Community member Maria Luisa Mendiola will be speaking on a panel at SXSW on disfigurement as an identity.

Here is the session description: Disfigurement is defined as a spoiled appearance. The very definition plays into the belief that we are what we look like. And from a young age, we’re taught that disfigurement is something to fear (Freddy Krueger) or pity (Quasimodo). But for many, disfigurement is an identity. Through a conversation with women who live unapologetically with various types of disfigurement, we will explore how increasing awareness around the experience of having disfigurement will lead to greater representation, destigmatization and mainstream acceptance. We will also explore disfigurement as an identity, the role of beauty vs. ugliness in the media and our society, as well as explore how to challenge common misconceptions, making space for for those living with disfigurement.

Tickets to the conference, SXSW, are available through the link below.

Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.