Hearing aids
June 10, 2019
Woman signs entire Take That concert for deaf friend
June 11, 2019Chella man: This is what deaf looks like
Photo credit: @chellamanart Twitter
Deaf and genderqueer activist and model, Chella Man, is bringing inclusiveness and fashion together in his new clothing collection.
As an activist for many identities, Man is consistently breaking societal molds through his art, modeling and social media presence. This includes breaking down stigmas around hearing loss.
What does deaf look like?
Man, who was born with progressive hearing loss, now wears cochlear implants. He communicates orally as well as uses sign language.
Recently, Man posted a clever response to those who comment on his appearance as “not looking deaf.”
People: But…you don’t look deaf.
— CHELLA MAN (@chellamanart) May 23, 2019
Me: OH my bad, lemme take it up a notch: pic.twitter.com/eqeRlEIaID
With over 4,000 retweets, the deaf community applauded his witty yet informative tweet, a common theme seen from Man. Earlier this year, Mann shared a YouTube video that describes why he views his disability as a positive thing, and how it has led him to people who are more empathetic and patient toward people with disabilities.
Read more: Who is the deaf activist, Chella Man?
New clothing collection
Man continues to be inclusive in his work and art, including his new clothing line. The collection is a collaboration with Opening Ceremony and features hand-painted pieces that express Man’s experience of transitioning on testosterone and being deaf.
“I have incorporated sign language into a lot of the pieces, as well as written manifestos on the language barriers I have faced being mainstreamed,” Man says. “It was important to me that I emphasize the spectrum that is being Deaf.”
According to Dazed Magazine, Man was sure to make the whole process of creating and releasing his collection as inclusive as possible. He hired an all-queer team both in front of the camera and behind the scenes while ensuring all their shoot locations were wheelchair accessible and captions were available when needed.
Through actions like these, Man is setting an example of how companies can be more inclusive and accessible.
You can see his full collection here!
