When I was younger, I always played with Barbie dolls. They were so iconic that pretty much every girl I knew had one.
As much as we loved taking our Barbies to playdates to swap clothes and accessories, it was clear that our dolls had a lot in common: they were all blonde, thin, and had no visible disabilities, or – as I like to call them – superpowers.
When I discovered that Mattel was releasing a new range of Barbie dolls, one of which has a visible behind-the-ear hearing aid, my inner child got so excited. Of course, it's about time, and it should have happened sooner, but still, it's great that young kids with hearing impairments can play with Barbies and finally see themselves represented.
As the first woman with a cochlear implant to go on Love Island, I'm passionate about voicing my experiences and helping younger people accept and embrace themselves. When I stepped into that villa, I knew I was breaking boundaries and changing how people with hearing impairments are perceived. But I haven't always felt as confident as I do now.
In school, I wasn't taught that having a superpower was OK, which is why I don't like to use the word “disability” because I feel quite segregated by it, as though people with superpowers are just one little group who should be separated from people without them.
I constantly thought, “Why me?… Why was I given this?” It didn't help that I never saw myself represented in popular culture. In fact, it felt like representation wasn't even a thing. You would never see a cochlear implant or a hearing aid on TV shows, let alone on the toys I played with.
As a teenager, I didn't have any confidence. I used to always hide my implant and didn't like talking about it. I look back, and I wish it wasn't like that, but at that age, you're still trying to figure out who you are, and you compare yourself to other people so much more. It was a lot for me to handle, but eventually, I learned that my implant is something special that I've got, which should be embraced rather than hidden away.
It was getting involved with dancing that really helped build my confidence in the end. Dancing is a place of freedom, and you never get judged in this industry. It’s so free and accepting. Dance is a way to express your emotions which is why it’s my safe place.
Even when I went viral with ASOS for being their first model to wear a cochlear implant, I was amazed by people's reactions. It was fantastic that the image went viral, but it still showed how much work there is left to do when representing disabilities. I want to live in a world where pictures like that are totally normal!
The world is slowly changing. I couldn't believe it when I got the phone call confirming that I would be on season eight of Love Island. Because of my superpower, I didn't expect to be chosen.
When I was in the villa, it was important for me to tell everyone about my cochlear implant all at once. It was a nice moment for me: everyone was so reassuring and supportive. I wanted to show people watching at home that you can open up and talk to people – even if they're complete strangers – about who you are and what you need.
Although I received so much love when I left the Love Island villa, I also experienced a *lot* of ableism. People were taking the mick out of my voice and commenting about wanting to “rip [my] hearing aid out.” It was so shocking to me as I'd never experienced overt ableism before entering the villa. I don't mind people having opinions about me, but it's never OK to use someone's superpower against them because that quickly turns into ableism.
I want to be real about this: in some of my recent interviews, I've tried to step away from conversations about ableism, but I know I need to be the voice for my community. Some of the ableist responses to my Love Island journey showed me that there's still a long way to go in changing people's perceptions of disability.
The fact that Barbie's releasing this new doll is a positive step, but there's still so much for us to fight for. I want all young kids to know that having a superpower shouldn't stop you from achieving your dreams. If anything, it makes you special and unique.
Tasha Ghouri is a model and dancer passionate about raising awareness for the hearing impaired community, sustainability in fashion, and being a positive role model for the younger generation. You can follow her on Instagram at @tashaghouri.
With additional editing by Lucy Morgan.
