Disability Chic Part III
D-Squared Ad with wheelchair
I am now convinced it is a trend.  The shot, above, is my third sighting of disability equipment used in non disability related advertising recently, this time in the major glossies – Vogue and/or Bazaar … and, ta-da, it’s a wheelchair.
Not entirely sure why the wheelchair is featured and wanting to make the usual PC-comments about using disabled models but, honestly, perhaps this should be the way to go – spurious, non disability related use of mobility equipment as a casual prop. Worthy of no comment or special attention.
But, that’s not how it is, is it?
a. I’m commenting and querying and am sure I wouldn’t be alone in this. And that’s exactly what the advertisers hope for by using this image.
b. the wheelchair, even in a glam shoot, is ugly – it has to be to make the point – so its’ rough edges are smoothed away by the blending grey hues of the photography. Â (Not of issue to this campaign but will we ever get good looking wheelchairs in daily use? Sigh.)
c. it’s all a meant to be a fun gimmick, no? Contrasting the glamour and the grim, hoping to, jokily, turn heads a la GaGa rather than any move to genuine, or even casual, inclusion.
Here today, gone tomorrow … or gone in the next advertising campaign.
I’m feeling slightly irritated and thinking this ad reinforces subliminal negativity about disability.
Or am I overthinking the significance of the whole thing?
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