We Need to Humanize Disabled People in Media: A Brief History and Analysis of Vilifying Disablement

Image taken from BBC — ID: 6 people in front of a grey cement wall. To the far left stands a Black person in an all Black dress and heels, then a person clad in a maroon patterned sweater with a prosthetic silver leg showing under black shorts, a Black person with short curly hair holding a chalk sign reading: Disabled and Here while wearing a black dress, then stands a Black person with short hair and glasses with a Black denim jacket, salmon colored shirt, denim shorts, with black sneakers holding a cane, then stands a Black person wearing gold accessories with a bald head and black leggings/tunic leaning on a cane. At the front sits a white person in a grey wheel chair wearing a blue scoop neck shirt and grey jeans.

CW: Ableism, mention of violent acts towards disabled people, mention of violence in general — if you feel like it’s too much to tackle, don’t force yourself to ❤

My best friend and I were sitting up watching Voyeurs a few nights ago. It follows the story of Pippa and Thomas, both played by Sydney Sweeney and Justice Smith, who move into an apartment across the street from a couple whose windows remain without curtains. To cut to the chase, Pippa and Thomas both start spying on the couple. What begins as playful guessing for the couple, turns into a mode of expressing taboo sexual desires, a mode of “entertainment;” for Pippa, it becomes a savior mission as she is led to believe the woman living across the street is abused by her husband. It escalates with many twists and turns, Thomas is murdered but it’s framed as a suicide, the wife across the street commits suicide after learning about her husband cheating, and Pippa ultimately has sex with and her portrait taken by her dead friend’s husband (who is presented to us as the abuser). Welp, turns out Pippa and Thomas were leasing an apartment from the couple across the street who observed them equally back. It was performance art, to see how far strangers will go to look into another person’s life. Pippa sees justice as luring the couple out of their apartment, drugging them at the optometry office she’s employed at, then blinding them. Pippa felt an “eternal misery” of blindness was a proper punishment over death when it comes to suffering the consequences of ones actions.

ID: The two villains of Voyeurs are photographed here in the end scene of the film standing side by side in their apartment: to the left is a white man dressed in Black with platinum blonde hair and to the right is a woman dressed in a grey-blue sweater and long brunette hair. They both are staring out a window yet they cannot see anything as their irises mimic those of someone who is blind.

So, from that alone, what can we deduce about disability? It’s a punishment, it’s a bad thing, and it’s a sentencing meant to cause more suffering than death itself. As if being disabled, alive, and just existing, is not even a “worthwhile” life to have. It made me start thinking of the multitudes of ways disabled people have been and continue to be portrayed in the media. Disabled people are too often depicted as villains, scammers, the pun for a poor joke. Then on the flip side, the “positive way” we are portrayed to the media relies on an extreme polarity where disabled people can also be your inspiration or make you feel grateful you’re “not like that” or “if xyz disabled person could get through this, than so can I.”

In a capitalist society that systematically oppresses disabled people, many of our actual stories fade to the background, because we are useless labor — we can’t hand over our bodies to be exploited in the ways capitalism deems necessary. Knowing that, it’s not surprising just how poorly depicted disabled people are: we aren’t people, we are a lesson on good vs. bad morals, we are often the very thing the viewer does not wish to be or fears to be. Now, are the disabilities of many characters in TV/Film constantly highlighted? No. And we don’t think anything of it, because nothing is said of it, and that is problem. We come to naturally associate villains with disability without even realizing it.

ID: Angelina Jolie playing Maleficent in a still photo of her standing in a dark foggy forest alone. Cloaked in all black and Black horns protruding from her head as she looks down.

For instance, Sleeping Beauty was one of my first favorite Disney movies as a young child. However, Maleficent’s backstory emerging in 2014 was enlightening. No longer was she an evil woman with a dragon as I once understood her to be; but instead, she is an older, burdened fairy whose wings were brutally clipped by Aurora’s father. This was done in order to inherit the throne after his father passing. Maleficent was manipulated and without her wings: was effectively disabled hence why she uses a cane as both a mobility aid and weapon.

Did I ever think twice about it back then? No. It took until I started acknowledging my own disabilities, at 23 years old, and dealing with my own cancer battle to even truly understand what disablement means. So what about all the other people who aren’t disabled? Do they think twice? No. Can I blame them? Not necessarily when it’s an indoctrination for ableism wrapped super nicely. Does it affect how disabled people are treated? Absolutely.

More than 26% of people who live in the U.S. have disabilities, that amounts to roughly 1 in 4 people, and these numbers account for the people diagnosed, so that percentage is likely higher. Disability becomes a reality for many of us as we age and age and age — the elderly are associated with disability too, ya know. It was through further conversation with my friend, we started realizing just how many characters whose stories we grew up with who are associated with “bad” are also disabled. We ping ponged characters from the films throughout our childhoods and shows we’ve watched as adults, it was a list. A list way too long. Disability has always, and continues to be, ultimately perceived as a moral failing. What does that communicate to young disabled children? Disabled teens? Disabled adults? Newly disabled people? Disabled elders? We are inherently bad and we are well aware the world views us in the same vein.

“Historically Disabled Villains go right back to the beginning of the Folktale and Fairy-tale tradition. Many fairy tales appropriate this image of the elderly and the disabled assuming the role of villain; they are usually driven by jealousy towards the young and beautiful counterpart or they may be cruel and cunning like Rumplestiltskin. Now this idea of the disabled villain being jealous of the non-disabled and thus turning their hatred towards them has remained with us throughout the history of literature, film, TV and stage.

A strong consensus that runs throughout literature is that a person with a disability is innately driven towards evil due to their disability. Many earlier Puritan texts suggested this idea, that a child who was conceived with a disability is being punished for being innately immoral. However, one of the most famous examples of a Disabled Villain who believes their disability gives them soul licence for their misconduct is William Shakespeare’s Richard III.” — Emily Davison

ID: A black and white image of a portrayal of Richard III with a hunch back using what appear to be crutches

Over hundreds of years we’ve watched disablement stray from fantasy into movies and TV about day to day life. The message is still the same: so we are constantly inundated with it. Disability is always a moral story — it’s either “don’t become that bad thing, ugly, evil, thing” or, in more recent years, disabled people are meant to better those around them — they are used as a tool for inspiration rooted in pity.

ID: Helen, a Black woman with short curly hair wearing a dark orange sweater is seen wheeling her ex husband who is now paralyzed — he has a scared look on his face, he too is Black, and is wearing all grey/blue.

One of the immediate films that came to mind was from my childhood as well: Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Now, that film has a lot to unpack but I’m going to focus on the villain. The villain of Diary of a Mad Black Woman is a cold heart callous attorney who is extremely wealthy but also has an entire family with another woman. He kicks out his current wife, Helen, and instead moves his girlfriend in. Boom bam. He is our villain. A “turning point” in this film is when our villain becomes disabled — he’s paralyzed by being shot multiple times by a disgruntled client. He becomes paralyzed and needs round the clock care. His mistress and family leaves him, but his ex wife stays. Helen views his disability as something that makes him no longer a threat to her safety as she was once abused by him.

What unfolds is: an ex wife volunteering to care for her ex husband but largely to have revenge for his abuses. The scene this movie is most famous for is him being “karmically” wheeled into a bathtub and almost drowning as his ex wife watches while smoking a cigarette. This is viewed as a deserving punishment by the audience and is intended to be. Am I caping for abusers? No. What I’m illustrating is how what’s viewed as a fit life long punishment is: disablement. There is a way of making a commentary on abuse without resorting to that infamous scene / plot line.

Revisiting this film as an adult also helped explain why I felt I must have “deserved” cancer for years rather than being like “yeah, it’s a DNA mutation and what about it?” Consequently, also explained why I felt I deserved neglect from my caregiver. Was I abusive? No. Did I do something bad to my partner? No. It was the direct impact of films like this that influenced me believing I couldn’t possibly conceive having a disability and any thoughts about disability were ableist as hell. It was the direct impact of media like this that also made me feel I was deserving of every bad thing.

ID: Character 001 from Squid Games is pictured in an emerald green sweatsuit with white stripes going down the shoulders. He is an older man with the number 001 emblazoned across his chest in white. He is an elderly Korean man wearing a jovial smile.

Now, while I got you here with cancer…You know I would have to discuss Squid Games. The elderly love-able quick witted character who is later revealed as the villain happens to also be battling brain cancer. He had previously hosted the Squid Games and planned to pass them down to his son. When asked why he participated, why even create something as heinous as this: he said he just wanted to have fun. Similar to Shakespeare’s Richard III, this this type of “disability representation,” again renders a human into a monstrous, apathetic being, willing to commit atrocities, and who is to be feared for their malice knows no limits.

We, as disabled people, are told constantly by the characters written about us that: We are miserable and must live in hopes of “becoming better” physically or proving ourselves as “good” by a bullshit standard. Reality is, disabled people can be shitty, yes, as can any person on this planet. However, the entirety of its demographic is not and yet there’s no room for the consumer to even consider humanizing disability because of how it’s been historically portrayed and morphed.

ID: Captain Hook from Disney’s Peter Pan wearing his infamous red and white pirate suit while wearing a malevolent smile while look down on his gold hook, replacing one of his hands

Yet another Disney film but still relevant, Peter Pan — Captain Hook is an amputee survivor who has a hook for a hand & he is the main antagonist — willing to harm children. Harvey Dent aka Two Faced from the DC comics and films, is in reality a survivor of an acidic burn attack and that is what turns him from a good man, a good lawyer into a super-villain.

ID: Harvey Dent aka Two Faced portrayed in the comics wearing half white, half red suit — almost mirroring half angel and half devil — while his face is split down the middle in two. One side is “normal” while the other is that of an acidic burn.

The dozens of neurodivergent coded characters used for puns or as over exaggerating, weird, uncivilized people. Easiest example I could think of: Elf. Buddy loves Christmas, knows extensive history and facts about the North Pole, and loves sweet food. He’s immediately associated with child-like qualities and incapable of surviving society in his own “delusions” (because in this world Santa is actually real & that’s actually a critically important fact to keep in mind).

Will Ferrel starring as Buddy the Elf in an elf suit that is emerald green with white fur trimmings and gold accents — hat included. He is having an awkward interaction with his father sitting in the middle in a tweed suit, baby blue button down, and dark brown tie with his father’s assistant looking equally confused in a striped shirt and donning wavy hair.

And while there are many more examples, last but not least: Split, a 2016 psychological thriller directed by M.Night Shyamalan has the antagonist be a kidnapper/killer with Dissociative Identity Disorder and said to have 23 personalities. He kidnaps three innocent girls and the horror of the film is: his disability being a threat to safety and haunting to watch. Doesn’t make it easier to destigmatizing the lesser romanticized mental illnesses with films such as that.

A promotional photo for the movie Split where James McAvoy seems to be evaluating each of his personalities, each face only partially shown meant to demonstrate his different personalities.

You see where I’m going with this? When non disabled people write about disability as punchlines — they either are aware and do not care or genuinely don’t understand how their work is going to be translated by various demographics. When non disabled people write about disability as inspiration porn — they burden those of us who are disabled as lighthouses of wisdom or the reminder of “be grateful for what you have” for we have nothing. When non disabled people write about disability there is certainly a higher chance of the villainous character having a “disturbing” disability.

What also happens frequently with disability in the media is that non disabled actors will play in roles meant for us. The easiest reference to point to as of late was Sia having Maddie Ziegler act as an autistic child for her music video and short film. When presented with critique, Sia shut down, she had “tried” to work it out with one autistic actor and essentially failed to meet the accommodations necessary or even look for a second autistic actress. Sia, in her self righteousness, thought she was performing a favor on behalf of a community she did not nor did she care to fully understand.

For this reason, disabled writers, actors, musicians, artists, and people need to be in the forefront whether it’s stories told about our conditions or instead we simply exist without question. Some of the shows who have done a better job of exploring this is:

-The Sex Life of College Girls on HBO Max — while not a lead character, there’s a member of the freshman class who is a recurring character, Joceyln, played by disabled actress Lauren ‘Lolo’ Spencer, who is a Black wheel chair user. She exists within this universe simply as herself, there’s no pity party, she doesn’t want one, she isn’t our inspiration, and she for damn sure isn’t the villain. She’s unapologetically herself and frankly, a scene stealer, in the best way possible.

ID: Lolo Spencer at the premiere of The Sex Lives of College Girls in a Black wheelchair while wearing a stunning hot pink dress and crystal heels. Her hair is shaved and seems to be dyed purple. She is looking to the camera with a small smile and a third quarter angle.

-The L Word: Generation Q on Hulu — Jillian Mercado’s character reflects her in that she too has muscle atrophy, she also is queer, and Black, and she too has sex. It was a massive moment in television for her character to come to life as Mercado has said in interviews she had no representation of physical disability as a child.

ID: Jillian Mercado (image taken from SELF Magazine) in a Black wheel chair and wearing a brown sparkling dress. Her hair is platinum blonde and past her shoulders. She is staring directly at the camera.

-Sex Education on Netflix — this was the season everyone was talking about on twitter because sex with mobility aids was portrayed accurately. Beyond accurately, also naturally, organically, and we get to see a disabled person be desirable — and not one dimensional. Actor George Robinson’s character is well rounded enough to where he can’t be a villain. Every character on the show is intentionally equally unlikeable and like-able.

ID: Actor George Robinson on the set of Special in front of his character’s mobile home with grass in front of it. He is sitting in a black and silver wheelchair in a path leading to his home while wearing grey jeans, a blue denim colored jacket, and a dull red shirt, he is looking to the distance smiling.

-Special on Netflix — written about life as a white gay man with cerebral palsy, the show’s creator and lead actor, Ryan O’Connell humanizes disabled people by showing how constantly ridiculous and ableist society is. He also shows himself navigating through it — making it feel possible to do. His character is fully human meaning capable of a range of emotions and a range of conflicts. It truly has one of the best opening scenes poking fun at the idea of disabled people being scary when a child is shown screaming upon learning Ryan has a disability which is why he limps.

ID: Ryan O’Connell wearing a white and grey striped shirt with gold glasses -he is staring at the camera in what appears to be a still from the show Special from his character’s home.

-Everything’s Going to Be Okay on Hulu— written by and starring Josh Thomas has two seasons of a household where half of the members either have autism and/or ADHD while the others are neurotypicals. Nicholas is an Australian white gay man in his twenties. “He goes to visit his American father and two teenage half-sisters in Los Angeles. During his visit, he learns that their father is terminally ill and wants Nicholas to become the guardian to Genevieve and Matilda, because their mother is already dead.” The show navigates what family can look like and be like outside of the “norm.” And I especially appreciated the emphasis on the fact disabled people work their ass off to try to fit into a world not designed for us, and the show drives home the point that we should exist simply as ourselves — which we see this family do in the comfort of their home, making it feel. We see this especially with Matilda’s piano playing or parallel playing with her girlfriend, who is also autistic. It’s also shown in how Nicholas does not live up to having a perfect “adult” room — his room is colorful and reminds me of a disco ball. Having a room like this as an adult would be generally considered “immature” or “not normal” but it works because it works for Nicholas.

ID: Josh Thomas, on the left, plays Nicholas, a white blonde man in a white button up with a Black tie and black pants. He is smiling while picking at sunflowers with his half sister Matilda who is pulling petals of a sunflower as well. She too is smiling and looking down wearing a Black floral dress and Black cardigan with blonde shoulder length hair and Black glasses. They are doing this in front of a white piano in their home.

What I’ve found interesting as a link between the five shows is: desirability. Sex is a common theme throughout. These shows almost point the mirror back to the viewer and ask us to consider why disability is immediately associated with being unattractive, unloveable, and undesirable. With being helpless, dissatisfied with life, or mean. Shows like this help break away from the harmful and hurtful tropes that have played out for quite literally hundreds of years. And even still, we see how desirability often isn’t enough — there’s more elements to our stories that give greater understanding to the our experiences.

Of course, I still find within decent representation it almost always largely consists of white disabled people. What I am excited about is the future. Which is why it is important to acknowledge actresses like Lolo Spencer and Jillian Mercado being casted because disability, itself, is often associated with white people. It’s a white person’s story to tell. I believe we are moving away from that year by year and finally, we are moving towards seeing: disability as just that — disability. This doesn’t mean we don’t experience neglect or medical racism or ableism and so on and so forth, but rather: disability is not a moral character flaw. There are thousands of brilliant stories being told and waiting to be told to reach massive audiences. I can’t wait for the day we can experience them as a community.

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