Inspiration porn is an image of a person with a disability, often a kid, doing something completely ordinary - like playing, or talking, or running, or drawing a picture, or hitting a tennis ball - carrying a caption like "your excuse is invalid" or "before you quit, try". Increasingly, they feature the Hamilton quote. (The only disability in life is a bad attitude)

theoriginalitgirl:

We’re not here for your inspiration

aperpetualswansong:

“Inspiration porn shames people with disabilities. It says that if we fail to be happy, to smile and to live lives that make those around us feel good, it’s because we’re not trying hard enough. Our attitude is just not positive enough. It’s our fault.”

I’ve seen this article before of course (and probably reblogged it), but I’ve just discovered it again so I felt like sharing because it does a pretty good job at explaining what I hate about inspiration porn.

Hey there: The whole “everyone is beautiful regardless of size” irks me a little....

rumblebumbleboobies:

What you fail to understand is that in my post they ARE completely unrelated. It is MY post, based on MY opinion. You may not agree with it but that doesn’t mean that I need to take other things into consideration in order to fit into your idea of body acceptance. Why exactly can’t I put things aside in favour of looking at another? Am I under some obligation to include every human being, minor cases and people with specific and personal conditions that take them out of the general bracket that I have focused my post on? I wrote about the MAJORITY of people. In a broad, general sense, without the consideration of medical conditions (physical or mental).

If body acceptance is about accepting the body and how it functions; then you only further my point. We should be encouraging people to allow their body to function healthily. Personal acceptance is an entirely different issue to my point or what I discussed. My opinions on that are of an entirely different nature. YOU may see them as related and the same thing, but I don’t and my post was not written in a way to include them into the same idea.

Your missing my point entirely. Yes, everyone will die. Yes, everyone has a different idea of a healthy lifestyle. When did I ever say it was ok to shame someone because of their healthy lifestyle or that we should accuse someone’s life choices and decisions as wrong? My point is that we shouldn’t give the illusions that leading an unhealthy lifestyle is desirable. We should encourage people to be healthy and find self confidence in that. Be that whatever definition of healthy they choose. The way I see it is I would never encourage my son or daughter to take up smoking, drinking alcohol or doing drugs. They’re all proven unhealthy, and I would never wish that someone I loved or cared about would die young or suffer medical issues due to something that wasn’t essential. I wouldn’t shame them or make them feel bad about it if they did choose to do so, but I wouldnt encourage it. I wouldn’t create the idea that it was a good idea or acceptable to do so. I would encourage them to make healthy decisions. Why should I have a different opinion for anyone else in the world? Of course they have the right to do what they please when they please. I would never shame them or make them feel inadequate or wrong for making unhealthy decisions; everyone does. But I WOULD encourage them to be as healthy as they could be. To strive to be healthy.

Um I do have the right to state my opinion on what is right for the human race as a whole? It’s my opinion; I’m entitled to one. Have I suggested I’m going to actively enforce my opinion? no…it’s an opinion. I DO have that right. Just like YOU have the right to disagree with me. How could you ever say that being healthy isn’t what’s best for someone? (note: I have never once defined what healthy is) As we have both said its personal to that specific person. What I deem as healthy will be unhealthy for someone else yes. I acknowledge and accept that. I’m saying we should encourage them to do what’s healthy for THEM.

When did I once say that someone doesn’t deserve support, self love or beauty? I never once even mentioned what ANYONE deserves. All I said is that we should encourage health. Healthy traits. Anything that improves your health.

When I mentioned beauty; I said TO ME. What I personally find attractive. I have the right to distinguish between what I do and don’t find attractive and I have the right to post that on my blog. Its MY blog. I’m not going up to people and telling them that I don’t find them attractive (how would I know? you can’t measure a persons healthy visually).

What I would question is, what gives you the right to tell me what I can and cannot do? Cause lets face it; I have and will continue to do so.

No, I’m not failing to understand that this is your opinion - An opinion can still be biased, based on assumptions and be worthy of critique. Just because you frame a thought as an “opinion” does not mean that it becomes invincible. Moreover, by posting it online, you’re not simply existing within a vacuum - Your words have an impact on your audience. By voicing your opinion in a public forum, you are inherently attempting to enforce it. 

You’re constantly contradicting yourself here:

“The way I see it is I would never encourage my son or daughter to take up smoking, drinking alcohol or doing drugs. They’re all proven unhealthy” vs “note: I have never once defined what healthy is”

“When did I ever say it was ok to shame someone because of their healthy lifestyle or that we should accuse someone’s life choices and decisions as wrong?” vs  ”It [being unhealthy] should not be encouraged. Those unhealthy lifestyle choices WILL be the death of that person. Openly showing support or positive feedback for that is what’s ludicrous” 

“Of course they have the right to do what they please when they please.” vs “My point is that we shouldn’t give the illusions that leading an unhealthy lifestyle is desirable.”

You cannot have all of these statements. You cannot say that all people have the right to make their own choices, then turn around and say that some choices do not deserve support and acceptance. You cannot say that everyone has the right to their own health, then try to state that certain acts are inherently unhealthy and should not have a place in your loved one’s lives.

I mean, in a single paragraph, you start off by saying that we should support people pursing “whatever definition of healthy they choose,” then you say that you don’t believe decisions like smoking are acceptable. How can you possibly justify that? 

The thing about body acceptance is that it has absolutely nothing to do with what you find to be beautiful or healthy or good - It’s about accepting all individuals and all bodies. By placing even the widest set of restrictions upon that, you’re nullifying the entire concept of body acceptance itself. Because yes - “Not supporting” or “not encouraging” someone’s decisions on a social and community scale is comparable to shaming them. Revoking support can be just as damaging as actively discrediting them.