hi, i’m jill
let’s be real: existing as a disabled woman in today’s world isn’t easy…
pretty bent things is my collection of thoughts on what it’s actually like living in a body that has never quite fit the mold.
from dealing with ableism, unlearning shame, and finding a bit of self-love along the way.
I’m a 30-something disabled content creator, body confidence advocate, and someone with a lot of opinions about how society treats disabled women.
As someone who used to hate my disabled body for simply existing, I wanted a way to push back against all of the ableist, misogynistic BS that taught me to feel that way in the first place.
I started creating for women like me — women who who’ve spent their lives never seeing their body represented, well, anywhere.
Here and on social media, you’ll find me talking about disability representation, body image, self-acceptance and all the messy parts of learning to love yourself in a world that is screaming at you not to.
the photo I almost didn’t post
If you follow me on social media, you might already know that June was Scoliosis Awareness Month.
To close it out, I wanted to post a photo of my back. And it wouldn’t have been the first time I did that.
But I realized something: even though I have posted my back before, I was still only ever posting my “good” angles. The ones where my very obvious rib hump wasn’t as obvious.
it’s not our job to make non-disabled people comfortable
So, I made the reel. And then I got a comment from some guy — actually, multiple comments.
Clearly, what I had to say really upset him.
He told me that I was overreacting. That people can’t help where their eyes go. That I should have used humour to put her at ease — that it was my job to help her feel more comfortable with my disability.
this wasn’t the bridal experience i dreamed of
I’ve spent most of my life noticing how people react to my disability. It’s a sixth sense that most of us with apparent disabilities have developed over time.
The awkwardness. The stares. The polite-but-weird energy that forms when we enter the room. And when I got engaged, I felt it again.
