The late, disabled playwright John Belluso had a theory about why actors who play disabled characters often win Oscars: It is reassuring for the audience to see an actor like Daniel Day Lewis, after so convincingly portraying disability in My Left Foot, get up from his seat in the auditorium and walk to the stage to accept his award. There is a collective “Phew” as people see it was all an illusion. Society’s fear and loathing around disability, it seems, can be magically transcended.

Disability Is Not Just a Metaphor: The entertainment industry loves disabled characters—but not disabled actors

in the meantime, if we were allowed to see more representations of people with different disabilities in film, tv, pop culture and real life, that fear & loathing would dissipate, and we’d start to see disabilities as a normal part of life.

(via disabilityhistory)

 
  1. purplestardust14 reblogged this from purplestardust14
  2. sandraugiga reblogged this from sandraugiga
  3. irl-magicalgirl reblogged this from elocyn
  4. the-upside-of-being-down reblogged this from positivemessagefortheday
  5. positivemessagefortheday reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  6. idrisbaker reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  7. sleepytimelani reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  8. ravenousrain88 reblogged this from loveasthoughyourheartwontbreak
  9. iris-rainbowflower reblogged this from loveasthoughyourheartwontbreak
  10. loveasthoughyourheartwontbreak reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  11. super-rainbows reblogged this from dermablend
  12. feastforqueenbitches reblogged this from dermablend
  13. dermablend reblogged this from justaddfiction
  14. the-beginning-of-madness reblogged this from postmodernmulticoloredcloak
  15. justaddfiction reblogged this from fantasticmojo47
  16. protagonist-influence reblogged this from postmodernmulticoloredcloak
  17. postmodernmulticoloredcloak reblogged this from sandraugiga
  18. wereallassbutts reblogged this from autisticbee
  19. fantasticmojo47 reblogged this from sandraugiga
  20. septmilleneurones reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  21. heart-plant reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  22. small-quiet-room reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  23. cannotmakesense reblogged this from bodypositivityandglitter
  24. disabilityhistory-blog posted this