Fashioning the Future With: Tilly Lockey

She's a bionic model, a social media sensation, a globe-trotting motivational speaker, and she's here on the blog today! She's none other than Tilly Lockey! Tilly is a fourteen-year-old influencer from England who has made a name for herself as a dynamic and unstoppable role model. We love that Tilly is such a positive force for good online and that she shows the world the power and beauty of her limb differences.

When Tilly was just 15 months old, doctors had to amputate both of her hands due to complications from meningitis. Now, Tilly uses a pair of epically cool prosthetic Hero Arms made by Open Bionics. She's also an ambassador for Open Bionics, and through her partnership with the innovative company, Tilly's travelled around the world, attended movie premieres, and even met the Dalai Lama. Dancing donuts, how cool is that?! Tilly's journey has been covered by outlets like Rolling Stone (yep, Tilly's in a Kate Nash music video!), Inside Edition, BBC News, and recently Pianist Magazine (yep, Tilly plays the piano!).

We love that Tilly proves that people who are 'different' can be anything they want to be. Her social media presence — from her makeup vlogging to her stunning modeling shoots —showcases her creativity and outside-the-box thinking as an online persona. We cannot wait to see what Tilly gets up to next; we know it's going to be amazing. Naturally, we were thrilled to ask Tilly about her modeling career, where she sees wearable technology going in the future, who inspires her, and more. Meet Tilly Lockey, bionic model and unstoppable icon.

What drives you as a role model and advocate for people with limb differences? 

I love doing what I do through motivational speaking and on social media because of the affect it can have on other people. I'm just sharing my life and my journey like anybody else on social media, but since all we're used to seeing are "perfect" people online, people grow to be extremely self-conscious because they don't fit into "society's standards." 

I don't think there are enough people or figures on social media who showcase differences, and what I am really passionate about is the fact that PEOPLE ARE PEOPLE! Your shape, size, sexuality, or whether you're missing limbs doesn't contribute to your worth. I receive messages all the time from so many lovely people just saying, "Thank you. You have taught me how to be confident and love myself," and those messages — those moments are the moments I live for.

Do you remember the particular moment when you realized that you were an influencer?

Well, I don't really think I am an influencer or at least not just your average influencer. Through my social media, I try to influence joy and confidence and acceptance more so than brands. 

When people come to my page, they feel welcome and empowered, free to be themselves, and that's the main reason I do it. Of course, I do do the odd brand deal, but never will I ever speak about something or promote something that I don't like or that doesn't suit my values.

How do you deal with the pressure/expectations of being a public figure who also happens to be a teenager?

Well, people usually would think travelling, organising and memorising 45 minute presentations to deliver across the globe, still trying to put out YouTube videos and content whilst being a teenager and studying towards by GCSE's is incredibly stressful — and it sounds like a lot now I'm thinking about it (lol) — but I don't really feel a lot of pressure because I'm just being myself! I'm filming and putting out content that I love because I love doing it! Nothing that I do is an act, so I don't really feel pressurised to keep a persona up.

I do sometimes put pressure on myself because I always want to deliver the best presentation and be putting the best content out there because I am a bit of a perfectionist, but that's just because I take care in what I do. Overall, I could stop everything tomorrow but I'm doing it because ultimately; I want to. School is probably the most stressful, haha. 

What’s been the most surprising aspect of being an ambassador for Open Bionics?

I love being ambassador for Open Bionics; we're a team! I've has so much faith in them as a company — and the Hero Arm as a product — since the very beginning so I was never really shocked at how successful they've been — of course, incredibly grateful, but never shocked.

The only thing that has really shocked me, to be honest, is the type of events I've been able to participate in alongside Open Bionics and the amount of travel opportunities I've had with them. I've been to China with them where we won a gold award for the design of the Hero Arm which I wore modelling it on stage. They took me to ComicCon all the way in San Diego where I spoke on a panel at age ten showcasing the first bionic arm to be modelled after a video game (which is also a Guinness World Record!). Heck, I even got to do a modelling shoot INSIDE of the White House in Washington DC! I've been working with different prosthetic companies all throughout my life just because I wanted to help get better, more reliable prosthetics out there for people like me — but never before have I got to do any of this! I'm insanely grateful! 

Do you have a favorite moment from all of your world travels as a motivational speaker/advocate?

I'm so thankful for everything I've been able to do, and, to be honest, all of the travelling has only really started recently. If you were to tell me even five years ago that I would've been to all these countries and be where I am now, I would not have believed you. (Back then, I would just spend all of my days on The Sims!)

One crazy moment does stand out to me though, and It was when I went to Amsterdam (one of my favourite places) and spoke on a panel alongside the Dalai Lama. I was 13 years old, I'm pretty sure, and that was the first time I actually felt nervous to be getting up on stage. Our conversation had a huge audience. Not only was the HUGE De Nieuwe Kerk church filled to the brim with crowds gathered outside to see His Holiness, but it was also livestreamed across hundreds of countries. I even got a selfie with The Dalai Lama, and not many people can say that, can they? Definitely a surreal experience I will never forget. 

Your makeup tutorials are awesome. What made you decide to share your makeup prowess with your audience? 

Funny story, the only reason I even attempted to do my makeup with my bionic arms in the first place was actually because I fractured my elbow at school leaving my right arm in a huge cast from my shoulder right to the tip of my arm. This was around Christmas time, and I was starting to get into makeup for the first time, so I had some makeup on my Christmas list. When it arrived, I was itching to play around with it, but, as you can imagine, trying to do my makeup with literally one arm was incredibly difficult, so I thought, why not try with one bionic arm?

It was really difficult again and I make a big mess (sorry, mam!), but eventually I was able to do a full makeup look using only one bionic arm. I put it online, and the feedback was amazing, sooooo I carried on! So, there you have it, that silly accident actually is the reason I'm doing what I'm doing today!

Side question: When did you realize you had a knack for doing makeup?

I never really realised I had a knack for makeup. I was just as good as the average person when they're using makeup for the first time. However, I think it's a form of art so to be honest, practise makes perfect! I'm definitely a lot better now than I was back then though.

What is the top misconception people have about your bionic arms that you’d like to debunk? 

They do not shoot lasers. I could not (and would not anyway!) crush someone's hand, and they are not gloves!

How many pairs of bionic arms have you had?

I have I think owned three pairs of Hero Arms, one smaller and one bigger because (I grew obviously) and then I have the Alita ones based off of the movie Alita: Battle Angel, and they were gifted to me by 20th Century Fox at the premiere of that movie (again, INSANE). However, I did have lots of trial arms before that, me being the guinea pig, and I do also have a lot of cases for my arms so I can dress them up however I like.

Is there a particular ability that your arms allow you to do that people with “regular” arms can’t do? 

Well some of my arms light up, sooo that's pretty cool! 

What do you think the future of bionic arms looks like in the future, say five years? 

I'm super excited for the future of Open Bionics and their arms. They have only been a business for six years, and in the first fie defied everyone's expectations massively. I think in five years the arms will work a lot more smoothly as well as having some pretty cool features — which are kind of secret so I won't say what here — but in twenty years' time, I think the arms will be unrecognisable as prosthetics because they will move so fluently and be, honestly, maybe even more of an enhancement than just a medical device, and I can't wait!

More generally, what excites you most about the future of wearable technology? 

I'm excited for the day when our "disabilities" are classed as enhancements and are admired when walking across the street rather than looked at and spoken about with sympathy for us, because I think I speak for more than myself when I say I'm cool with you knowing my disability. I'm vibing and living my best life wearing light up arms!

Your modeling career is so rad, and you’ve done a lot of really cool high concept photo shoots. What do you love most about modeling?

As I mentioned earlier, I feel as though this "perfect person" persona — lifestyle and appearance — is shoved down everyone's throats on social media ESPECIALLY in the modelling industry. I'm happy to see it's a lot more inclusive now, but mental health is HUGE and if every time we log onto Instagram that's the first thing and ONLY thing we see, that is incredibly toxic and it can be very easy to compare yourself and get sucked into that black hole spiral downwards.

Seeing these images constantly, men and women alike can and will easily say. "Oh, I could never be a model, I'm not skinny enough, I'm not fit enough, I'm not pretty enough," and the list goes on. I do modelling because I want to show people that you can still model even if you don't look like them. I am beautiful. Simple as that. You are beautiful. Simple as that. Through my modelling I like to accentuate my differences because that's what makes me unique and one-of-a-kind and that's what I want to encourage other people to do.

Following that, do you have a modeling shoot of your dreams? If so, what does that look like?

I've never really thought about my dream modelling shoot, but I do want to see bionics and differences made cool all over fashion shows and magazine covers. I would LOVE to go to NYFW.

What advice do you have for people who have recently undergone an amputation(s) and are new to their limb differences?

I would tell them, listen, it's going to be hard at first, but you can get through it. There's a much bigger limb-difference community out there than you'd think, trust me, so don't ever feel alone in it. Your disability/limb difference does not define you — and anything they've told you that you will never be able to do or never be able to do again — don't take their word for it, and don't let it stop you. Trust me, this is coming from an amputee who can play the piano ;)

What is your ideal career path?

I'm really just loving everything I'm doing right now! I want to keep working with Open Bionics, I want to keep doing inspirational speaking. I've been really into the arts, playing piano, and singing recently, so who knows. I recently got to try my hand at presenting as well, and that's definitely something I would love to do more of.

Who (modern day or historical) inspires you?

There's no one, really, that I can think of in the limelight who has helped shape me and my mindset to the way it is now. It's just always been my mindset. I've always had a positive outlook on life. I guess it comes from just my natural personality and how I have been brought up, so I thank my mam a lot for that also.

We love your creative 70 Things To Do in Quarantine video. Lots of great ideas! What are some of your favorite hobbies you enjoy in your free time, pandemic-times or otherwise?

I used to do Stage School for five years so I'm always singing and dancing (quite annoying really, lol), and I love to play piano.

Do you have any favorite fictional bionic characters in books/movies/video games/other art forms? 

Well the two I've been involved with are Alita from Alita: Battle Angel and Adam Jensen from Deus Ex. I'm too young for the game, but I guess they're pretty cool characters who I can definitely relate to.

We normally ask “If you were a superhero, what would your go-to wearable tech device be?,” but since you’re already a superhero with pretty awesome wearable tech, what’s the scifi/fantasy tech you could see yourself using?

Two things I've always wanted in my bionic arms are one: a Bluetooth speaker, and two: a projector coming out of my palm — that would be pretty cool.

Where can people find you online?

You can find me on my:

Instagram: tilly.lockey

Twitter: @GiveTillyaHand

Facebook: @GiveTillyaHand

YouTube: Tilly Lockey

TikTok: tillylockey