More than 1.5 billion people are living with some form of hearing loss, yet historically there has been a lack of representation of deafness and hearing loss by characters we see on television and in movies. More public portrayals of hearing loss and hearing aids in recent years are helping to highlight this common condition and challenge misconceptions.
The benefits of increased representation of hearing loss are myriad; not only does it improve visibility and inclusivity for those living with hearing loss, but seeing hearing loss represented on screen can help people feel more comfortable and confident wearing hearing aids and hearing implants in public and speaking openly about their hearing. Increased visibility also plays a key role in raising awareness of hearing loss and potential interventions amongst those who may need to seek treatment.
Hearing loss: historically absent in popular culture
One study from 2015 looked at portrayals of hearing loss on US television between 1987 and 2013: Not only was representation of hearing loss rare, but when it was portrayed, it tended to be viewed as “comical, embarrassing, lonely, and threatening to one’s work”. “The scarcity of hearing loss portrayals, combined with the negative representations of hearing loss, could help explain why hearing loss continues to be stigmatized and overlooked,” commented the author.
In the last decade, this lack of representation has begun to change as inclusivity in TV and movies becomes the norm.
A growing number of realistic and nuanced depictions
Television series, reality TV and blockbuster movies over the past few years have prominently featured characters with hearing loss, sometimes even making hearing loss a key element of their role in the plot. For example, the hugely successful 2018 movie A Quiet Place and its 2020 sequel star a deaf character played by a deaf actress, Millicent Simmonds. The plot of the movie, and the survival of the characters, hinges on her use of a cochlear implant.
Another example is found in the blockbuster boxing movie-franchise and Rocky spin-off Creed, where the wife of the lead character has progressive hearing loss and wears a hearing aid, as well as regularly using sign-language. A columnist for Teen Vogue, who herself wears hearing aids, wrote that, “Creed II is one of the first films I have ever watched that accurately includes the experience of hearing loss in a nuanced way”.
Reality TV is also improving in representation of hearing loss. In 2023 the popular television show The Great British Bake-Off featured 27-year-old Tasha, the show’s first-ever deaf baker. She was accompanied on the show by her sign language interpreter, Daryl. Award-winning TV series Only Murders in the Building features a deaf character and even produced an episode that takes place wholly from his perspective. The popular UK reality dating show Love Island featured its first deaf contestant, Tasha Ghouri, in 2022. Tasha used her platform to speak openly about her cochlear implant while also actively combatting stigmas about “deaf accents”.
Hearing loss is part of normal life
Although representation of hearing loss has improved significantly, both in terms of its regularity and its accurate depiction, sizeable gaps still exist. Actors with hearing loss are still rarely seen, and roles for them remain limited. In addition, where hearing loss is shown, it does not always fully represent the types of hearing loss that people experience nor their everyday reality.
A call for more inclusivity in writing, directing, and producing roles will help improve the kinds of stories that are told about hearing loss, while more diversity in casting will help normalise living with hearing loss for audiences.
Improved representation of the realities of hearing loss in popular media will also educate people about the technology available to successfully treat hearing loss, while also reflecting the reality that hearing loss affects people in all walks of life.
