05/13/2021
to my interview with Misha Montoya (.mata.ki) on the , and the art that came about as a result. My biggest takeaway was the use of physical disabilities in the media for "inspiration p**n."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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A Forbes article sums it up as this:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Inspiration p**n covers a wide array of media portrayals and uses of disability that share one or more of the following qualities:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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- Sentimentality and/or pity⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- An uplifting moral message, primarily aimed at non-disabled viewers⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Disabled people anonymously objectified, even when they are named⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Inspiration P**n provides a kind of superficial pleasure and gratification for the viewer, while objectifying, and often harming the mostly passive subjects being looked at.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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As Stella Young describes, the “positive” messages of Inspiration P**n stories, videos, and memes rely on an underlying assumption that disability is by default tragic. If disability isn’t terrible, then depictions of brave, cheerful, accomplished disabled people wouldn’t be particularly uplifting.
This was one of the first Little Cuties I drew in 2019, and it’s been brought to my attention that depictions of hospital wheelchairs in disability art are not representative of what most people use, so I apologize for that lack of awareness, but the message is important enough to share again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
**n
