Before reading the article, I would have assumed that ‘sickfluencer’ was playing on the modern slang use of the word ‘sick’ to describe something as cool, impressive or creative. What I did not expect was for it to suggest that sickness, illness and disability could themselves be viewed as trendy, fashionable or desirable. I found it particularly concerning that this term was used by a journalist whose article, in my view, failed to adequately recognise the lived experiences of disabled people. The very idea of reducing disability to a trend feels deeply insensitive. For many disabled people, disability is not an aesthetic, a social-media identity or something to be idolised. It can affect almost every aspect of everyday life, from physical limitations and chronic symptoms to accessibility barriers, discrimination and the emotional challenges that can accompany living with a disability.

As a disabled person with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, reading Coburn’s article made my skin crawl. I found it particularly difficult to read her suggestion that disability is something that people may once have viewed as an “adversity to overcome”, but which is now simply a social identity, “akin to one’s sexuality, gender, or race.” Although I have a physical disability and Coburn’s article focuses largely on chronic illness, her framing raises a question that feels deeply personal to me: what exactly am I supposed to accept as simply part of my “social identity”? Am I supposed to accept the pain I experience when I have to walk faster than what’s comfortable to escape men shouting things such as, “I bet she’d be easy to pick up” as though my height somehow makes me less deserving of dignity or personal space? Am I supposed to accept the constant anxiety that can come with leaving my home, knowing that I may be pointed at, laughed at, verbally abused or threatened simply because I look different? Am I supposed to overcome and not be bothered by the fact that some mornings I physically can not get out of bed because of the joint pain and swelling I can suffer from. Or do we simply live in a society where there is still not enough awareness surrounding the impacts disabilities can have on people whether that’s POTS, GAD, CF OR MDD which are only the few acronyms Coburn listed in her article when she writes the “country is sicker than ever before and it’s not afraid of shouting about it.” I found this particularly worrying because it risks creating the impression that disabled people who openly discuss their conditions are contributing to a problem, rather than raising awareness of their experiences.

There is, of course, a difficult conversation to be had about people who deliberately misrepresent their circumstances in order to access benefits or avoid employment. Coburn discusses the rise in reported cases of conditions such as anxiety and ADHD, alongside online profiles that allegedly teach people how to present and answer questions in ways that may increase their chances of receiving benefits. If people are deliberately exploiting the system, that is understandably frustrating, particularly for those who genuinely rely on financial support because of a disability or a long-term health condition. However, this conversation needs to be approached with considerable caution. The existence of benefit fraud should not lead us to question the legitimacy of everyone who claims disability-related support. We are also living through a period of significant economic pressure, in which graduates and other people across the UK can struggle to find secure employment despite actively looking for work. For some, relying on benefits or other forms of financial support is not about avoiding work; it is about having few viable alternatives. The danger of focusing too heavily on the idea that people are exploiting the system is that it can reinforce suspicion towards disabled people who genuinely need support. The benefits system should certainly be protected from abuse, but so should the people who depend on it.

Rather than framing her article around the idea that “having a disability is cool”, I believe Coburn could have used the opportunity to examine the wider societal issues that have placed pressure on the benefits system, while recognising that these issues are far more complex than simply suggesting that people are seeking diagnoses or exploiting support. Likewise, instead of portraying social media as a platform that convinces people there is something “wrong” with them, we should acknowledge the positive role it can play within the disabled community. For many disabled people, social media provides an invaluable space to find support, share experiences, challenge misconceptions and connect with others who understand the realities of their lives. What may appear from the outside to be a trend or a desire for attention can, for many people, simply be the relief of finally finding a community in which they feel understood and represented. Disability does not need to be made “cool” to be worthy of discussion; disabled people simply deserve to have their experiences heard, respected and understood.