Delhi:
A bridal shop in England is winning hearts for displaying one of its wedding dresses on a mannequin seated in a wheelchair. The mannequin sits in front of the two storefront displays for The White Collection, a small bridal shop in Portishead, England. The picture went viral as soon as it was shared by differently-abled artist Beth Wilson. The 36-year-old artist shared the picture on Twitter with a caption that read, ''The new wedding shop in town has a wheelchair using mannequin and it shouldn’t be exciting but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen disability portrayed in a shop window.''
The new wedding shop in town has a wheelchair using mannequin and it shouldn’t be exciting but it’s the first time I’ve ever seen disability portrayed in a shop window. pic.twitter.com/N5sco2fLJf
— Beth Wilson (@doodlebeth) January 9, 2019
Beth, who has been using the wheelchair for the last 5 years, said the display made her feel represented. However, bridal shop co-owner Laura Allen didn't think it was a big deal when she had the idea to put a window display mannequin in a wheelchair.
''It’s been great having such a positive response, but in a way it’s quite sad people have done a double take, it shows how rare it is to see a wheelchair in a shop window,†Allen was quoted as saying by news agencies.
“It would be nice one day for people to double take just because they like the dress,†she added.
Mrs Wilson said, ''I don’t need a wedding dress, but if I did, I’d definitely be far happier about going to a shop where I knew that I’d be accepted, wheelchair and all.†She later tweeted, ''I went and met Sarah @TheWhiteCollect and we had a great chat about how surreal it is to go viral online. Here’s hoping more shops start including disabled people :D.''
I went and met Sarah @TheWhiteCollect and we had a great chat about how surreal it is to go viral online.
— Beth Wilson (@doodlebeth) January 11, 2019
Here’s hoping more shops start including disabled people :D pic.twitter.com/7OW4I2y5P9
Here are some of the reactions from Twitter users:
This image is gorgeous! Congrats! 🌷⚘🌼🌻🌺
— Shredded like a Banksy (@twinski) January 10, 2019
As someone who got married in a wheelchair, this is so wonderful to see 😠https://t.co/6RypJcnOuF
— Billie (@Billie_McP) January 11, 2019
(With agency inputs)