Meet Ellie Goldstein, the model with Down syndrome, who stars in Gucci Beauty's new campaign

18-year-old Ellie Goldstein always wanted to be famous. "I love lots of attention," the young model told Vogue in a recent interview. The teen's dream has now come true after she became one of the newest faces to represent Gucci Beauty in a special editorial. The result of an Instagram scouting project, the "Unconventional Beauty" series centers around the idea of authenticity. It was launched with the goal of supporting emerging talents and promoting the theme of unconventional and non-stereotypical beauty. Goldstein was one of the faces London-based photographer David PD Hyde photographed for the series, in which she can be seen smiling and wearing the brand’s buildable Mascara L'Obscur.

Goldstein, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth, has never let that get in the way of her dreams. After deciding she wanted to be a model, at the age of 15 she signed with Zebedee Management, an agency committed to representing "models with disabilities and alternative appearances." Speaking of her venture into the world of modeling, the teen revealed, "I got into [it] when I was 15 years old. My mum found out about Zebedee Management and we decided to join them. The best part of modeling is showing myself off to everyone. I love to be in front of the camera and show how professional I am."

"Representation is very important to me — let the world see that anyone can model and act with a disability," she added. Goldstein, who considers Marilyn Monroe her beauty icon, also opened up about her life with Down syndrome. "I haven't had any bad experiences having Down syndrome. I think it's because of my personality. The only challenge I have faced was maybe people signing to me and talking to my mum instead of me, until realizing that I can communicate and that I am just like them, maybe just slower at learning some things," she said. The young model explained that she's learned to overcome such situations by simply being herself.

"Once people realize I can talk and have a great character, they are different towards me and they smile. There needs to be more positivity out there and people should give us a chance and not be so ignorant," she said. Speaking of the opportunity to star in Gucci Beauty's campaign, Goldstein said: "It feels so amazing and fabulous to be part of the Gucci Beauty campaign. I feel so proud of myself, especially to have been chosen for this. When I look at the images, I feel happy with myself, and all the likes and comments on social media across the world have been overwhelming."

"My hope as a model is to become famous one day. My dream job [is to] be on the front cover of Vogue and work for other big brands. My hopes and dreams are to show the world who I am and what I can achieve," she revealed. Goldstein also shared some advice for those who might be struggling with confidence, saying: "Be yourself and don’t worry about what other people think of you." The teen, who is also interested in drama and dance, admitted that she enjoys being a role model as "it shows that if you follow your hopes and dreams, you can achieve anything."

"I designed L'Obscur mascara for an authentic person who uses makeup to tell their story of freedom, in their way," said Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele. "Inclusiveness, authenticity, and freedom have always distinguished the aesthetic vocabulary of Gucci's creative director Alessandro Michele and Gucci Beauty, whose initiatives are a hymn to diversity and self-expression from the beginning," the brand said in a statement, reports Good Morning America.