ABSTRACT
“Fashion-able” is a digital compilation featuring the contributions of seven disability activists, people living with disabilities (PLWD), fashion designers and models that have impacted how society perceives and understands the relationship between disability and fashion. It is an exploration of the ways PLWD are able to express themselves through their clothes and how ableist structures within the fashion industry have been or are currently being challenged.
My motivation for doing this project is largely due to my desire to highlight some of the barriers that prevent PLWD from living a life without restrictions. Mainstream society asserts that PLWD are unable to access and participate in certain pockets of society—one of them being fashion—solely because of their perceived abilities, but in reality, it is the inability of society to adapt inclusive social and physical environments for non-normative people and bodies who exhibit the diversity of the human condition and form.
The seven individuals featured in my digital compilation were chosen based on the significance of their contributions to the fashion world. However, this project is limited due to my positionality in relation to the topic and my methods. The first is that I am an able-bodied individual; therefore, I do not possess an understanding of the subject from personal experience. The second is that my method of finding and choosing individuals to feature were not extensive or comprehensive, as I relied mostly on Google, social media, and the findings from my literature review, all of which were compiled within the span of only one month. Lastly, this project focuses mostly individuals from the United States and Europe and does not reflect the fashion experiences of PLWD in other parts of the world.
“Fashion-able” is available on Tumblr and can be accessed here. This digital compilation opens with my literature review which touches on topics such as ableism, identity/self-expression and accessible fashion. Each featured individual has a section dedicated to them and can be found on the left-hand side of the site. Included in each section is a photo of the featured individual, a description of them and their contributions to the fashion world, and an interview or written piece created by them.
CONTENT
“Fashion-able” can be accessed here. Below are screenshots of the site.
REFERENCES
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