Bionic Model

Bionic Model  Rebekah Marine fights for fashion diversity, adaptive clothing

So it might seem surprising that Marine, who lives in West Deptford, New Jersey, is now building a career out of what she used to fear the most: being in the spotlight. The so-called "Bionic Model," a name that references her high-tech prosthetic arm, has been featured in a Nordstrom campaign and various fashion magazines, and she's quickly becoming a mainstay on the runways at New York Fashion Week.

Rebekah Marine remembers all too well when she used to hide beneath baggy sweaters or pose awkwardly when meeting strangers, lest anyone realize that there was something different about her.

Marine, 29, was born without a right forearm.

"My entire teenage life was spent hiding from the camera," she told TODAY. "I was very self-conscious."


And on Thursday night, she walked in the Runway of Dreams Gala and Fashion Show in New York City, an event meant to raise awareness of the need for adaptive clothing, and to showcase new designs from Tommy Hilfiger for people who have disabilities.

Marine walked the catwalk at the Runway of Dreams fashion show on June 9 in New York City.
She joined several models — including Jillian Mercado, who was notably featured in a recent Beyoncé campaign — on the runway, wearing clothes featuring magnets instead of zippers and buttons, and adjustable hemlines and sleeves, all simple design tweaks to make clothes easier to put on and take off for people with disabilities

Adaptive clothing is just so important,” Marine said. “It’s like, why didn’t we do this so long ago?”

“I struggled a lot learning how to do just everything,” she added about her own disability. “When I was growing up, we didn’t have Google or Facebook, so I didn’t have the resources to ask, hey, how do I tie my shoes? Or how do I button my shirt? I had to learn on my own. I didn’t even learn how to put my hair up in a ponytail until I was 16.”