[Editor’s note: This post was originally published May 5, 2010.] Photographer Holly Norris‘ provocative American Able series looks at the ways in which women with disabilities are ignored in advertising and mass media. She chose to spoof American Apparel ads because they’re easily recognizable and to point out how homogeneous the rail-like “every day” women the company uses in spots truly are. (You might remember a hilarious video Jezebel did a few years back that drove this latter point home.)
“Too often, the pervasive influence of imagery in mass media goes unexamined, consumed en masse by the public,” Norris explains on her website. “However, this imagery has real, oppressive effects on people who are continuously ‘othered’ by society. The model, Jes Sachse, and I intend to reveal these stories by placing her in a position where women with disabilities are typically excluded.” Click through to view more images, and be sure to let us know what you think.
[via The Frisky]