Well-known disability activist and social media influencer Melissa Blake offers a frank, illuminating memoir and a call to action for disabled people and allies. In the summer of 2019, journalist Melissa Blake penned an op-ed for CNN Opinion. A conservative pundit caught wind of it, mentioning Blake's work in a YouTube video. What happened next is equal parts a searing view into society, how we collectively view and treat disabled people, and the making of an advocate. After a troll said that Blake should be banned from posting pictures of herself, she took to Twitter and defiantly posted three smiling selfies, all taken during a lovely vacation in the Big Apple. -- Provided by publisher. Now, in her manifesto, Beautiful People, Blake shares her truths about disability, writing about (among other things): the language we use to describe disabled people ; ableism, microaggressions, and their pernicious effects ; what it's like to live in a society that not only isn't designed for you, but actively operates to render you invisible ; her struggles with self-image and self-acceptance ; the absence of disabled people in popular culture ; why disabled people aren't tragic heroes. Blake also tells the stories of some of the heroes of the disability rights movement in America, in doing so rescuing their incredible achievements from near total obscurity. Highlighting other disabled activists and influencers, Blake's work is the calling card of a powerful voice -- one that has sparked new, different, better conversations about disability. -- Provided by publisher.

Acknowledgments --Speaking for myself -- Disabled isn't a bad word -- Physical ableism is real-and it's harmful... -- ... And verbal ableism is just as harmful -- Self-acceptance is a journey, not a destination -- I'm not here to be your inspiration... nor am I the tragic hero -- Selfies are statements for me and other disabled people -- Disabled people are worthy romantic partners -- Disabled and beautiful belong in the same sentence -- Wheelchairs (and other mobility aids and assistive devices) are freedom, not confinement -- Representation matters in pop culture - from TV to toys -- The future of fashion is accessible -- Family matters -- The future simply has to be more inclusive - and intersectional -- Epilogue: Letter to my seventeen-year-old self -- Credits -- Notes.