A campaigner from Northern Ireland is calling for greater representation of people with visible differences on TV after a poll found that only one-third of people can recall seeing someone who looked different on our screens.
Mel Grimsley from Co Fermanagh was involved in a car fire when she was two years old which left her with severe burns, and has been struggling with PTSD from the incident, which can be triggered by people's reactions to her appearance.
Despite this, Mel has recently graduated with a Masters from Ulster University having written her dissertation on discrimination law and facial difference, now she is campaigning for more people who look like her to be given visibility in the media.
Read more: Tributes paid after former GAA star dies after MND battle
A recent poll which was conducted by Focaldata and commissioned by charity Changing Faces as part of Face Equality Week which runs until 19 May provided some startling results.
The group surveyed 1500 people across the UK and found that over a third (33%) have never, or not in the last year, seen someone with a visible difference acting in a TV drama, rising to 45% not seeing people with visible differences presenting the news or factual TV programmes.
The survey also found that nearly a third (29%) said they had seen in the last month, or in the last year, a character with a visible difference in a film or TV drama as a victim, compared to 16% who had seen a character with a visible difference in a film or TV drama as the hero and that Over half (53%) of people have never, or not in the last year, seen someone with a visible difference in a job recruitment ad.
Mel said: "People's reactions to me, whether staring or comments, remind me daily that I'm different. I’m always 'the girl from the car fire', and some days that is more difficult than others.
"The more visible differences are positively represented in the media, the more normalised they'll become, and I might not have to relive my trauma with every reaction to my appearance.
"People view me by their inability to comprehend how they would live life looking like I do, so we need to show people that visible differences are part of diversity and that they are something to be celebrated. If we don't, the stigma that surrounds our day-to-day lives will continue to exist. It's time to change the narrative."
The latest research into the views of the public about people with visible differences and representations across popular culture, has also found that 37% think that adults with a visible difference may experience difficulty in doing things that they enjoy, like hobbies or sports, whilst 35% think that adults with a visible difference may experience people having low expectations of their abilities.
Changing Faces chief executive, Heather Blake, says: “I think everyone can relate to that feeling of being left out, whether it’s being excluded from a game at school, to being rejected from job roles or realising you aren’t invited to an event.
"When you have a visible difference, you’re often left wondering if that’s because of people’s thoughts about how you look. It’s no wonder people with visible differences tell us they feel self-conscious and anxious when they are contending with outdated views, assumptions about their abilities, and a lack of positive representation across society.
“But we know that there’s an appetite for change, with three-fifths (61%) of people saying that they, like us and our campaigners, would like to see more people with visible differences represented in popular culture.
"So, whilst brands, businesses, film makers, script writers and marketeers catch up, our campaigners and ambassadors are being the change they and many others, want to see.
"We’re asking people to join our celebration of difference, share and support our film and real stories from our campaigners, so we all get to see positive representations of ourselves.”
In November 2022, the charity secured an apology from the BBC after an episode of the popular quiz show, Only Connect, was aired describing scars as ‘marks of shame’.
Meanwhile, the British Film Institute has been an advocate of better representation of visible difference for some years. In 2018 the BFI committed to not having negative representations depicted through scars or facial difference in the films it funds.
Following the Only Connect incident, Changing Faces has asked the BBC to follow suit and make a similar commitment to that made by the British Film Institute.
Mel added: “Seeing positive role models is hugely important when so many sections of society are telling you that you don’t fit. Broadcasters have a role to play, but we can all do our bit too, by recognising that differences should be celebrated and respected.”
READ NEXT:
Suicides 'getting worse' as Belfast charity launches new crisis service
Northern Ireland groups unite to raise awareness of acquired brain injury
Warning over 'potentially devastating' impact of failing to face dementia head on
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.
