By Lee Taylor, Managing Editor of Design
When I say that representation for all is important, most people would immediately think of a racially diverse cast or a cast filled with different sexualities and gender identities. This is very true; these things are all very important to crafting an accepting society.
However, one group often overlooked are people with disorders and disabilities. I’ve suffered from chronic eczema since I was born. I have always been covered in patches of red, scaly patches of itchy, dry skin.
When I was a baby it was severe, but as I grew up it settled on the insides of my elbows and the behinds of my knees, but depending on my environment it would worsen. By late 2019, my eczema reached a severity that I had never experienced before, and my arms, legs, and face were covered in red. I was losing sleep for months because I was uninsured and unable to see a dermatologist.
My topical medication ran out, and refills were $450, which as a broke college student working two nights a week I couldn’t afford. I have now seen two doctors. I was tired, lethargic, sad, and just about any other negative adjective you can think of. I already have a low self esteem, and my new dragon skin wasn’t helping. Despite the itching, the lethargy and intense hunger, the hardest thing for me was that I felt alone. My friends would tell me, “your skin looks good today, Lee!” but I could see the dead skin flakes on the lenses of my glasses that I had just cleaned. But, my friends never considered that I’ve never seen another person with eczema like mine.
When I brought up my eczema, my peers would show me their little eczema dry patch on their ankle, which was sweet, but only made me feel worse about myself. It wasn’t until this year, at 19 years old, that I saw the first ever person with skin like mine. He was walking to his car, parked two down from mine in the Sheetz parking lot. I sat in my car, and despite what my mom always taught me, I stared at him. He walked with his head down like I do, rushing for one reason or another.
He was gone as quickly as I saw him, and for once I felt okay. I wonder if things would be different if I had a role model with eczema. I’ve come to terms with my sexuality and gender identity thanks to LGBT creators, and everyday I grow more and more comfortable with my weight because of plus-sized influencers. I like to believe that the same could happen for my skin disorder. The media shapes our society, so let’s shape it like our society.