Shape Structures Story By Rosemarie Garland-Thompson: Article Analysis

Internalized oppression is a process by which systematic mistreatment of individuals in a subjugated group causes them to come to accept and live out inaccurate stereotypes (Williams, 32). This form of oppression is ubiquitous in many groups of oppressed people, from racial minorities to women to disabled people, and can result in both conscious and unconscious feelings of unworthiness. Disabled women are often victims of intense and compounded internalized oppression due to their membership in at least two oppressed groups. Women and girls with disabilities, from childhood, face intense external oppression from the media, the medical system, and society at large. Many internalize false stereotypes about their sexuality, abilities, and, tragically, the idea that disabled lives are worth less. However, women also fight against and resist oppression through a variety of avenues, including taking legal action and expressing pride in their disabilities. Women and

In her essay “Shape Structures Story”, Rosemarie Garland-Thompson discusses how “shared experience bonds people together in mutually sustaining groups,” and gives the example of the annual Society for Disability Studies dance as a “communal gathering that most fully fulfills my fantasy for a fierce sense of ethnic belonging.” At the gathering, participants have developed their own peculiar style of dance called “tongue dancing”, which allows wheelchair users and people with limited mobility to fully engage in the collective experience of dancing. By creating a wholly unique culture through togetherness and traditions, the the disabled community and disabled women in general can reimagine their place in society and can gain self-esteem through mutual understanding and