In honor of March being both International Women’s Month and Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, I have decided to shed some light on the similarities between misogyny and ableism because this is rarely talked about, if ever. This piece will focus on ableism related to physical disabilities mostly.
- People objectifying your body.
It is widely known throughout the feminist community that the objectification of women’s bodies is one of the most prominent issues within the general issue of misogyny. Many men tend to think it’s okay for them to touch women without them asking or to comment on how their body looks during inappropriate times. This results from over-sexuakization of women’s bodies and also the fact that men are supposed to feel “powerful” and “in control.”
While people with disabilities are often desexualized due to infantilization, women with disabilities often get objectified too. People think they have the right to touch or make comments about our bodies without asking. It’s not sexual, rather, it’s the opposite, but it still occurs in the same way: people rubbing your back without asking, people calling you “beautiful” when you don’t even know them, I could go on.
And both able-bodied women and disabled people often don’t know how to respond when situations like these occur because they’re so uncomfortable.
- People are surprised when you can do certain things.
Misogyny and ableism tend to operate under the same philosophy: women and disabled people are considered “weak” or “incompetent.” Many misogynists are surprised when women are able to do physical things, i.e., play sports, build things, etc. Because of this, they often insist on doing things for us, even if we say we can do it ourselves.
While most physically disabled people would have a difficult time playing sports or building things, we get the exact same response from able-bodied people as able-bodied women get from able-bodied men. Able-bodied people often doubt the capabilities and competence of disabled people.
- People are surprised when you open your mouth and speak your mind.
I consider myself to be an outspoken person with a strong personality. I am a passionate advocate for social justice causes. When somebody does something that I don’t like, I’ll usually speak up and say something. This surprises many able-bodied people because they often expect me to be meek, mild, and quiet. But when I go ahead and open my mouth, they stand corrected.
Women, both abled-bodied and disabled experience this too. Because of the patriarchy, there is an implicit expectation for women to keep their mouths shut. Patriarchal society operates under the belief that men should speak their mind and be powerful, while women should not.
I hope that reading this post shed some light on the similarities between misogyny and ableism.
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