Lacking Disability in the Media


It’s common fact that disability is hardly ever depicted in the media today. When was the last time you saw a model with missing limbs strutting down the runway? A person in a wheel chair featured on the cover of a well-known magazine? As Nancy Mairs, who battles MS, puts it, “I haven’t noticed any women like me on television.” What I’m really wondering is why? Why does the media chose, purposely, to exclude this minority – the ONLY minority we can and will involuntarily join by the way? It’s wrong and it’s shameful; these are ordinary human beings who have suffered extraordinary circumstances and are still here today trying to live their most normal lives. We should work to do the opposite, to empower them rather than isolate them.

I did some of my own research to see if there was some progress being made, and I was actually surprised by what I found. Below are some major companies, such as Nike and Target, who feature disability in their advertisements. I especially love Target’s because they subtly include those who are disabled and make it seem normal, like the way life really is, which is awesome if you ask me.

 
 
 
 
                               

However, I hardly came across anything else, which is really saying something about our society. We include the most “perfect” people in the media to star on television shows and represent brands but we don’t include anyone that’s normal. No plus size people, no disabled… we’re constantly stuck in this degrading cycle that damages so many people since we CHOOSE to ignore the majority of our population in representation.

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 28, 2018 at 7:00 AM

    Rima! I miss hearing your insights. This is so true. We never see people with disabilities starring on hit T.V. shows or in movies. Why not though? They are completely normal and should be treated as such. We may be different, but we are all human.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJanuary 28, 2018 at 12:01 PM

    Great post Rima! You dug deep and found some really heart warming ads that incorporate disabled people well. I also think it's sad that society has chosen to ignore the issue rather than try to find a solution.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJanuary 28, 2018 at 1:26 PM

    I loved your ideas in this piece! I especially love that you stated that we should empower disabled people rather than bring them down. I think that the amount of physical or emotional pain that comes with certain disabilities should be thought about when society discriminates against them..

    ReplyDelete

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