Hear Black Women! on Chronic Pain with Stephanie Pittman Artwork

The Sick Gaze

Welcome to the Sick Gaze podcast, a series where we dive deep into the complexities of life with chronic illness, attempt to break down gendered barriers within healthcare, and advocate for disability justice. Drawing inspiration from Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male-gaze, The Sick Gaze challenges the existing narrative norms by offering a platform for diverse lived experiences. In a world where stories are often filtered through able-bodied perspectives, our podcast strives to bring visibility to invisible conditions. Join us as we navigate the complexities of life with chronic illness, fostering empathy, understanding, and ultimately, creating a community that embraces and validates the stories that have long remained in the shadows.

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The Sick Gaze

Hear Black Women! on Chronic Pain with Stephanie Pittman

May 07, 2024 • Molly Dickerson • Season 1 • Episode 6

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In this episode of the Sick Gaze Podcast, I sit down with Stephanie Pittman, a 40 year old woman living with ankylosing spondylitis. A revolutionary and telling episode, Stephanie and I closely examine power dynamics influencing the patient-doctor relationship that limit space for openness, transparency, and healing. Stephanie's intelligence and vulnerability shines light on the damaging effects of racist and sexist medical stigmatizing on patient self-esteem. Quote Stephanie: "I dismiss myself so that they can't dismiss me." We also explore ways to work around this, how to resist safely, and how to say no! Truly a favorite episode of mine, so thank you Stephanie!

Take care of your spoons!
If you're interested in being interviewed for this podcast or want to let me know your thoughts on this episode, email me at dickersonmm@g.cofc.edu and follow @thesickgazepod on instagram!