Inspiration porn
Inspiration porn is the portrayal of people with disabilities as inspirational solely or in part on the basis of their disability.[1] The term was coined in 2012 by disability rights activist Stella Young in an editorial in Australian Broadcasting Corporation's webzine Ramp Up[2] and further explored in her TEDx Talk. She rejected the idea that disabled people's otherwise ordinary activities should be considered extraordinary solely because of disability.[1]
Examples of inspiration porn often involve a photo of a child with a disability taking part in an ordinary activity, with captions like "your excuse is invalid" or "before you quit, try".[1]
Criticism
Criticisms of inspiration porn include that it "others" people who experience disability, that it portrays disability as a burden (as opposed to focusing on the societal obstacles that people who experience disability face), and that reducing people who experience disability to inspirations dehumanizes them,[3][4] and makes them exceptionalist examples.[5]
In popular culture
The 2016 TV show Speechless explored the concept in an episode where it explains inspiration porn as "portrayal of people with disabilities as one-dimensional saints who only exist to warm the hearts and open the minds of able-bodied people."[6]
External links
- stellayoung.com (Archived)
Academic
- Ben Whitburn (2015). "Attending to the Potholes of Disability Scholarship". In Tim Corcoran; Julie White; Ben Whitburn (eds.). Disability Studies. Sense Publishers. pp. 215–224. ISBN 9789463001991.
- Katie Ellis Gerard Goggin (1 February 2015). "Disability Media Participation: Opportunities, Obstacles and Politics". Media International Australia. 154 (1): 78–88. doi:10.1177/1329878X1515400111.
- Rakowitz, Rebecca (1 December 2016). "Inspiration porn: A look at the objectification of the disabled community". University of Alabama. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
Mainstream media
- Perry, David M. (2 June 2015). "inspiration Porn Further Disables the Disabled". America.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "Is it OK to call disabled people 'inspirational'? - BBC News". Bbc.com. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Jordan, Scott (13 August 2014). "Miracle memes and inspiration porn: Internet viral images demean disabled people". Slate.com. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- "BBC World Service - BBC Trending, Disability as Inspiration: Positive or Patronising?". Bbc.co.uk. 8 February 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Perry, David M. (15 October 2014). "Down syndrome isn't just cute". America.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- Elizabeth Heideman. "Gabby Giffords and the Problem with 'Inspiration Porn'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
References
- Ellis, Katie; Kent, Mike (10 November 2016). "Confirming normalcy. 'Inspiration porn' and the construction of the disabled subject?". Disability and Social Media: Global Perspectives. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-317-15028-2.
- Young, Stella (3 July 2012). "We're not here for your inspiration - The Drum (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
- Rakowitz, Rebecca. "Inspiration porn: A look at the objectification of the disabled community | The Crimson White". The Crimson White. University of Alabama. Archived from the original on 5 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Mitchell, Kate (17 July 2017). "On Inspiration Porn". Huffington Post. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Henningham, Nikki (2014). "8. 'Part of the human condition': Women in the Australian disability rights movement". In Damousi, Joy; Rubenstein, Kim; Tomsic, Mary (eds.). Diversity in Leadership: Australian women, past and present. ANU Press. pp. 149–166. ISBN 9781925021707. JSTOR j.ctt13wwvj5.11.
- "'Speechless' Just Schooled Everyone On Disability 'Inspiration Porn'". The Huffington Post. 16 January 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.