Carly Findlay | Love The Skin You're In

I remember doing a project during the first year of high school, called "Someone You Ought to Know"…well, my next guest fits that brief exactly, because Carly Findlay is certainly someone you ought to know – that’s if you don’t know her already! Recently awarded the Order of Australia Medal for service to people with a disability, Carly is also a writer, author, appearance activist and lover of brightly coloured clothes, a quirky broach and her signature roller skates!

Carly was born with a rare skin condition, ichthyosis, and as she grew up in a small town with largely small minded people, was outcast in her community and in some circumstances people talked about as if she was not even human or certainly not in the room (when she was) – all because of the colour of her red skin.

Thankfully through the advent of the internet and her frequent trips to Melbourne to visit the hospital, Carly discovered there was a different world out there beyond the town she grew up in, but it took her some time to feel comfortable in her own skin and she was often busy making others feel comfortable around her and found herself always apologising for her appearance and skin.

It wasn’t until her early twenties that Carly first identified as disabled, she also found her community of like-minded and supportive people and has since gone onto becoming a voice for disabled people who are still very much marginalised and underrepresented in the media.

This chat with Carly is one of self-discovery to becoming unapologetically you. It’s a really important chat that I hope you find valuable because what Carly stands for is something we can all benefit from listening to. I hope you enjoy!

Key Themes and Takeaways

• The difficulty growing up in a rural community with a lack of diversity and tolerance for difference and acceptance of people of colour or with a disability 
• Disability education, what terms, abelism, internalised abelism and the term "inspiration porn" mean 
• Finding support and identity within the disabled community 
• Stopping shame of being disabled and stop apologising for being you and stop apologising for the body you are in 
• Fandom and why disabled people experience fandom 
• Disability representation in the media and how that could change 
• Finding your voice and putting it to good use to support others 

Warning some explicit language is used in this podcast episode.

Connect With Carly

Carly Findlay Insta https://www.instagram.com/carlyfindlay/ @carlyfindlay 

Carly's website: https://carlyfindlay.com.au/ 

Support Carly: or https://www.patreon.com/CarlyFindlay 

Connect With Dani 

Dani Venn Insta: https://www.instagram.com/danivenn @danivenn 

Dani Venn: www.danivenn.com.au 

Resources, People and Things Mentioned in This Chat 

• Say Hello, written by Carly Findlay 
• Growing Up Disabled in Australia, Edited by Carly Findlay 
• Clothing Brands mentioned: Gorman, Obus Clothing 
• Carly loves drinking T2 Jade Mountain Green Tea and New York Breakfast 
• Stella Young, Ted Talk, I Am Not Your Inspiration 
• Georgie Stone, Trans Activist 
• Carly is reading: When Things Are Alive They Hum, Ultimo Press
• Books Carly's work is featured: The Me Too Movement, Women Of A Certain Rage, Growing Up African in Australia 

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