Vogue’s ‘New Suffragettes’: where are the women with disabilities?

British Vogue’s decision to mark 100 years since women were granted the vote has received much coverage in the past week. Its Meet the New Suffragettes spread features seven influential females “fighting to empower women in the battle for equality that rages on”: politicians Stella Creasy and Sophie Walker, artist Gillian Wearing, gal-dem founder Liv Little, journalist Paris Lees, blogger Dina Torkia and writer Reni Eddo-Lodge.

The list was widely perceived as displaying the diversity within the modern women’s movement. But on seeing the glamorous photo-spread, I had a sinking feeling. The reason? While women of colour and trans women are included, strikingly not one of those featured is disabled. (Disabilities can also be invisible, but after I asked the author of the piece, to my knowledge none of the women involved identify as disabled.)

It’s heartening to see talented women such as Lees and Eddo-Lodge front and centre in one of the world’s most famous publications – publications that are often heavily white and middle class – but in some ways, that makes it even worse that no disabled woman was included alongside them. It’s telling that no one at the magazine appeared to notice – or care – that a large chunk of the population was essentially missing (there are around half a billion disabled women globally), especially for a story promoting the ongoing “battle for equality”. After all, disabled women still experience some of the highest rates of domestic violence, poverty and exclusion from jobs and public positions.

Source: theguardian