And now, with her new bridal shoot, Stuart is helping to break more unspoken rules of the modeling industry.
In a series of photos shot at Rixey Manor in Virginia, Stuart shows the reality of marriage: It's not reserved exclusively for people who look like models in bridal magazines.
"A lot of women can't see themselves as brides since magazines only use tall, thin models," Isadora Martin-Dye, who owns the manor and hired Stuart for the shoot, told BuzzFeed.
"Working with Madeline was pretty surreal," photographer Sarah Houston told BuzzFeed of the shoot. "You see this person on social media and the news... but Madeline and Rosanne [Madeline's mother] were so easy to work with, I was blown away."
But not all aspects of the shoot were so easy — Madeline's mom initially had reservations because she didn't want the project to be misconstrued.
Rosanne Stuart explained to Mic that she was worried "people would pretend Maddy was getting married in real life to sell papers," but soon realized the shoot could be a vehicle for change in the public's perception of people with Down syndrome.
"How is it someone with a disability can love their parents or siblings so intensely just like everyone else," Stuart asked the publication, "but for some reason [other people assume they] can't also have feelings for a boyfriend or husband?"
In a Facebook post, Martin-Dye discussed her awe at Madeline's talents, and addressed critics of the shoot.
"[Madeline obviously] LOVES to model," she wrote. "In front of a camera is her happy place."
You go, Maddy!
BuzzFeed has reached out to the Stuart family for comment.
