From hiding her hand to modeling for Apple and YSL: Ayman Moldabekova’s story

“I saw that other children had two hands,” Ayman recalls. “I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. I kept asking myself: ‘Everyone has hands. Where is mine?’”

Born without her right hand, Ayman Moldabekova wore a rubber prosthesis throughout her childhood. It helped her conceal the difference she struggled to accept.

“I was embarrassed by my hand and almost never removed the prosthesis,” she says.

Her eventual career in fashion began far from a modeling agency. After school, Moldabekova studied thermal power engineering at Almaty University of Power Engineering and Telecommunications. She spent just two weeks working in her field after graduation. The job convinced her to look elsewhere.

She later became an office manager. A business trip to Istanbul brought an unexpected encounter.

“My company sent me to Istanbul for work,” she says. “People from the fashion industry noticed me there.”

In 2016, Moldabekova received a 3D-printed prosthesis operated through a mechanical pulling system. She began taking part in photo shoots and fashion shows.

That year also brought her first professional shoot, in St. Petersburg. Photographer Vladislav Korysta helped her prepare for modeling and build a portfolio.

“Every shoot has something different about it,” she says. “But I especially remember my first professional shoot. We created some incredible looks.”

Another opportunity came in Istanbul in 2018. A woman invited Moldabekova to a photo shoot, three hours away.

“She photographed me outside her home and suggested sending the pictures to an agency,” Moldabekova recalls. “The agency ended up offering me work.”

Her career expanded across countries. She appeared at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week and in a music video for Bi-2. She also became the inspiration for a video game character.

Her collaborations included Apple, Samsung, Yandex and YSL Beauty. Forbes Kazakhstan named her among its “30 Under 30.”

Apple held particular meaning for her.

“I had dreamed of working with Apple,” she says. “When it happened, it felt special.”

As her career developed, Ayman gradually changed how she felt about her hand. Friends encouraged her to go without a prosthesis. Building the confidence to do so took time.

“I used to depend heavily on other people’s opinions,” she says. “I had to work hard to build confidence in myself.”

Eventually, she stopped wearing a prosthesis to hide her difference. Today, she uses one when she needs it.

“I mainly wore it for appearance,” she explains. “I’m already used to doing everything with my left hand.”

She also finds bionic prostheses inconvenient to carry and wear. Many models, she says, are heavy.

Her choices about work have become more selective, too. Ayman prefers brands whose products she uses and whose work interests her.

“I use Apple products, so working with the brand was especially meaningful,” she says. “The same goes for YSL Beauty.”

Mercedes-Benz and Lego remain on her wish list. But increasingly, her attention is turning toward Kazakhstan.

“Lately, I’ve been turning down offers from foreign brands more often,” she says. “I want to become better known in Kazakhstan and develop projects that matter here.”

Ayman says Kazakhstan offers limited opportunities for models who wear prostheses. Demand remains low, and modeling fees are modest.

Alongside her own career, she began developing projects focused on inclusion. She founded Inclusive People because she felt people with disabilities often went unrecognized. Through the project, she organizes photo shoots for mothers raising children with additional needs. She also works with brands to involve women with physical differences in fashion.

“Besides that, I help people who need prostheses access modern, quality devices,” she says. “What inspires me is people themselves and their life stories. How they overcome difficulties, and who they become after those experiences.”

Earlier, Qazinform shared the stories of two volunteers aged 17 and 63.