Inspiration Porn

Stella Young coined the phrase inspiration porn in an ABC article in 2012, “Inspiration porn is an image of a person with a disability, often a kid, doing something completely ordinary - like playing, or talking, or running, or drawing a picture, or hitting a tennis ball - carrying a caption like "your excuse is invalid" or "before you quit, try,” as she tackles what the problem is with people becoming inspired or saying that disabled people just aren’t trying hard enough to overcome their problems. These comments are usually made without taking into account the idea that society may be the problem and not the disabled person’s inability to motivate themselves intrinsically. Young points out that inspiration porn exists for non-disabled people to compare themselves to and think, “Well, at least, I’m not that person… I’m not that bad off compared to them…” All of these examples are endless are examples of inspiration porn and the root to how an able-bodied society benefits from them. Young claims, “In this way, these modified images exceptionalise and objectify those of us they claim to represent. It's no coincidence that these genuinely adorable disabled kids in these images are never named: it doesn't matter what their names are, they're just there as objects of inspiration,” because at its core this concept is meant to objectify disabled people for the emotional betterment and sense of peace of an able-bodied person. This form of objectification is no different from the photos and adds of women meant to sexually excite and please men. This is also determinantal because it completely eliminates the idea that these children have real lives and are not broken individuals. She expresses her frustration, “My everyday life in which I do exactly the same things as everyone else should not inspire people, and yet I am constantly congratulated by strangers for simply existing. It happened twice last week.” The lives of disabled people should not be considered inspirational because the everyday lives of people are not considered inspirational. It is not an inspiration to exist. It’s an insult to those who live with disabilities and it continues to make them feel as though do not truly belong in communities. 

Inspiration porn always showcases simple everyday activities that we all do… running, walking, smiling, eating… but no one congratulates the average-everyday-Joe for accomplishing this because it is a normal part of our functioning lives. It does not courage to live life and to adapt to activities. It is not meant to be inspirational if a child adapts to painting with her mouth because she doesn’t have hands. That’s how she has learned to enjoy painting. Her painting should be commended, but not the act itself because no one ever went up to Picasso and said, “Great job at painting the painting.” No, people complemented the work and not the effort. That’s the different between how people perceive able-bodied and disabled people. Young says,“By far the most disabling thing in my life is the physical environment. It dictates what I can and can't do every day. But if Hamilton is to be believed, I should just be able to smile at an inaccessible entrance to a building long enough and it will magically turn into a ramp. I can make accessible toilets appear where none existed before, simply by radiating a positive attitude. I can simply turn that frown upside down in the face of a flight of stairs with no lift in sight. Problem solved, right?” At its core inspiration porn is a tool for ableism. It shames people with disabilities. It doesn’t allow them to overcome societal handicaps, but says, “You can do it if you believe hard enough.” This mantra does not inspire the disable, put continues to leave them powerless to overcoming societal constructs and everyday architecture that isn’t accessible. Her concluding concept reveals her overall message, “Our attitude is just not positive enough. It's our fault. Not to mention what it means for people whose disabilities are not visible, like people with chronic or mental illness, who often battle the assumption that it's all about attitude. And we're not allowed to be angry and upset, because then we'd be "bad" disabled people. We wouldn't be doing our very best to "overcome" our disabilities.”

Inspiration porn affects our students in more ways than one. It’s important that we do not glorify people with disabilities for overcoming their disabilities, but for doing good with society. For example, if you are teaching a lesson on Helen Keller it is probably best not to focus on how she had to overcome being deaf and blind because her life was so hard (yes, it’s important to mention), but she also was a writer, gave lectures, political activist, and founder of Helen Keller International which was devoted to researching vision, health, and nutrition. She was an inspirational person not because she was deaf and blind, but because she did many amazing things her life that has impacted millions of people since then. That’s the difference and it’s an important thing to distinguish when teaching a class. 

Works Cited:

Young, Stella, and ABC. “We're Not Here for Your Inspiration.” ABC News, Australian

Broadcasting Corporation, 3 July 2012, www.abc.net.au/news/2012-07-03/young-inspiration-porn/4107006.