To Table of Contents adolescence - therefore , I count my dwarfism as a blessing , even more so because it ' s led me to make some incredible friendships - through the charity I am involved in , Little People UK , it ' s brought me to some incredible experiences . Yes , it ' s brought its challenges , but ultimately it ' s shaped my life out how it is - and once you start focusing on the bigger picture , that ' s where you leave more room for the positives . Also , like my supervisor at work always tells me , ' Do you , because there will always be people looking to rain on your parade in some way . You could be 4ft tall or 6ft tall , a size 8 or a size 18 , everyone has their own insecurities , and everyone has experienced some type of discrimination , ignorance or such behaviors , from the outside world . Therefore do you . Because it ' s always mind over matter , the people who are real and true don ' t mind . The people who try to bring you down in any type of waythey don ' t matter . Truthfully the only person whose responsible for your happiness is you - and we know ourselves what makes us happy - and that ' s the same that can be said for anyone , dwarfism or not . We are more similar than we think and confidence is something that should be promoted in everyone , not just in those with protected characteristics or disabilities .
Representation in the media
As someone who has always loved dance , theatre and drama , representation is so important to me . Growing up , that ' s the one thing I feel I didn ' t have . As a dancer and performer , I felt that I could never go into the media industry . . . not unless I wanted to play one of Snow White ' s Seven Dwarves or Tinkerbell .
Even now , over the last couple of years , admittedly I have been offered various TV opportunities , but 9 times out of 10 , I ' ve turned them away because it has been clear I have been wanted not for my ability , but because of my physical makeup .
Representation for disabilities as a whole .... has a long way to go ! Massively . There is so much potential out there ; people with dwarfism have talents like anyone else . Talents that if given the opportunity , are capable of more than just the typical ' dwarf ' roles . Not to say these roles are bad , not in any way . I have friends who do panto , and I love nothing more than
seeing them on stage - doing something they love to do , but is it any wonder that there is such a lack of education , especially with children , if the only time they are seeing dwarfs - are in a mythical or magical setting . Even in TV programmes , books , art ,