Early in December, fashion and social media icon Kylie Jenner was shown in Interview magazine glamorously perched atop a golden wheelchair, as shown below.
An interesting image, yes. Controversial? Absolutely. In recent years, the backlash against the fashion industry for portraying only a certain demographic of women has been overwhelming. Most commonly, we see public complaints about models being too skinny or being Photoshopped to an unrealistic extent. However, this spread in Interview magazine brought light to a new category of discrimination: disabled women. After the images went public, an almost immediate negative reaction followed.
Twitter was flooded with tweets from disabled women and models. Some of the more powerful ones include:
“Oh I see! When I’m in my wheelchair no one can look me in the eye but when Kylie Jenner sits in a wheelchair it’s FASHION. Silly me.”
“So disabled models can’t get work or advance in the fashion industry but Kylie Jenner can use a wheelchair and be classed as edgy?”
“This right here is why I don’t rate Kylie Jenner. A gold wheelchair? Disability isn’t a glamorous fad.”
“First time I used a wheelchair, I cried when I got home. Yet Kylie, who is abled-body, gets published for “fashion”.”
Clearly, Jenner’s portrayal was not well-received. Many women struggle every day with disabilities; the fact that Jenner tried to make immobility seem glamorous, even though she cannot even begin to understand it, is hard to grasp. Unlike disabled women, Jenner can step right out of the wheelchair and walk away. This is not to say that being in a wheelchair can’t be glamorous. The issue lies in the fact that Jenner’s portrayal of disability, as an able-bodied woman, was offensive.
In contrast to Kylie, British model Gemma Flanagan did her first catwalk show (in a wheelchair) in April of this year. She is unable to walk due to an illness, but that doesn’t stop her from looking just as hot as any other haute couture model. She works with Models of Diversity, a group that supports disabled models.
While the fashion industry still has a ways to go in terms of acceptance, this organization proves that huge strides have been made.
In September during New York Fashion week, an 18-year old model, Madeline Stuart, made headlines as the second Down syndrome model to walk in New York Fashion Week. She stole America’s hearts when she glided down the catwalk in a stunning white ensemble, even giving the crowd high-fives as she walked.
So what does this mean for the future? As always, only time will tell. But, as a society, we can see that the fashion realm is changing rapidly. There was a time in history when models were only ultra-thin and white. It took work to get to where we are now, but there is much more to be done. Seeing these beautiful women take on the fashion world with confidence is something to be proud of, but that is never enough. Continuing to advocate for all demographics of women to be accepted and adored on the runways of the world is something within society’s power and, with persistence, we might just see change in the near future.
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