The Media and Redefining Disability

          For quite some time, I thought our society was in the end of days. Almost all models and actors are what our Western society considers aesthetically perfect; flawlessly beautiful. Sadly, no one in real life looks "perfect". There have been tons of studies done and unique advertisements geared to try to incorporate more realistic looking people into the constant flow of images flashed across our screens daily, but that's not quite what this is about. I was delighted to see the inclusion of what's known as "handicap" or "physically disabled'' persons in our media. This Swiffer commercial has to be one of the most heartfelt advertisements I have ever seen.

 

>Swiffer Commercial<

                   Although at times controversial in the feminist community for reasserting certain domestic images of women, the company has been known to promote innovative cleaning products that are geared toward people who may have more difficulty dusting / cleaning, (for instance, the commercial of the elderly couple who utilize the Swiffer with the extended reach). However, what I like most about this particular commercial is that the commercial does not victimize the husband, he is well abled and still appears to have a healthy relationship with his family and helps out with the cleaning despite him missing an arm. Not only does this particular commercial feature the Rukavinas family showing the father with one arm (which he lost to cancer), the commercial shows an average and real looking family, who just so happens to be interracial.
                This gives me hope that through media, society just may be redefining disability. Still not convinced the media could be making strides toward including disabled persons? Apparently Diesel has hired a model many people may not have heard of named Jillian Mercado, who I personally think is both fabulous and flawless. GirlTalkHQ sheds light on Diesels new campaign and shares Mercado's inspirational story.

(Jillian Mercado)

. Another really neat example

 of  today's media showing more diverse examples of human beings is the new creation of disabled stored mannequins. 

"It's no secret that the smooth, plastic bodies staring out of store windows aren't true physical replicas of the people who stare back at them. But there's no reason they can't be.Pro Infirmis, an organization for the disabled, created a series of mannequins based on real people with physical disabilities, working with individuals like Jasmine Rechsteiner, a Miss Handicap winner who has spine malformations, and Erwin Aljukić, an actor with brittle bone disease. The project's title?" "Because Who Is Perfect? Get Closer." 

Ah! There may be hope for humanity yet! I truly believe disability is being redefined slowly shifting from showing people under a pitiful light and as preferably avoided sights unless being prayed for, or sympathized with, to being integrated and shown as normal human beings (which should be common sense). I don't think people with disabilities need sympathy or to be "babied". It is my opinion that everyone deserves empathy, and the option to be treated and portrayed like a normal person.