Inspiration Porn: What is it, Why do I Hate it, and am I Guilty?!

Inspiration porn quote by Scott Hamilton

I don’t want to be one of those people who gets easily offended, but I admit there are some posts about people with disabilities that send my blood pressure into the red zone. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why it bothers me so much, especially when the posts seem well-intentioned. I’ve also started wondering if some of my posts about my brother could be misinterpreted. I have questions. What is inspiration porn, and why do I hate it? In the same breath, I have to ask if I am also guilty.

Inspiration Porn

The best way to begin this discussion is to define inspiration porn. The term was coined in 2012 by disability rights activist Stella Young. Inspiration porn is the portrayal of people with disabilities as being inspirational to non-disabled people on the basis of life circumstances. As Ms. Young said, “I use the term porn deliberately because of the objectification of one group of people for the benefit of another group of people.”

Inspiration porn reduces a person’s sole worth to their disability and ability to inspire people. This creates an inaccurate understanding of disabilities and unrealistic expectations that people with disabilities must be heroic. The television show Speechless summed it up well when describing inspiration porn in a 2016 episode, “The portrayal of people with disabilities as one-dimensional saints who only exist to warm the hearts and open the minds of able-bodied people.”

Examples

One of the objectionable memes I see too frequently is the one that says, “Sometimes angels are disguised as kids with special needs to teach us how to be better people.” Where do I even begin to tell you why this one irritates me? First, it emphasizes the need for a person with disabilities to be a type of saint to inspire better behavior in others. That’s a lot of pressure on a kid! Despite the fact I love my brother (who has intellectual disabilities), I guarantee he’s no angel. He has a full range of behavior and emotions, as we all do. Furthermore, it is not anyone else’s responsibility to make you a better person!

Prom season is right around the corner, and with it, I expect the annual stories of students with disabilities being invited to the prom. People with disabilities doing normal things should not be newsworthy. If we were doing the right thing by being inclusive the rest of the time, it wouldn’t be. I suspect most students with disabilities would rather be part of mainstream school life all year than suddenly be singled out and invited to prom. I hate to be cynical, but I have to wonder about the motivation behind the invitations. Is it about getting more likes on social media or getting that elusive fifteen seconds of fame? Having a friend with different abilities should not be so remarkable or unusual that it warrants a news story.

Posters and memes focusing on people with disabilities accomplishing athletic feats are popular. They are seen as motivational while also shaming the non-disabled person. If a person with disabilities can climb a mountain, do the triathlon, or swim the seas, why are you sitting on the couch? As someone who struggles with exercise motivation, I admit I’ve succumbed to these a few times. The reality is that people with disabilities have the same interests and hobbies that we do. Why should we need to see them engaging in what is their normal activity to motivate ourselves?

Self-Reflection

When thinking about inspiration porn, I had to be honest and examine my posts about my brother. David is a big part of my life, and I often write about our outings, struggles we might be having, and moments of joy we share. I hope I’m sharing pictures of my brother from a place of love, just as I share photos of my kids, grandkids, and husband. I also share to bring about awareness of the needs of people with disabilities, such as the lack of family restrooms, laws affecting people with disabilities, and the need for inclusion.

I came from an era when we never talked about our family members with disabilities. It was a shameful stigma kept hidden. I post about my brother to break that pattern, and to bring my relationship with my brother out of the shadows. I like to think my motivation is pure, but maybe I am sometimes guilty of inspiration porn?

Think Before You Post

We all like a heartwarming story, but before you post a story or a meme that’s focused on disabilities, consider these things: Who is the intended audience? Is the intent of the story to make non-disabled people feel better about themselves, or is it to help give voice to people with disabilities?

Before you share a meme on social media, think about how a person with a disability would view the post. Avoid patronizing or stereotyping memes that provide no service to people with disabilities. As the person who coined the term inspiration porn, Stella Young summed it up in her TED talk by saying; “I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much.”