'Overlooked Beauty' focuses on representing people with disabilities within a beauty space. We have started to see this change within different creative industries such as the Beauty industry, However, this topic is currently stigmatised and disabled folks are still considered to be an afterthought. I believe this is wrong. This stigmatisation over looks a large portion of society and takes away opportunities that many take for granted.

Daniel

Disability has been such a taboo for as long as time itself. When looking at others one would be forgiven for thinking that all they see is disability.

Age has a distilling effect on how one feels and on how we think others perceive us!

Nobody is as secure or insecure in their looks as the individual themselves,

we project onto others what we see in ourselves.

This project holds a mirror up to society and acknowledges what the human condition without creed or servitude is really about.

LA

Beauty comes from within (or so they say). Learning to love yourself is completely different. It feels like it’s never going to be achievable when you first have a body changing accident.

How will people view me? Will people stare? Will I ever find true love? These are just some of the legion of questions that become all consuming. But what if I can find a place in my thoughts where I don’t care what others think?

What if any abuse or hateful comments that come my way can be brushed off with ease? What if I can learn to be a proud version of myself?

I’m here.

I’m proud of my achievements. And most of all, being an actor allows me to lend any negative thoughts that may occur to the characters I portray.  Beauty does come from within because our exteriors can become anything we wish them to be.

That’s real beauty.

Olivia

“Differences is what makes us so uniquely beautiful and that’s when I realised showing my true self will allow me to heal in happiness.

I didn’t just battle cancer to be ashamed of how it’s left me. I battled it to have my life back and I’m for sure going to make it worthwhile.”

Barbara

"Beauty shouldn’t be a value on how we treat people. I’ve lived in different countries and cultures I saw all the ways beauty was celebrated and judged. Beauty is in everyday life and there are no standards or labels to what it should look like.

For the longest time I’ve hated my features and wanted to change them to how I thought they should look like.

Everyone grows up in different backgrounds and spaces therefore being impressionable to their own view of beauty but just as no one can tell you who you are, no one should impose a beauty standard onto you as they have not seen all what the world has to offer.”

Lindy

Beauty is not just what is portrayed in the media. From a young age I knew that I could never be beautiful because I didn’t meet the stereotypes. I wasn’t tall or slim or have perfect skin. Now I am old I realise that beauty also comes from within, we are all unique and our differences make us beautiful.

Abi McBroom
@filledineyebrows