It's time to #RethinkSexy

Every November, we see the beautiful people who have set the world ablaze on People’s 50 Sexiest List. A list with names like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck - the list goes on and on. It's kind of expected that you’ll see these faces and these names on a list like that, right? But you know what you won’t see on so many of these lists? People with Disabilities. You probably won’t see the beautiful artist in a power wheelchair on the red carpet, or someone on crutches, and you certainly won’t hear about that hottie who has secretly been dealing with sex and chronic pain issues, will you? But imagine for a moment if you did.

Imagine if you opened up People Mag and instead of seeing the same old faces, you saw a stream of new and bold disabled faces, each with a unique story to tell about how they are redefining sexy. Well, that’s what we’ve done at Handi. We've reimagined the People Magazine cover to celebrate the disabled 50 contributors in The Handi Book, and show you why they deserve a sexy spotlight on them. And then we sent it to journalists all over the world, with an ask to #RethinkSexy by covering their stories, their stories, their words, their pictures and their unfiltered sexy selves to show the world what sexy really is! This campaign is not only sexy AF, but also puts imagery of disabled people squarely in your face - something that is sorely lacking in mainstream media. 

On a personal note, this campaign is exciting for me as a disabled person because it unapologetically rivals People Magazine. It says, “We know there is a f*ck ton of ableism out there in pop culture, and we wanna change that.” 

It is my hope that a campaign like #RethinkSexy, similarly to a little campaign known as #DisabledPeopleAreHot (created by the ever so modest Andrew Gurza, LOL) will act as a cultural touchstone and shift in how we view disabled people.  Campaigns like this will hopefully change the game, so that for years to come powerhouses like People Magazine will look at it and think, “Oh man, I wish we had thought of that first." 

If you agree and think sexiness is more than skin deep, join the cause - share this video and these images - If you're up for it, even make one of your sexy self! We have a bank of Zoom Background available for you to download post them on socials, send them to friends, family and of course, tag journalists and Peoples Magazine while you're at it. Let's make it impossible for the media to overlook. Together we can help the world #RethinkSexy.