As part of Black History Month, #Google celebrated the legacy of Haitian-American model Mama Cax and her contribution to inclusivity in the fashion industry with a Google Doodle. Cax was an influential model and cancer survivor who advocated for the rights of people with disabilities. An amputee as a teenager, Cax wasn’t shy about displaying her prosthetic leg on the runway and in photo shoots, often decorating it with colorful designs.
The colorful Doodle, which can be seen on Google’s homepage on Wednesday (8 February), marks the day Mama Cax made her debut on a runway at New York Fashion Week in 2019.
Born Cacsmy Brutus on Nov. 20, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York, Cax spent much of her childhood in Haiti. At the age of 14, she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, as well as lung cancer as the osteosarcoma had metastasized to her lungs and was given three weeks to live. When a hip replacement failed, it was decided that her right leg and part of her hip should be amputated and she received her prosthetic leg.
After struggling with the initial shock of losing part of her body, she became an outspoken advocate for the body positivity movement, inspiring hundreds of thousands of followers on the internet with her writings on travel, food, lifestyle, and beauty.
Cax went on to model in campaigns with fashion brands such as Sephora, Tommy Hilfiger, and Olay, always advocating for more disabled models and women of color.
In December 2019, she died after being admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pains and blood clots in the lung.
Following her passing, #Rihanna paid tribute to Mama Cax and tweeted: “A queen. A force. A powerhouse beauty that brought her strength to the #Savagexfenty stage this year inspiring so many across the globe. Rest in Power sis.”
