Whether it's a one dimensional stereotype, or played down for the sake of the audience, representations of disabled people are lacking in the media. But with 63% of Britons saying that better representation can help break down stigma, there is room for brands to offer up real portrayals of disabilities.

For the 2018 #AerieREAL campaign, the lingerie brand evolved its approach to ‘unretouched women’ to include those with medical conditions and disabilities. Aerie’s move has proved genuinely heartening to a population who have felt long overlooked by advertisers.

Whether it’s through community activism, inclusive ads at the Super Bowl, special accommodations in stores, or body positivity in games, people want their identities, histories, and stories built into the fabric of broader culture. They want those who represent them to provide tangible action to support and platform the experiences of their communities. As the founder of eponymous streetwear brand Mikey Trapstar summarised in an interview with The Face: “The reason we are here today is because a particular culture has supported us. We started at the bottom and worked hard to get to where we are. We now have a responsibility to give back, we have to make sure we keep the culture alive.” People have learned to spot virtue-signalling by those who don’t truly have a vested interest in representing a community, meaning that lip service and tokenism will quickly be called out. This shift is a reaction to the surface-level allyship that became commonplace in the years following protests in the summer of 2020 as businesses that failed to address their historic and internal systemic issues rushed to align themselves with marginalised communities without acknowledging or investigating their own practices and structures. Progress has been made since 2020, with 60% of organisations surveyed by diversity and inclusion consultancy Paradigm in 2022 reporting that they had DE&I strategies in place – although only 16% had clear goals for improving racial representation. Many have bemoaned the short-lived gains made since 2020 as declines in media diversity have revealed the shallowness of these commitments, while others feel that companies are only an economic downturn away from reversing that hard-won progress. For some, inequality seems baked into the corporate system, and the only solution is to hand control to those who have a stake in seeing the communities they represent flourish. Brands that understand the value of working with diverse communities are responding with active collaborations year-round and proving their efforts are not just for a marketing moment. They’re championing inclusivity that takes into account the internal disparities within communities, while some are highlighting forgotten histories that have been whitewashed, giving people an opportunity to connect to meaningful, positive, and diverse stories. Loyalty and legitimacy are hallmarks of genuinely progressive brands that understand that collectivism is key to long-term success, which requires an investment in equitable culture internally and externally.

While people with disabilities have long been overlooked, brands are waking up to the fact that there are 93 million disabled children globally. Inclusive design by mainstream brands provides an opportunity for companies to fuel social change through the promotion of quality of life and equality.