Jessica PingEver since I was a young girl, I have sought out disability representation in the media, entertainment, and fashion industries. As a born performer and lover of the creative arts, these industries have always had me in a chokehold of sorts.
But more importantly, they passively inform our entire society about the things we should and should not care about at any given time of the day, month, year, decade, or century.
That might sound rather intense, but it’s true.
In college, I took a course called “Media Stardom and Celebrity Culture.” This one class taught me more about the ways in which the world works and thinks than any other class I have ever taken.
In the course, my professor showed us everything from the cultural significance of celebrities to the impact of the media we consume on our society.
So, it makes sense that I would seek validation for my own existence in these creative industries.
Growing up, I was desperate to fit in, just like everyone else. The problem was, I had no social proof that someone like me ever COULD fit in.
No one with a visibly disabled body like mine had ever been portrayed as “cool” before. In fact, I had never come across anyone in fiction or reality that was visibly disabled and anything. Forget being a movie star or a model, I didn’t even know if someone like me could do a “normal” job.
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Becoming My Own Disability Representation
Up until just a couple of years ago, disability representation was virtually non-existent. The few places I did see disability presented prior to the pandemic were rarely genuine, often using a non-disabled person to portray age-old stereotypes. If a project DID happen to feature a real disabled person, then usually the story being told took on an inspirational porn angle.
Yawn.
As a disabled person, I am so tired of non-disabled people trying to tell my story.
9.999 times out of 10, they’re going to get it wrong.
So, I decided to tell my own.
Of course, the decision to start The Rolling Explorer and open up about my life online is way more complex than this.
But it feels right.
Something inside of me knows that I was meant to do the advocacy work I am doing.
And I’m beyond honored and grateful for the opportunities that have come my way since opening up and sharing my journey online.
At the time of my writing this, I have only been creating content for 2-3 years, but I’ve already been featured in some of the biggest publications around the world, including British Vogue, Billboard, and USA Today, I’ve been on TV, I’ve been in global commercial projects, and most relevant to today’s post, I recently strutted down a runway at London Fashion Week.
The Cultural Significance of Fashion Week
I have a big message and a big purpose and that generally means I want big exposure. My marketing brain knows that mainstream media, tv, film, and the internet have the potential to reach many more people directly. Yet, I still have chosen to dedicate significant time, energy, and money to Fashion Week for the last 8 months.
As my amazing PR manager always reminds me, change isn’t going to happen overnight. I need to play the long game if I want to change disability representation across the board.
So, that brings us back to the question – why fashion week?
Beyond my love of fashion and my desire to support the up-and-coming designers of tomorrow, Fashion Week is a global event that spans some of the most creative cities on the planet. It receives worldwide coverage and sparks conversation and intrigue from a wide array of individuals.
I should know, I have been one of them since I was a teen.
But there is one other MASSIVELY important fact about Fashion Week and why it is such a powerful stage to make my presence known.
Fashion Week literally predicts the future.
The shows we have all been ogling over since the beginning of September aren’t for today, they’re for tomorrow.
They are telling us what we as a consumer base will be purchasing next season.
What’s hot, what’s not, what’s the new trend, and what’s making a comeback
Fashion Week sets a precedent, and everyone else, whether consciously aware of the inspiration or not, tends to follow suit.
Why Disability Representation is the Future
When I both modeled and sat in the front row at London Fashion Week, I made a statement.
My presence alone was groundbreaking and unprecedented.
Over the course of the 4 days of London Fashion Week, I had several conversations and got a lot of people talking about their own prejudices towards the disability community – or their own internalized ableism.
Everything about the media we have about disability leading up to this point would tell you otherwise, but disability is truly a natural part of the human condition.
Anyone can become disabled at any point in time.
And with at least 15% of the world’s population identifying as disabled (1/6), disability is probably already a part of your life in some capacity.
From a business perspective, disability is a massively untapped market. According to Mike Adams at we are Purple and Scope Charity, £249 billion in disability spending power is lost annually with £420 million being lost every single month.
Failing to advertise to disabled consumers is actually hurting businesses and the overall economy.
Plus, from a human perspective, we are collectively isolating over a billion people around the world from feeling included in society.
We can do better.
We must do better.
And the creative industry is a vital place to start.
Fashion Week September 2022 – you heard it here first…
Disability Representation is TOTALLY IN from here on out.
Header image: ©2022 Copyright Rod Leon. 15th September 2022. London Fashion Week.
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