not just a model,’ she said. 

Rosa has started the For Everyone Foundation for people with disabilities and is the co-founder of a clean pizza company called Yough. 

Owens is no stranger to backlash for her opinions. 

Just last week, she was back in the headlines after interior designer David Netto told her and her husband he would ‘rather get beat in the a** with a wooden plank’ than work on their Nashville home.

But her ablest comments on the Skims campaign got the attention of A-listers. 

Actress Christina Applegate – who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021 – took to Twitter to express her outrage at Owens’ comments.

‘Yes late tweet. But woke to see the most horrifying thing. This Candace person making comments about companies who see we need help. It’s f***ing gross,’ Applegate said. 

‘Candace Owens, do you know when you have seen pictures of me how f***ing hard it was to get my clothes on? A team has to help me!!! So I’m excited for accessibility clothing for me and my community. Hope u wake,’ Applegate wrote.

Actress Christina Applegate – who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021 – took to Twitter to express her outrage at Owens’ comments 

 

Applegate expressed her outrage in a series of tweets  

 

 

Owens responded to Applegate’s tweets attempting to clarify and apologize for her comments

She then reached out to Owens, writing she’d be willing to talk with her. 

‘I thought my last tweet was enough. But then my heart said something else. No rage. If Candace wants to get on the phone with me to be educated on being disabled. I will not come with anger. I will come with love. Because she needs to hear that. I pray for her tonight. sincerely,’ Applegate added.

Owens herself responded, writing, ‘Hey Christina— huge fan of yours. Would welcome a discussion with you. DMs open ❤️’

‘I think Christina, that what you may have missed is that covering absurd DEI initiatives is a recurring beat on my show.’

‘We actually did not know that this particular ad featured a specific technology designed for people with disabilities, which was an honest mistake,’ Owens admitted.

She added in another tweet, ‘What we thought it was at the time, was another nonsensical ‘representation matters’ DEI initiative which I strongly feel patronizes the people it purports to represent. (Example: clinically obese people modeling swimsuits). This wasn’t that and we simply got it wrong.’

‘We create a show 5 days a week. It is an impossibility that we would not at some point make an honest mistake. If you felt personally targeted by this mistake, I apologize to you. We simply did not know (the ad did not state) that the underwear was created for disabled access,’ Owens wrote.