Pushing Limits

Inspiration Porn

A typical Facebook post of inspirational porn.
A typical Facebook post of inspirational porn.

The term ‘inspiration porn’ has hit social media with great energy.

Inspiration porn is a cultural phenomenon. It appeals to the goody-two-shoes segment of society who feel warm and fuzzy when the able-bodied world does something for people with disabilities.

“Here’s a free sports event… get your picture taken with a star athlete. . . have your photo circulated around facebook because you look like a cute puppy.  I’ll “like” that.”

Does this help or hurt our community? What’s your feeling when a video of a kid with a prosthetic leg swinging a baseball bat pops up in your phone?  Do you feel different when you realize a couple million people have shared it?

An example of a facebook graphic created by people with disabilities, in this case, people living with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Graphic by http://tigrin.deviantart.com
An example of a facebook graphic created by people with disabilities, in this case, people living with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Graphic by http://tigrin.deviantart.com

Eddie Ytuarte and Adrienne Lauby talk to each other and callers about inspiration porn.

Here’s a thoughtful post on this topic from the blog,  The not so simple (love) life of a disabled Mum.  Maith an cailin includes many visual images of people with disabilities so you can figure out for yourself what fits the label of Inspirational Porn.  (Apologies: Her images are not described for screen readers.)

Leave a Reply