As you probably know, the Paralympics are coming up soon which is really exciting. I’ve always really enjoyed watching the Paralympics and I can’t wait to watch this year’s. As much as I love the Paralympics and genuinely believe that it’s one of the most beneficial things to the promotion of equality, I’m not really a fan of the whole ‘Superhuman’ advertising.
Advertising for the Olympics varies, I’ve seen some really brilliant adverts for the olympics about feminism and racial diversity but the underlying theme I’ve mainly found is equality. This is interesting to me as I assumed that the same themes in these adverts would be shown in adverts for the Paralympics, however this is seemingly not the case. Instead of showing how diverse the Paralympic athletes are and celebrating their personal achievements, the advertising from previous years has presented the athletes as ‘Superhuman’. Which is pretty problematic if you ask me. This year’s advertising is different though, they’ve clearly listened to feedback and massively improved, they are talking more about athletes achievements and they’ve decided to look back on the last Paralympics and realised actually we’re not Superhuman, just human. It’s a step in the right direction, however the entire message of this year’s advertising seems to be ‘we are human’ while I can’t disagree with this statement, I think it might’ve been nice if the message would’ve been more about respecting disabled people’s abilities rather than just showing their way of life. I’m also sensing (possibly accidentally) that this advertising could be seen as pity seeking, but I appreciate the change from last year.
This year’s advertising is a massive step in the right direction though, and I think while it’s difficult to make adverts that aren’t too inspirational for the wrong reasons, they’re definitely trying.
I do love the Paralympics, I love that it represents all types of disabilities (especially ones which aren’t typically represented on screen). It’s so empowering to see disabled athletes achieving and receiving the same level of attention that able bodied athletes get. I’ve always wanted to be part of the Paralympics but unfortunately rhythmic gymnastics isn’t included (yet). It’s another thing that confuses me, gymnastics is one of the biggest sports in the world yet there’s no para stream at all. Even without gymnastics, it’s such a brilliant thing that gets able bodied people’s attention and this is why I feel like we should be spreading a more impactful message about equity and how disabled people are viewed by society, but hey maybe that’s just the activist in me.
Regardless of the lack of gymnastics, and the questionable advertising, I do love the Paralympics and the general message of empowerment it sends. Seeing representation like that in sports is so important.