Flashes of Ableism (Flashing Lights)

A huge example of ableism in music and TV is the lighting. Flashing lights are incredibly harmful.

My mom has Epilepsy and cannot watch a lot of things without fear of having a seizure.

For example, she and I both adore Harry Styles and Pink.

She’s never seen a performance of “Kiwi” (Harry) because she literally can’t if she wants to stay safe.

My mom has seen a couple “Trustfall” (Pink) performances but only because the video wasn’t in full screen and the flashing lights weren’t constant. They either changed the camera view and/or had the same lighting for a minute.

Those obviously aren’t the only artists with flashing lights, but they are the ones at the top of my brain right now.

For me, flashing lights can send me into a panic attack. When I experience flashing lights, a lot of the time I feel consumed/surrounded by them. The lights block out my surroundings where I can only see said lights, which leads me to feelings overwhelmed and not being able to breathe, thus the panic attack. (I may also have Epilepsy - that’s TBD.)

It’s also not just performances. Music videos, TV shows, and movies all include flashing lights. They all exclude disabled people.