Mannequins to Represent ALL Bodies

Yesterday a friend posted this video that has been circulating around Facebook.  It features mannequins that are made to look like people with disabilities.  This is so incredibly big.  I think the population that it matters most to is young girls and teens.  When their self-esteem is at the lowest, they need positive representations out there for themselves.  When all they see out there are stick thin mannequins and no media representations of them at all, I can’t help but feel that disabled teens and preteens are going to lose self-esteem.  I think these mannequins are a wonderful step toward positive body image.  All teens and preteens need this, but I think especially disabled youth need it.  They deal with so much rejection on a daily basis.

I think this is a fantastic step toward seeing disability as what I believe it is.  I believe disability is not inferior, as society has so long led disabled people to feel it is.  It is completely normal and beautiful, as all people are; it is just another variation.  Some people have brown hair, I have strawberry blonde hair.  One person may have Autism, another may have Cerebral Palsy, and I happen to suffer from Depression and Anxiety.  Everybody is beautiful and unique in their own way and has something of value to offer the world.  I hope that having mannequins that represent this variation helps society in general see this.  The video is here: Disabled Mannequins

I also am very happy to see some stores adding plus size mannequins.  People come in all shapes and sizes.  I am a plus sized woman myself, and I appreciate that stores are seeing that we too are beautiful and you know, need clothes.  Prejudice against fat people seems to be one of the last acceptable prejudices in the world, and I find that extremely irritating.  To discriminate against a person because of how they look is extremely shallow.

I hope that in the future this continues, and expands.  This world is diverse, and that is what makes it interesting.

Disability Pay Gap

Women already face a wage gap, and sadly, disabled women face an even larger wage gap.  According to studies done by the Equality and Human Rights Commision, disabled men make about 11% less than non disabled men, and disabled women about 22%.  Let’s put that into perspective of how much higher a disabled person’s cost of living may be as well.  Have you ever considered how much it may cost to install a ramp at your house?  About $800 from what I’ve found. Think of having to do that every time you move to a new place.  Not to mention any medications and/or home health aides you may require.  All while making 22% less than everybody else.  How is this legal?

EHRC Wage Gap

Disability and Sex

Here is a newsflash: disabled women still want sex.  It truly bothers me that society sees those with physical or certain developmental disabilities as asexual.  The article below talks about women in France seeking sexual surrogates because they have had difficulties with finding intimate partners.  Some have even attempted to hire male escorts, but have been rejected because the prostitutes see them as too “child-like”.  I have heard of sexual surrogates, and think they are a great thing.  They can help couples who are having difficulty with sex improve their intimacy.  Or in the case of disabled women, they can help them overcome the difficulties they have with finding intimate partners.  However, I think societal views on the disabled changing would be even better.  I think it is very naive and immature to not see a grown woman as a sexual being.

Disabled Women Want Sex

Then, as I have previously mentioned in another post, there are the stigmas that come with mental illness.  If you are a woman who suffers from mental illness, you are perceived one of two ways.  You are a crazy bitch, so you must be awesome in bed, or you are frumpy and crazy.  I think we really need to examine how we view mental illness all around as well.

Disabled Women in the Media

I feel that even though societal viewpoints on disability has grown far more positive, there really aren’t many disabled women represented in the media.  When was the last time you watched a movie with a disabled woman as a protagonist?  I struggle to think of a single one.  There are some examples in the media of a few strong disabled women out there, but they are few and far between.  I feel we have a long way to go.

One of my favorite shows right now is American Horror Story.  I am super happy about Jamie Brewer’s character this season.  She plays a character, Nan, who has psychic powers and can read other people’s minds.  The young actress has Down Syndrome, but instead of as in previous seasons, where the show focused so much on her disability, this season shows her as a real, intelligent woman.  In many ways Nan seems to be the wisest of the young witches on the show, in my opinion.

Marlee Matlin is the only deaf actor to have ever won an academy award for best actress in a leading role, which she won for Children of a Lesser God in 1986.  She is a very talented actress that has starred in tons of movies and television shows.  My favorites have been her role as Bette’s girlfriend Jodi in the L Word and Amanda in What the Bleep do We Know!?.  This is one of my favorite scenes.

In Glee, there of course is Becky.  She is played by the actress Lauren Potter who has Down Syndrome.  Some of the comments she makes on the show make it very clear that she has the same needs and desires that all teenage girls have, and I applaud the show for that.  They portray her character as one with high self-esteem, instead of somebody who hides in the background.  I think she is a great role model for other girls with Down Syndrome (I have a young cousin with Down Syndrome, and I truly hope there is a continuance of positive role models in the media for her).

Another woman that is in the spotlight is Temple Grandin.  She has been on Ted Talks several times, she has written books, and she is a very talented professor at Colorado State.  She also happens to have autism.  She has contributed so much to the world of agriculture.  The way she sees the world helps her understand animals.  She is truly an amazing woman.

These are some of the examples I can think of right now.  I hope to see more disabled women in the media in the future.  I think young girls with disabilities need role models, as any young girls do.

Perceptions of Disability

As a woman who has hidden disabilities, I often wonder what life would be like if my disabilities weren’t hidden.  I feel there are advantages and disadvantages of my disabilities being hidden.  I may seem short with people some days.  What they don’t know is that I am in massive pain often from my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.  I may space out during a conversation, which somebody could take to mean that I don’t care.  Quite the opposite, it’s just that I have ADD.  I may come across as a little moody at times.  I have depression and anxiety disorder, and sometimes being around a lot of people can be a little rough.  Sometimes I wish I had a sign around my neck that explained these things so I would be better understood.

I think so often disabled women are misunderstood.  Often disabled women are seen as asexual.  As if having a disability means a woman has no sexual desires or needs.  Or, in the case of mental illness, I feel women are often hypersexualized.  There is that idea that “crazy women are good in bed”.  This is a very misogynistic viewpoint, and it needs to stop.

All too often disabled women are rendered invisible.  I remember how awful children treated disabled kids in elementary school, and I feel that attitude carries over into adulthood.  We see disabled people as something “other” or “inferior” when this couldn’t be further from the truth.  We are all the same.  We all have value to offer the world.  Perhaps it is time we start treating each other like it.