"I'm Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much" – Stella Young
Originally published on July 26, 2023. Last updated on March 21, 2025.
Why This TED Talk Still Matters Today
“I’m not your inspiration thank you very much.” With those seven unforgettable words, Stella Young’s TED Talk shattered the feel-good stereotypes too often used to define disabled people. A decade later, her message still echoes powerfully through the disability rights movement, challenging how media frames disability and reshaping the way we talk about inclusion. In calling out “inspiration porn,” Young didn’t just spark outrage—she sparked awareness. Her voice continues to lead the push for authentic disability representation in media and confronts the deep-rooted culture of reducing disabled lives to motivational soundbites. As debates about disability and inspiration culture persist, this TED Talk remains essential viewing—and reading—for anyone ready to rethink what true respect and equity look like.
In Stella Young’s TED Talk, “I’m Not Your Inspiration, Thank You Very Much,” she challenges inspiration porn and the way media portrays disabled people as motivational figures rather than recognizing them as individuals with agency.
A key message from Young’s talk is that disability and inspiration culture often reinforce harmful stereotypes instead of promoting real disability representation in media and systemic change.
As part of the disability rights movement , Young urged society to shift its perspective , treating disabled people as equals rather than exceptions, reinforcing the need for authentic inclusion rather than superficial praise.
Stella Young’s TED Talk: Key Themes from 'I'm Not Your Inspiration'
Why Stella Young’s TED Talk Still Challenges Disability Stereotypes
Stella Young, the late Australian comedian, journalist, and disability rights activist, delivered a game-changing TEDxSydney talk in April 2014 titled “I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much.” Nearly a decade later, her words still resonate—especially as society continues to frame disabled people as motivational symbols rather than equal participants in the world.
Born with osteogenesis imperfecta and a lifelong wheelchair user, Young called out “inspiration porn”—the objectification of disabled people for the benefit of non-disabled audiences. Her TED Talk became a powerful voice in the disability rights movement , urging people to rethink how disability representation in media shapes public attitudes.
Her iconic message endures:
“Disability doesn’t make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does.”
This talk remains a vital call to action against the disability and inspiration culture that still persists today.
Deconstructing Inspiration Porn in Stella Young’s TED Talk
In her groundbreaking TED Talk, Stella Young took aim at a toxic cultural phenomenon she dubbed “inspiration porn.” She exposed how disabled people are too often portrayed as motivational props for non-disabled audiences—reducing real lives to feel-good clichés.
Using powerful imagery and real-world examples, Young challenged the media’s role in spreading reductive messages like “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” While such quotes may sound encouraging, they dangerously oversimplify the complex realities faced by disabled people navigating a world built without universal accessibility.
As Young famously put it:
“That quote, ‘The only disability in life is a bad attitude,’ is bullshit because it’s just not true. No amount of smiling at a flight of stairs has ever made it turn into a ramp. Never.”
This moment remains one of the most iconic critiques of disability and inspiration culture, and a rallying cry for more honest, respectful disability representation in media .
👉 "Stella Young’s powerful TED Talk challenges stereotypes about disability. Explore our Not Your Inspiration collection, featuring bold designs rooted in disability pride."
Understanding the Social Model of Disability
In her TED Talk, Stella Young powerfully advocated for the social model of disability —a perspective that shifts the focus from individual impairments to the societal barriers that create exclusion. She argued that it’s not a person’s medical condition that’s most limiting, but rather a world designed without accessibility in mind.
Young reminded her audience that disabled people are not defined by their diagnoses . They are individuals navigating environments that too often ignore their needs—from stairs without ramps to assumptions steeped in pity or praise.
Through relatable stories and practical examples, Young helped deconstruct harmful stereotypes. She invited listeners to see how attitudes and inaccessibility —not disability itself—are the true obstacles. Her message remains a cornerstone of the disability rights movement , continuing to challenge audiences to rethink what inclusion really means.
| Medical Model | Social Model |
|---|---|
| Disability is a problem with the individual | Disability is caused by an inaccessible society |
| Focuses on fixing the person | Focuses on removing social and physical barriers |
| Goal is to cure or normalize | Goal is inclusion and accessibility |
| “What’s wrong with you?” | “What can we change in the environment or attitude?” |
"I'm not your inspiration thank you very much"
Shifting Perspectives on Disability and Achievement
In her TED Talk, Stella Young called for a world where disability is seen as part of human diversity—not as something exceptional . She challenged the deeply ingrained belief that disabled people are inspirational simply for living their daily lives.
Young confronted society’s low expectations of disabled individuals , pointing out how these perceptions often result in misplaced praise. “You’re an inspiration,” people say—but what they often mean is, “I didn’t expect much from you.”
She explained the root of this narrative:
“It’s because of the lie. It’s because we’ve been sold this lie that disability makes you exceptional. And it honestly doesn’t.”
Young’s message was clear: Disabled people deserve recognition for their real accomplishments , not token admiration based on stereotypes. Her words continue to shift conversations in the disability rights movement —from pity and praise toward equity and understanding.
Why “I’m Not Your Inspiration Thank You Very Much” Still Matters
In the 11 years after its debut, Stella Young’s TED Talk, “I’m not your inspiration thank you very much,” continues to challenge public perceptions of disability. While the disability rights movement has made strides in awareness and inclusion, inspiration porn still dominates media, social platforms, and everyday conversations.
Young called out the persistent trend of portraying disabled individuals as “superheroes” simply for existing in a world built without them in mind. Her message urged audiences to recognize that disability and inspiration culture often reduces people to objects of emotional gratification rather than acknowledging their real achievements.
“I am not a snowflake. I am not a sweet, infantilising symbol of fragility and life,” she said. “I am a strong, fierce, flawed adult woman. I plan to remain that way, in life and in death.”
By naming and confronting inspiration porn , Young helped shift the narrative toward authentic disability representation in media —representation grounded in agency, strength, and truth. Her TED Talk isn’t just a moment in time; it’s a lasting reminder that true inclusion demands more than admiration. It requires systemic change, mutual respect, and a refusal to define disabled lives by how well they “overcome.”
Over a decade later, revisiting this talk challenges us to continue dismantling ableist attitudes and to see disabled people as fully capable individuals—not your inspiration, but your equal.
Video: I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much | Stella Young
▶️ Read Full Transcript of Stella Young’s TED Talk
2014 Ted Talk by Stella Young: "I'm not your inspiration; thank you very much"
STELLA: I grew up in a very small country town in Victoria. I had a very normal, low-key kind of upbringing. I went to school, I hung out with my friends, and I fought with my younger sisters. It was all very normal.
And when I was 15, a member of my local community approached my parents and wanted to nominate me for a community achievement award. And my parents said, "Hm, that's really nice, but there's kind of one glaring problem with that. She hasn't actually achieved anything." [Laughter] And they were right, you know.
I went to school, I got good marks, I had a very low-key after-school job in my mum's hairdressing salon, and I spent a lot of time watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dawson's Creek." Yeah, I know. What a contradiction. But they were right, you know. I wasn't doing anything that was out of the ordinary at all. I wasn't doing anything that could be considered an achievement if you took disability out of the equation.
Years later, I was on my second teaching round in a Melbourne high school, and I was about 20 minutes into a year 11 legal studies class when this boy put up his hand and said, "Hey miss, when are you going to start doing your speech?" And I said, "What speech?" You know, I'd been talking to them about defamation law for a good 20 minutes.
And he said, "You know, like, your motivational speaking. You know, when people in wheelchairs come to school, they usually say, like, inspirational stuff?" [Laughter] "It's usually in the big hall." And that's when it dawned on me: This kid had only ever experienced disabled people as objects of inspiration.
We are not, to this kid — and it's not his fault, I mean, that's true for many of us. For lots of us, disabled people are not our teachers or our doctors or our manicurists. We're not real people. We are there to inspire.
And in fact, I am sitting on this stage looking like I do in this wheelchair, and you are probably kind of expecting me to inspire you. Right? Yeah. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you dramatically. I am not here to inspire you.
I am here to tell you that we have been lied to about disability. Yeah, we've been sold the lie that disability is a Bad Thing, capital B, capital T. It's a bad thing, and to live with a disability makes you exceptional. It's not a bad thing, and it doesn't make you exceptional.
And in the past few years, we've been able to propagate this lie even further via social media. You may have seen images like this one: "The only disability in life is a bad attitude." Or this one: "Your excuse is invalid." Indeed. Or this one: "Before you quit, try!"
These are just a couple of examples, but there are a lot of these images out there. You know, you might have seen the one, the little girl with no hands drawing a picture with a pencil held in her mouth. You might have seen a child running on carbon fibre prosthetic legs. And these images, there are lots of them out there; they are what we call inspiration porn.
And I use the term porn deliberately because they objectify one group of people for the benefit of another group of people. So, in this case, we're objectifying disabled people for the benefit of non-disabled people.
The purpose of these images is to inspire you, to motivate you so that we can look at them and think, "Well, however bad my life is, it could be worse. I could be that person." But what if you are that person?
I've lost count of the number of times that I've been approached by strangers wanting to tell me that they think I'm brave or inspirational, and this was long before my work had any kind of public profile. They were just kind of congratulating me for managing to get up in the morning and remember my own name. And it is objectifying.
These images, those images objectify disabled people for the benefit of non-disabled people. They are there so that you can look at them and think that things aren't so bad for you, to put your worries into perspective.
And life as a disabled person is actually somewhat difficult. We do overcome some things. But the things that we're overcoming are not the things that you think they are. They are not things to do with our bodies.
I use the term "disabled people" quite deliberately because I subscribe to what's called the social model of disability, which tells us that we are more disabled by the society that we live in than by our bodies and our diagnoses.
So, I have lived in this body for a long time. I'm quite fond of it. It does the things that I need it to do, and I've learned to use it to the best of its capacity just as you have, and that's the thing about those kids in those pictures as well. They're not doing anything out of the ordinary. They are just using their bodies to the best of their capacity.
So, is it really fair to objectify them in the way that we do, to share those images?
People, when they say, "You're an inspiration," they mean it as a compliment. And I know why it happens. It's because of the lie; it's because we've been sold this lie that disability makes you exceptional. And it honestly doesn't.
TED Talk by Stella Young: I'm not your inspiration; thank you very much!
The video and transcript for Stella Young's “I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much” TED Talk is published here under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence as per the TED Talks Usage Policy.
