An Australian Emmy winner has challenged the language of disability inspiration. Now an Australian social enterprise is asking, what comes next?
Australian creative Tim Minchin has just won an Emmy for Apple’s I’m Not Remarkable, a campaign that challenges the idea that disabled people should be celebrated as “remarkable” simply for living their life.
Meanwhile, Australian social enterprise Disinfluencer has been asking a different question… When will I be famous? It sounds cheeky. It is.
Behind the tongue-in-cheek social campaign is a serious challenge to the way disabled people are represented in advertising and pop culture. Because disabled people are constantly asked to be “inspirational”. What if they were allowed to be ambitious instead?
What if they wanted to be models, actors, creators, influencers, podcasters, not because they are disabled, but because they are bloody good at it. And what if the goal of representation wasn’t simply to make disabled people visible, but to make them part of the culture everyone already inhabits?
That is the thinking behind Disinfluencer founder Simone Eyles’ campaign.
“I love what Tim Minchin has done, ‘I’m not remarkable’ calls out this ridiculous idea that disabled people should be considered remarkable for just doing their thing, and if we are moving past ‘inspirational’, what’s next?
I don’t want disabled people to be famous because they are disabled, I want them to be famous because they have dreams, talent and goals. Our campaign plays with the absurdity of the question ‘When will I be famous’ while making a much bigger point about how can you be famous when you aren’t even visible?,” Eyles said.
“For decades, disability representation has often been framed through a narrow lens, stereotypes, overcoming adversity or inspirational. Disinfluencer wants to disrupt what you think is possible. No inspiration, no exceptions, no diversity campaign, just part of the fucking picture!” Eyles added.
At its heart, “When will I be famous?” asks the advertising and creative industries a simple question: What happens when disabled people stop being the story and start being the (paid) talent?
That is the future Disinfluencer is interested in. Search People not stereotypes.
CREDITS
Client: Disinfluencer
Agency: Disinfluencer
