Rendered Powerless: Disability versus Westernized Beauty Standards

The Power and Exclusivity of Westernized Beauty Standards

Westernized Beauty Standards (WBS) are guidelines overseeing and affecting all human beings' way of life. WBS ideologies originated in the ancient Greek Pythagorean school, where scholars determined level of beauty based on mathematical equations. Continuing to use mathematics to define beauty, Stephen Marquardt, a maxillofacial surgeon, developed the Marquardt Beauty Mask, which was based on a golden ratio of 1.618. Marquardt stated that a perfectly symmetrical, proportionate face and body are considered beautiful.¹ In many cases, those living with disabilities are not symmetrical or proportionate.

"In the contemporary United States, to be perceived as physically attractive, is to be socially and sexually desirable."² According to the documentary, The Illusionist,³ "'the white blondified, small nosed, pert-breasted, long legged body' is seen as perfection in beauty and coming to stand in for the great variety of the human body." In general, "disabled" bodies are not associated with being physically attractive, and according to societal stigma, are "named" the contradiction of perfection.⁴

Naming of "Others"

"Naming" becomes a "political, ontological, and epistemological issue" because it renders the "named" powerless.⁵ Thus, the identity of a person is based on appearance rather than character. Society has made people disabled—not their bodies, just as people are identified as "colored," "faggot," "dyke" or any other derogatory term. Dr. David Anderson, emeritus professor of special education, Christian minister, and disability advocate stated that "naming" denies people with disabilities the opportunity to reach their full personhood, because the name focuses on differences in ability, which "reflects misunderstanding of both disability and the individual."⁶

Exclusivity in Beauty

The human ego does not easily accept disability, possibly due to the Freudian idea that the ego lives on the surface of the body like skin, thriving on superficial aspects of life.⁷ This theory has made it normal to "name" others. According to the WBS golden ratio of beauty, skin tone, health, and age influence how beautiful someone is,⁸ while excluding people of color, people with disabilities, and older generations from ideal beauty. Society fears people with disabilities due to a lack of understanding and genuine fear that they could one day become disabled as well.⁹ Documented as early as ancient Greek times, this fear influenced legislation that forced people with disabilities to remain confined to their residences with minimal exposure to the outside world. In 1974, Chicago was the last United States city to repeal the "Ugly Law."¹⁰ This angst results in people with a disability losing their human dignity. The fashion industry is no exception. It was once said, "New York Fashion Week would rather burn down than see a disabled person appear on the runway."¹¹ Although 20 percent of people in the United States have a disability,¹² this market is largely ignored by the fashion industry.

Ableism and Fashion

As a result of the 1960s and 1970s disability rights movement, the term ableism was coined to have a connotation similar to those of racism and sexism, because it signified the unjust perception that those with a disability are inferior.¹³ Ableism reveals itself in society as blatant discrimination or as a form of cultural appropriation. Reality star Kylie Jenner and Interview Magazine were accused of ableism for a cover shoot of Jenner sitting in a gold wheelchair wearing a black vinyl leotard with what appeared to be a matching sadism and masochism (S&M) choker. Lady Gaga had also been accused of ableism when she performed in a wheelchair in her 2009 Paparazzi music video and a live performance of You and I in 2011.¹⁴ In these instances, disability is fetishized, which Jillian Mercado, a model with muscular dystrophy, set out to dispel.¹⁵ These overt forms of cultural appropriation of disability are not to be mistaken for the Tools of Life photoshoot featuring artist Elana Langer, dressed in lingerie wearing a bejeweled hearing aid or using a bejeweled walker.¹⁶ She stated on her website that "These products are meant to enhance the...