I, like many women, buy into patriarchal standards of beauty every day. I very rarely leave the house without make-up. I dye my hair. I wear clothes that I choose carefully for how they make me look to the outside world.
Stella YoungRead
As disabled people, we are taught from a young age that those who are attracted to us are to be regarded with suspicion.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the societal stigma and skepticism surrounding attraction toward disabled individuals.
Stella Young's quote reflects on the harmful societal narratives that portray attraction to disabled people as questionable. It suggests that disabled individuals grow up internalizing a sense of doubt and mistrust regarding the intentions of those who express romantic or sexual interest in them, potentially leading to feelings of worthlessness and isolation.
In practice
In a discussion on disability awareness, this quote can highlight the need for acceptance and understanding in relationships.
I, like many women, buy into patriarchal standards of beauty every day. I very rarely leave the house without make-up. I dye my hair. I wear clothes that I choose carefully for how they make me look to the outside world.
We often hear that people mean well: that so many just don't how to interact with people with disabilities. They're unsure of the 'right' reaction, so they default to condescension that makes them feel better in the face of their discomfort.
In my own home, where I've been able to create an environment that works for me, I'm hardly disabled at all. I still have an impairment, and there are obviously some very restrictive things about that, but the impact of disability is less.
We fill our lives with all sorts of things that make it easier for us to get along in the world: wheelchairs, crutches, grabber sticks, hearing aids, canes, guide dogs, modified vehicles, ramps, as well as other kinds of services and supports. Disability does not necessarily mean dependence on other people.
For me, disability is a physical experience, but it's also a cultural experience and a social experience, and for me, the word 'crip' is the one that best encapsulated all of that.
We are a society that treats people with disabilities with condescension and pity, not dignity and respect.
Any relationship primarily built on physical attractiveness is predestined to be short lived.
Her great merit is finding out mine; there is nothing so amiable as discernment.
But I want her to grow up knowing that I was the first man ever to fall in love with her. I'd always thought the father/daughter thing was overstated. But I can tell you, sometimes, she looks at me and I just become a puddle.
Looks like what drives me crazy Don't have no effect on you-- But I'm gonna keep on at it Till it drives you crazy, too.
The key to fostering connection in the face of a 'no' is always hearing 'yes' to something else.
It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important.
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