Youth for Sale: Using Critical Disability Perspectives to Examine the Embodiment of ‘Youth’

Abstract

‗Youth' is more complicated than an age-bound period of life; although implicitly paired with developmentalism, youth is surrounded by contradictory discourses. In other work [1], I have asserted that young people are demonized as risky and rebellious, whilst simultaneously criticized for being lazy and apathetic; two intertwining, yet conflicting discourses meaning that young people's here-and-now experiences take a backseat to a focus on reaching idealized, neoliberal adulthood [2]. Critical examination of adulthood ideals, however, shows us that ‗youthfulness' is itself presented as a goal of adulthood [3][4][5], as there is a desire, as adults, to remain forever young [6]. As Blatterer puts it, the ideal is to be -adult and youthful but not adolescent‖ ([3], p. 74). This paper attempts to untangle some of the youth/adult confusion by asking how the aspiration/expectation of a youthful body plays out in the embodied lives of young dis/abled people. To do this, I use a feminist-disability lens to consider youth in an abstracted form, not as a life-stage, but as the end goal of an aesthetic project of the self that we are all (to differing degrees) encouraged to set out upon.

Seeking truths: ableist media representations and Toronto’s youth

“…Finally, three studies focused on the concept of the idealized body and the effects of stigma on self-esteem (Brown, 2012;Munro & Huon, 2005;Slater, 2012). In a 2005 study, researchers Monro and Huon examined the media's conceptualization of the 'idealized body' and its impact on the appearance anxiety and body shame of young women.…”

“…Although this study is not about people with disabilities, it is still relevant to this MRP, as people with disabilities experience body shame just like everyone else. People with disabilities tend to have bodies that are not ideal in the eyes of the media and are therefore excluded from representation (Slater, 2012). This exclusion can create feelings of stigma, leading to larger more problematic issues (Parsons et al, 2017).…”

Experiences of Visually Impaired and Blind Students in UK Higher Education: An Exploration of Access and Participation

“…Luke's age may have made a difference, and his comments do highlight the lack of autonomy reported by the previous, younger participants who were typically positioned by the process as the passive receivers of a common-sense approach. However, Luke still experienced, even as a mature student, the imposition of infantilization onto disabled people (Slater 2012), which positioned him as in need of help.…”

Jenny Slater, Youth and Disability - A Challenge to Mr. Reasonable (2015)

“…Actually, the author states that being young has a symbolic meaning, emphasizing beauty, health, speed, and fluidity (Slater 2012). Since able-bodied and disabled young people watch the same television programs, and consume similar products, they are exposed to the same messages that emphasize how acceptable adults should behave and appear.…”