Ableism: Kylie Jenner Using A Wheelchair As A Prop

Today was supposed to be a Christmas post, but I couldn’t let yesterday’s events surrounding the disabled community go unmarked. The BBC published an online article about beauty, fashion & disability which I, along with 4 other disabled bloggers were interviewed for. This same day, the images of Kylie Jenner using a wheelchair as a prop from a photoshoot with Steven Klein for Interview were released.

I have an issue with the use of a wheelchair as a prop for a number of reasons, which I would like to share with you.

I have recently started to need the use of crutches. It is possible that I will need to use a wheelchair during my lifetime because of my EDS. I know that if I do have to use a wheelchair, I will struggle to self propel because of the problems I have with my hands & shoulders. I don’t want my health to deteriorate to that point. I find this a scary prospect, not one to be used so flippantly by someone who doesn’t understand what it means to need to use a wheelchair to live their life. I have a family member & a number of friends who are wheelchair users. I know how hard their lives are.

Image source: http://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/kylie-jenner

Apparently Kylie chose to use the wheelchair to symbolise limitations. The NEED for mobility aids is limiting. However, in the majority of cases, the USE of such aids is liberating, giving them back some of their independence & allowing them to do more than if they didn’t have it. So actually, Kylie has got it all wrong & her symbolism is way off the mark!

It angers me that there isn’t more diversity in the beauty & fashion industry. The fight for disabled models to be used is hard, but the likes of Models of Diversity are working tirelessly to bridge that gap. This shoot demeans everything they have worked for. If you want an image of someone in a wheelchair, use one of the stunning wheelchair users out there who are fighting so hard for recognition within their profession. This is ableism, pure & simple.

I think the thing that makes me most angry though is when I think of this stunt from a teachers point of view. How awful must it feel for a young person with a disability to see a celebrity using the very thing that helps them lead a more ‘normal’ life as a prop!?! Kylie can get up & walk home. If she gets married, she will walk down the isle. She doesn’t have to contend with the lack of access to buildings or the stares from strangers. She will never have to worry about money, in the way some who are unable to work do. These are all things a disabled person has to live with. Can you imagine trying to come to terms with the need to use a wheelchair, only to see a celebrity posing in an aid you would love not to have to use. Knowing full well that person can get up & walk away, forgetting they’d ever sat in the chair.

Those with chronic illness who need to use mobility aids some but not all of the time, are often met with confusion by others. Some receive nasty comments about how they can be ‘fine’ one day & in a wheelchair the next. People are told they’re ‘faking it’, that they ‘don’t really need the aids’ & that they’re ‘just doing it for attention’. Kylie Jenner’s choice to use a wheelchair as a prop will only cement these thoughts into some peoples minds & create confusion for others. This could have a hugely negative effect on the quality of live for part-time wheelchair users.

Speaking to MashableUK, Chris Walace the senior editor of Interview magazine where the image was used, said of the shoot that Kylie was “someone who is in control of her image.” That’s great & all, but those who are in wheelchairs either part time or full time can feel like they loose some of their self image to the chair. The pictures from the shoot don’t reflect the reality of living with a disability.

This article this image went with was about bullying (can anyone else see a connection between the image & the text? I can’t!). Bullying isn’t nice. I was bullied at primary school & at one of my jobs. I’m not racist or sexist, so why does Kylie think her ablism is ok? Incidentally, the reason I was bullied at work was because of the very condition that means I now have to use crutches, which you can read more about in my Institutionalised Bullying post. The positives Kylie Jenner could have done by sharing her experiences of bullying are being overshadowed by the use of this inappropriate image, which sends out mixed messages.

I feel like all the good that the BBC article would have done for the understanding & acceptance of the disabled community has been overshadowed by Kylie’s stunt.

What are your thought’s on Kylie Jenner’s use of a wheelchair as a ‘prop’?

Find me on:

Bloglovin’ | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Snapchat | Google+

You can also sign up for my newsletter!