One thing I wanted to do with this blog is answer questions that I am often asked. One of the big ones is "how does being disabled effect the way you think about yourself?" First off, my main disability causes some skeletal deformations. That means some of my bones are shorter, and warped.
That being said, I can't say I'm terribly self-concious about these imperfections. I used to be insanely self-conscious about every imperfection my disability bestowed upon me. When skinny jeans and leggings started becoming popular I REFUSED to wear them due to the fact that my legs are kinda crooked and are different widths. One day I got tired of limiting myself because I don't look "normal". I obtained a pair of skinny jeans and go figure, they didn't look half bad. Sure, my legs looked crooked but when I went out in public no one seemed to notice. It was then that I realized that all my "flaws" are not visible to the untrained eye and thus NO ONE CARES! No one cares if my arm is slightly warped, no one cares if I have a giant scar on my leg. Once I realized that other people don't care, I stopped caring.
Along with realizing that no one else cares about the imperfections, I made peace with my body by gaining some control over it. I did this by getting a tattoo. Most of the visible alterations of my body are scars, I had no say in what they would look like and while they are kick-ass they're not particularly attractive. The tattoo was an alteration that I could control, and it was colorful and beautiful. Tattoos in general are becoming more and more popular within the disabled community, actually. While I can't prove it, I'm gonna say that I'm a trend setter.
In conclusion, being a cripple can have a negative impact on one's self-image, especially if your disability leaves you severely deformed. But if you make peace with what you cannot change and change what you can, a cripple can have the self-esteem of a normal person... if not more!
Crippie's Tippie of the Day- If people laugh at you, tease you, and bully you because of the way you were born, ignore them. They tease you because they are idiots who do not know any better. They might want to make you feel weak, but you are stronger and braver than they will ever be.
The last thing you shouldn't do is to being too much conscious of yourself. Nothing would happen if you live with too much insecurities. It would only destroy you. And I must say that you're right; some may tease you because they'd never been in your shoes.
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