Ignoring Disabilities!

The article, “Integrating Disability, Transforming Feminist Theory”, by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, explains the rise of disability studies and the possibility of its integration into feminist theory. A person’s disability can be compared to a person’s race, sexuality, class, or ethnicity (575). Garland-Thomson asserts that society’s perception of disability studies is similar to feminist theory. Society perceives feminist and disability studies as irrelevant because they are outside the mainstream. Garland-Thomson’s argument is that disability studies can benefit feminist theory and vice versa. She compares the studies and how they can be intertwined.

In the “Cancer Journal”, Audre Lorde explains her experience living with breast cancer and after mastectomy surgery. As a Black Lesbian Feminist, she was not concerned about whether a man would love her differently after her surgery. She was assured that her female partner would love her unconditionally. Lorde stresses the importance of women valuing their lives instead of their appearances. Many women will die of breast cancer without receiving a mastectomy therefore; women should consider their lives over their body appearances. She states that “losing a breast is indefinitely preferable to losing one’s life” (63). After women have their breast amputated, they are required to go to counseling with the American Cancer Society’s Reach for Recovery and soon after receive prosthesis to cope with losing a breast.

The problem with the cosmetic surgery after a mastectomy is the reinforcement of the societal perception that women are measured by their appearance. Lorde describes that a woman who receives cosmetic surgery to restore her breast “mourn[s] the loss of her breast in secret, as if it were the result of some crime of which she were guilty” (58). In the journal, Audre Lorde explains how she wants to display her missing breast because it is her battle scar as a survivor and warrior against cancer. She asserts that women who cover their missing breast with prosthesis or silicone gel hide themselves from other women who have had mastectomies as well.

“Integrating Disability, Transforming Feminist Theory” and “Cancer Journal” relate because they both advocate the perspectives of disabled women. Audre Lourde speaks from her perspective as a Black Lesbian, disabled (not really) woman. Lorde explains that a person’s body should not define his/her existence. Garland-Thomson depicts the stigma that is attached to people with “various bodily variations” (577). After reading these pieces, I realized how much disability is overlooked in scholarship. There is also an underlying theme in both texts implying that disabled women are beautiful despite the society’s standards of beauty. When I took my Intro to Women’s studies course, we did not discuss the disabled perspective. I am determined to make a conscious effort to address the perspective of the disabled.