If all store mannequins were men, you might feel left out. Or if they were all women, or all of them were black… or white. It just wouldn’t seem right. Inclusion is a big part of our lives. We all want to feel like we’re a part of things, and here’s a story where inclusion was finally found in a shop’s window display.
It’s not too often you’re gonna see a mannequin in a display window… in a wheelchair. Well, maybe if the store is promoting wheelchairs, I suppose. But one particular shop, a bridal shop near Bristol, England, put a mannequin clad in a wedding dress in a wheelchair.
A photo of the rare display was tweeted by 36-year-old Beth Wilson, who has had to use a wheelchair for the past five years. She said it gave her a feeling… finally… of inclusion.
The new wedding shop in town has a wheelchair using mannequin and it shouldn’t be exciting but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen disability portrayed in a shop window. pic.twitter.com/N5sco2fLJf
— Beth Wilson (@doodlebeth) January 9, 2019
Sisters Laura Allen and Sarah Parker own the shop, and didn’t really think a whole lot about it when they first put the display in the window. But the positive response to it has been overwhelming. It’s something they hope more shops will start doing.
Says Laura: “It’s an industry that’s well known for not being inclusive, a lot of bridal shops you go past you just see the standard skinny mannequin. But everyone gets married, it doesn’t matter what you look like or how you are, your day is going to be special.”
And the feeling it gives Beth to see something like this is very special.
Says Beth: “So often disabled people feel invisible because we don’t see ourselves in the media… especially not modeling beautiful clothes. I don’t need a wedding dress, but if I did, I’d definitely be far happier about going to a shop where I knew that I’d be accepted, wheelchair and all.”
We are sure you enjoyed the above story… watch for more: https://youtu.be/G8G2zSbPmjA
