Why Does Adaptive Beauty Matter?

And why this is a feminist issue 💅

It’s one of the most controversial statements you could probably ever make: I want disability to be seen as something beautiful.

Whenever this has come up in conversation, it has almost been taken as a declaration of World War Three, no less. And it’s kind of the reasoning behind the name of this newsletter, ironically. (Disabled + Feminist = amusing sobriquet, even more amusing as a satirical salute to a collection of writing.)

While we typically regard any kind of vanity practice as frivolous, a waste of time, I’d argue that this is a feminist issue by any means - just as a baseline, no less.

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Enough so that last year, for my second issue of Disability Review Magazine, I ran an editorial about adaptive beauty practices - with the wonderful brand Human Beauty - and put the editorial as a subject on the cover. The response that gained was quite something, especially when talking to other disabled women in person about such a concept. They felt seen, they felt heard - by a brand that put them first, for a start.

There was a novelty in this, to be seen for the first time. Part of me still feels sad about that fact - because why should it have been such a new idea? - but I also feel a relief I get to see new ideas. A disability activist was recently quoted at an event I attended as remarking that progress is only seen in hindsight; that seems to be too true at this moment in time.

Coming up on The Disabled Feminist: Sex Talks | What Really Happens At London Fashion Week? | Get The Lowdown With Alice Pelton