Why fashion means more than clothing for many people with disabilities

People who use a wheelchair, an orthotic device, or other visible assistive devices are often not perceived first and foremost as individuals, but through their bodies, their movements, or medical assumptions. Three young women from the community explain why fashion means far more to them than clothing alone: it can build confidence, redirect attention, and help prevent them from being reduced to their disability.

In brief: fashion, self-image, and perception

Fashion can help ensure that people are not perceived only through assistive devices, diagnoses, or physical characteristics.
Clothing influences how people with disabilities see themselves – and how confident they feel in everyday life.
Choosing what to wear intentionally is therefore not superficial; it can be expression, protection, and self-assertion at the same time.
Inclusive fashion is not only about function, but also about dignity, visibility, and social inclusion.

When people see the body first – and not the person

Sometimes I feel like an animal in a zoo that does not want to be there. It really belongs out in the wild. And that is exactly what it feels like to be stared at.

Katharina Hesener poses confidently in her wheelchair. She is wearing a short leopard-print skirt, a tight-fitting black sweater, black boots, and a black hat.

People have always looked at my body with medical interest – never neutrally.

Claire Horsbrugh wears her orthosis and work clothes and smiles at the camera; Copyright: Lukas Hepp

The way I walk already makes me stand out anyway.

Lea Menninger with walking aids and visible FES systems on her legs

For all three women, fashion does not begin with trends, but with the way they are looked at. Claire describes how her body has never been perceived neutrally since childhood – instead, it has been commented on, judged, and read through a medical lens. For her, clothing is therefore also a way to shift that gaze.

For Katharina, it is above all the open staring that weighs on her. The comparison to "an animal in a zoo" makes clear just how uncomfortable it can be to be constantly watched in public spaces.

Lea Menninger walking on a street with walking aids, wearing a cropped red sweater and dark pants

Lea makes one thing visible: standing out does not mean giving up control over how you are seen. That is exactly why clothing matters to her – clothing that makes her feel fully like herself, not out of place. © Markus Büttner

And Lea already stands out because of the way she walks. That is exactly why clothing is not a minor issue for her, but part of how she presents herself and how she moves through public life.

What stands out is that all three are not only talking about being looked at, but about being reduced. When people do not see you first as a person, but instead read you through assistive devices, the body, movement, or visible difference, it changes everyday life.

This is exactly where fashion becomes more than an aesthetic question: it becomes a way to push back against that outside perception with something of your own. On your own terms.

What this does to self-image

No one remains untouched by being commented on, stared at, or repeatedly reduced to their body. Claire describes this very clearly: she says herself that over time she has built up "a very tough shell". At the same time, she emphasizes that not everyone in the community is as confident as those who speak publicly about these issues. That, she says, is exactly why many people never make visible how deeply such experiences can wear away at their sense of self.

For Katharina, too, clothing and self-confidence are closely connected. Clothing is more than something practical to her: "I would even rather wear uncomfortable clothes if they make me feel attractive." When she feels good and confident in an outfit, it changes the way she carries herself – and with it, the way she handles the gaze of others.

Lea expresses that connection in yet another way: "At times, I became so fixated on my devices and on the problems connected to clothing that I sometimes did not go out at all." For her, clothing is therefore not only a form of expression, but also part of whether she feels steady enough in a given moment to go out, be seen, and not be held back even more.

What all three share is this: self-image does not develop independently of what others see or project onto them. Clothing cannot erase those experiences – but it can help people feel less at the mercy of them.

Why fashion is more than a matter of taste

Katharina Hesener sitting in her wheelchair in front of a light-colored wall, wearing a black crop top, jeans, and white sneakers

Katharina believes fashion can stand out – but ideally on her own terms. That is exactly where, for her, a sense of self-determination begins. © Nora Beckmann

"I really just want to be able to shop normally like anyone else my age." With this, Katharina gets straight to the point: it is not about vanity, but about something being taken for granted. Clothing is not a side issue for her. When she feels well dressed, it changes the way she carries herself – and also the way she interacts with others.

Claire also describes fashion not as something superficial, but as a way to influence how she is perceived. She says she would rather hear about her appearance: "You look beautiful today" – and not: "You look somehow medically interesting." Clothing becomes important to her exactly where it helps shift the focus away from her body being read primarily through a medical lens.

Lea expresses the same desire in another way: "Practical solutions are generally a good thing – but not if I don’t see myself in them." For her, choosing what to wear consciously is not superficial, but part of being able to experience herself as herself in everyday life.

This is exactly what is often underestimated when it comes to adaptive fashion: it is not only about whether clothing is useful. It is also about whether it enables belonging, self-expression, and self-assertion.

Fashion can enable inclusion – when it does not reduce people to their disability

Claire Horsbrugh standing outdoors while talking on the phone, wearing an all-black outfit with a lightweight jacket

For Claire, fashion is also a way to shift attention away from what others often notice first – and to decide for herself how she wants to present herself. © Lukas Hepp

Fashion alone does not change society. But it can make a difference when it does not define people primarily through their disability, their assistive devices, or their bodies.

For Claire, Katharina, and Lea, the issue is therefore not only about attractive clothing or personal preferences. It is also about belonging, visibility, and the ability to show up in everyday life as themselves.

This is where the topic goes beyond fashion. When people find clothing that fits their bodies, their style, and their lives, they often experience a sense of normalcy and empowerment. Not because every barrier disappears – but because fashion can help them respond to those barriers on their own terms.

In the end, the question is not only what clothing can do. It is also about what it makes possible.