What is the nature of disability? What is the nature of beauty? What is perfection? Who among us is perfect?
These questions are at the heart (literally and figuratively) of a project undertaken by Pro Infirmis, a Switzerland-based advocacy organization raising awareness of people with disabilities, promoting the International Day of Persons with Disabilities
in December 2013.
Mannequins in fashionable shops on Zurich’s tony street the Bahnhofstrasse were replaced by new ones, artfully, painstakingly and lovingly created, as shown in the video.
Pro Infirmis’s website tells us “who” we are looking at in human and 3-D life-size mannequin form: Miss Handicap 2010, Jasmin Rechsteiner; radio presenter and film critic Alex Oberholzer; track and field athlete Urs Kolly; blogger Nadja Schmid; and, actor Erwin Aljukic.
In Pro Infirmis’s words: Between the perfect mannequins, there will be figures with scoliosis or brittle bone disease modelling the latest fashions. One will have shortened limbs; the other a malformed spine. The campaign has been devised for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by Pro Infirmis, an organisation for the disabled. Entitled “Because who is perfect? Get closer.”, it is designed to provoke reflection on the acceptance of people with disabilities. Director Alain Gsponer has captured the campaign as a short film.
Thanks to my lifelong friend, Swedish journalist Cecilia Werner (@ciccitalks) for sharing this with me via Facebook. The blessings of social media continue to nurture a 25+ year friendship!
Health Populi’s Hot Points: This campaign joins the growing ranks of advocacy-oriented ads that bolster our humanity, health, and sense of community. If you haven’t seen the new This Girl Can video from Sport UK, check it out, below. In addition, the Dove Real Women campaign and Throw Like a Girl video from Always are part of this movement. Expect more of this trend of advocacy ads as consumers, globally, look to engage with organizations embracing corporate responsibility and good purpose.
Sport England, #This Girl Can
Dove’s #RealBeauty Sketches
Always #LikeAGirl
I'm in amazing company here with other #digitalhealth innovators, thinkers and doers. Thank you to Cristian Cortez Fernandez and Zallud for this recognition; I'm grateful.
Jane was named as a member of the AHIP 2024 Advisory Board, joining some valued colleagues to prepare for the challenges and opportunities facing health plans, systems, and other industry stakeholders. 
Join Jane at AHIP's annual meeting in Las Vegas: I'll be speaking, moderating a panel, and providing thought leadership on health consumers and bolstering equity, empowerment, and self-care.