Baring it all.

Image Description: photo of me from behind, with my arms up washing my long hair in the shower. 2020.

Every time I take a shower, I think about how grateful I am to still be able to—for the most part—independently bathe myself; it’s an everyday action that we take for granted. Understandably, we don’t think much about until it becomes troublesome or next to impossible. i.e. injury, illness, etc. Shower time is private time and when that privacy is stripped away, you are left feeling especially vulnerable and helpless. Your cleanliness is dependent on someone else or completely dismissed altogether. To illustrate the gravity of this, I will openly admit I’ve gone days without showering somewhere because a bathroom/shower wasn’t #accessible to me. It’s a real f*cking bummer, and it deeply shows me cleanliness is a luxury, not a necessity.

Adding another layer to this, disabled/chronically-ill people have to be comfortable with being naked in front of someone they may/may not know well at all. It takes serious courage to not only accept but to trust that the person helping won’t take advantage. We have to learn to embrace being exposed in such a way. On the flip side, this allows us to develop the continuous strength and resilience that is needed to face these never-ending adversities. Essentially, our confidence resides in being able to laugh naked—both quite literally and figuratively—at life’s curveballs ;)

TLDR: Being comfortable naked is a superpower differently-abled people possess, showers are sacred, vulnerability is a strength, and please take extra care of your personal hygiene, ya filthy animals.

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