cosima-hauntedhaus:

god representation of disabilities is so important tho. like i attended a camp for kids with amputations for ten years and this most recent time i went, we all had to get in a circle and talk about why camp was important to us and within 5 minutes all of the kids were crying because they were so overwhelmed by how important being around other kids like them was. some of them never knew you could put a cool design on your prosthetic, some of them never knew how to be proud of their bodies until they saw them normalized. some of them felt so lonely – sure, they had friends, but those friends could never TRULY understand what they were going through.

and like, to grow up as a disabled kid is hard when your only “representation” tells you you aren’t important if your existence doesn’t provide some kind of inspiration to able bodied people, that your life doesnt matter unless you’re living it to the fullest and following your dreams. where are the stories about the disabled kids who go out and smoke and get into fights? where are the stories about disabled kids staying home and watching netflix? where are the stories about disabled kids having drama and romance and teen angst?? why is it that most disabled narratives have to show the character using their disability for a greater purpose?? why do they have to turn it into something good?? why cant it be ok for them to feel shitty sometimes?? 

and like, there was so little representation for me as a kid that i often forgot that i was different at all, which sounds great and beautiful but is actually REALLY SHITTY. what is so great about constantly holding yourself to the standards of people who are on a completely different level, physically? what is beautiful about pushing yourself past your limits simply to be “normal”?

idk man. representation matters. GOOD representation matters. fuck the media basically.