busy this week! will be a bit inactive

Eevee!

while major burns and scarring can cause visible differences, it would be highly unlikely for the vast majority of self harm scars to fall into this category. this isn't to say that people with self harm scars don't experience forms of discrimination or maltreatment, or aren't made to feel bad for showing their bodies! that absolutely happens, but as someone with both self harm scars and a limb difference, i can tell you the way i'm treated for showing my scarred arms vs the way i'm treated for showing my legs are very different. it's an important topic to discuss, but it doesn't mean you are "deformed".

minor variations in appearance, such as clinodactyly (a curved finger), low-set ears or a high-arched palate, affect around 1 in 5 people and are not considered deformities/visible differences. a limb difference means a major difference in the fixed shape of a limb - for example, having severely curved, absent or shortened bones. hypermobility, mild foot abnormalities such as pes cavus, and reduced range of motion are not limb differences. while some people with these conditions might have been described with the word "deformed" or feel it resonates with them, they are not part of the group whose lifelong oppression has been perpetuated by the word "deformed", and therefore should not "reclaim" it.

this isn't about invalidating anyone or gatekeeping a word - it's about the way those with limb/facial differences are almost always mistreated and swept under the rug by the rest of the disabled community, and the very real harm that is done to our community when conversations about us and our oppression do not include us. i was really excited to see that discussion of the specific oppression focused by those with limb/facial differences has been increasing on tumblr, and the rise of terms like "deformimisia". however, once again, very few people are making any attempt to listen to us and our experiences, and the conversation is dominated by those with minor differences who wouldn't traditionally be considered "deformed". even when the conversation is literally about us, we're excluded.