The impact of advertisements on women’s psychological and emotional states: exploring navigation and resistance of disabling stereotypes

Abstract

Representations of disabled women in advertising have been historically problematic. Largely, such portrayals have reinforced disability and gender stereotypes. This is an important issue to address because cultural representations have the ability to challenge or support widespread attitudes and beliefs surrounding identity groups. In addition, representations can generate micro level impact, for example, influencing how individual’s perceive themselves. In this article, Thomas’s (1999) concept of psycho-emotional disablism is used to enhance understandings of the relationship between advertising messages and individual psychological and emotional states. The feminist disability studies research presented in this article explores how women with mental health issues navigate advertising portrayals of mental health and gender. The findings develop existing knowledge of psycho-emotional disablism through demonstrating how individuals often use problematic advertising messages and memories of psycho-emotional oppression as a vehicle for positive self-transformation and as a way of resisting cultural stereotypes.

A model who looks like me: Communicating and consuming representations of disability

“…They can also reinforce extant beliefs about people with disabilities. For example, the relationship between disability and charity or between disability and illness is routinely drawn out in the mainstream media (Houston, 2019) and in advertisements that inspire pity among would-be donors (Pettinicchio, 2019; Shapiro, 1994). These are depictions thought to be most familiar to consumers.…”

Ethopolitical media: Organizing Assistive Technology, disability and care in the platform society

“…We find these ideas embedded and reproduced in media narratives – that produce certain images of health and disability (Ellis et al, 2020; Houston, 2019; Plester et al, 2024; Shew, 2023) – and in media operations, that foster certain practices of self-care (Hagood, 2019; Ochsner et al, 2022; Sterne, 2021). Media narratives of enhancement, in fact, are typical of AI-based AT.Shew (2023) highlights the latent ableism (that she calls “technoableism”) in these narratives, as they represent AT as a solution to “overcome disability.” In doing so, these narratives turn assistance for disability into an implicit preference for ability that disavows disability’s dignity.…”

“…We find these ideas embedded and reproduced in media narratives -that produce certain images of health and disability (Ellis et al, 2020;Houston, 2019;Plester et al, 2024;Shew, 2023) -and in media operations, that foster certain practices of self-care (Hagood, 2019;Ochsner et al, 2022;Sterne, 2021). Media narratives of enhancement, in fact, are typical of AI-based AT.…”

“…In this article, we reflect on the impact that the arrival of big tech in the field of AT has on both disability and on the broader debate in media and cultural studies on the relationship between media, health-care and well-being (Alexander, 2019; Ellcessor, 2022; Hagood, 2019; Hesmondhalgh, 2017; Houston, 2019; Napolitano et al, 2022). Recalling Martin’s (2019: 1) assumption that “media organize,” that is “media construct patterns and relationships that pose the question of order,” we argue that AT are not mere aids but rather media systems that organize disability.…”

“…Recalling Martin’s (2019: 1) assumption that “media organize,” that is “media construct patterns and relationships that pose the question of order,” we argue that AT are not mere aids but rather media systems that organize disability. With this, we mean that AT contribute to defining, accounting for and managing disability both through media representations that produce images of disability and health (Ellis et al, 2020; Houston, 2019; Jerreat-Poole, 2023; Plester et al, 2024; Shew, 2023), and through material practices of technologically-mediated accounting and self-care (Hagood, 2019; Hesmondalgh, 2017; Ochsner et al, 2022; Sterne, 2021). In the next sections, we will show how AT organize disability in welfare systems and the transformations occurring with the arrival of big tech in the field.…”