Risky transitions in an ableist environment: the experience of frequent critical looks

Abstract

The present article is part of a qualitative sociological study with Swedish young women labelled with an intellectual impairment. The aim is to present an exemplification of the social construction of the body, by focusing on how the body is constructed by critical looks. I focus on the experiences of critical looks by analysing the power dimensions (dis)ability, gender, and age. In the article how the body is made visible by being stared at, both to oneself and to others depending on place and interactions, is central, as are what emotions and strategies of resistance staring causes, and the categorical aspects of staring is analysed. To illustrate this complex process of intersections, I add the concept of an ableist environment. Being stared at is part of the young women's everyday life. The critical looks the informants describe may be understood as being different in character: mocking, judgemental, limiting, and desirable.