This September 2021 the wonderful Heather of Just Geeking By has been hosting a month long discussion on disability representation in pop culture called GeekDis (learn more about it here). So far I’ve gotten to be a part of an interview on her website and contribute to a post on Allison Alexander’s site on How Disabled People React to Seeing Their Conditions Represented on TV. I’m currently working on a blog post about my experience and lessons of blogging for 6 years with depression, so make sure to subscribe to my email list so you don’t miss when that comes out. But today I’d like to share some thoughts from 5 people on how disability representation (or the lack of representation) affects our self talk and goals.
“As someone with depression, anxiety, and big dreams, I’ve often pushed myself way too hard to the point of burnout. I thought ‘doing my best’ meant 1. pushing myself until there was nothing left at all and 2. it should look at least a bit similar to those my own age. I had high achievements through all my school years but at the cost of my mental and physical health. In school, work, and pretty much any endeavor there are expectations put on us without consideration of our unique circumstances. Especially in our workaholic American culture of “hustle.”
And the representation of depression and anxiety I was seeing in film and tv didn’t help much either because they quite quickly would have a point of overcoming, which is great and can be inspiring, but it fails to represent those who have chronic illness or other struggles that don’t end in an hour and a half or even a season of 40 minute episodes. It took seeing other real-life content creators with mental illness for me to finally accept my own needs more and let go of some harmful ways of thinking and living. I won’t ever be able to regularly operate at the level of those without mental illness or even the Anna of 5 years ago, and that’s ok. Trying to keep up with unrealistic expectations only brings shame and actually holds me back from living my best life.
As seeing my own disability represented by other creators who kindly and honestly shared the real moments of their journey helped me so much, I hope that I too can be the reason someone can feel permission to take care of themselves, accept their own needs in each different season and moment of their lives without shame, see their unique strengths, and love themselves more.”
Anna Reel
“The misrepresentation of autism in the media meant I had no idea I was autistic until my 40s because nothing of what I saw fit with my actual autism. So I spent 40+ years thinking I was a broken neurotypical person, which was absolutely terrible for my mental health.”
Rabagast on Twitter
“When I started youtube, I looked for videos that tell you how to be successful, but that had a real hustle vibe to it, which was too much for me. For over a year, I managed to post consistently no matter what, but the quality of my videos suffered. I had to remind myself that one video a week for someone healthy is only a fraction of their week, whereas for me it’s my entire week with no room left for anything else. Now I find it more important to take the time I need to produce quality content. Once I finally find the energy to get back to posting that is. I’ve been on hiatus for the past year plus and that’s okay too. I needed a break, so I had to stop preaching about it on my channel, encouraging others to take breaks, and actually take my own advice.”
Alé of Project Uninvisible | YouTube | Twitter | Instagram | GoFundMe
“Representation of hearing loss in media usually reinforces societal misconceptions that it’s “an old people thing” and/or “that everyone with hearing loss uses ASL”. Neither are wrong, but at the same time they don’t tell the full story.”
Carrie Knopf on Twitter
“I was diagnosed with ADHD last December, at the age of 38. My initial reaction was somewhere between relief and frustration. I felt validated by the diagnosis and excited to finally have tools to help me overcome the obstacles I’ve faced all my life. But I also felt sad – and to be honest, a little angry – that my struggles had gone unrecognised for 30 years.
Women with ADHD have traditionally been overlooked for treatment, as our symptoms present differently to those in young boys (who most of the research is based on). But this is starting to change because of better media representation. When I say media, I mean social media as this is where most of the conversations are starting! Thousands of women are using platforms like TikTok and Twitter to discuss their ADHD symptoms and encouraging others to seek a diagnosis. And these conversations – and the resulting diagnoses – are being picked up on by large blogs and news outlets.
Personally, I’ve found it empowering to see so much media representation of women with ADHD. I no longer label myself as “lazy” or “not good enough” when I can’t find the motivation or energy to do a task. And I don’t see myself as incompetent when I forget something important. Instead, I turn to my favourite ADHD bloggers and TikTok creators for tips and advice on how to manage my symptoms and energy. I see myself as part of a neurodiverse community now, thanks to their content.
On Twitter: @danidonovan & @blkgirllostkeys
On TikTok: @adhadult & @catieosaurus”
Kate of Love My Anxious Brain | Twitter
Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to this post!
Now it’s YOUR turn. If you have a disability of any kind, comment down below to tell us how good representation or the lack of representation has affected your own self-talk and the way you approach your goals.
Thank you so much for including me in this article, Anna! It’s such an important topic. I love that you began it with “As someone with depression, anxiety, and big dreams…” I’m someone with anxiety and depression too, and I’ve always felt like that shouldn’t get in the way of my dreams and hopes for the future!
But like you, I’ve found hustle culture harmful to my wellbeing. There are too many stories of entrepreneurs and other successful people who’ve got to where they’re at by rising at 4am every day and working through the evenings, too. I don’t think that’s healthy for anyone, to be honest, but for those of us with mental health issues, disability or neurodiversity, sleep and downtime are incredibly important to our wellbeing. So it’s really important to talk about goals from a disability-friendly perspective and recognise that we can still have big plans – we just need to get there in a way that’s realisitic and healthy for us! x