People are sharing #DisabledAndCute photos to fight stigma

People with disabilities are sharing #DisabledAndCute photos on social media to fight stigma and erasure which they can experience in society.

Keah Brown, a 25-year-old writer, started the hashtag to fight against ableist beauty standards which can often ignore or belittle with disabilities.

She tweeted photos captioned "still disabled. still cute".

As the movement gathered momentum she later explained:

#DisabledAndCute is not about adhering to beauty standards or seeking validation from anyone but yourself.

We are often belittled and made to feel small. I just wanted everyone to celebrate themselves.

She added:

You are all so beautiful but most importantly, you are worthy of this feeling. Hold on to it, keep it for your bad days.

People around the world soon began flooding the hashtag with their own photos.

Shaelene Robar posted a series of photos along with the caption:

Chronic Lyme Disease, Severe Chronic Pain and Limited Mobility can't stop me from looking cute.

Esme Weijun Wang posted a series of selfies which she captioned “Sick girl glam.”

It is estimated that around 1 in 5 people have a condition which could be classified as a disability. While some are visible disabilities, others can be invisible such as mental health or chronic pain conditions.

HT BuzzFeed

More: These poignant cartoons show what it's like living with a disability