Mom Shares The Heartwarming Reaction Her Son In A Wheelchair Had To A Unique Ad In Target
His reaction showed why representation truly matters.
wavebreakmedia | Shutterstock Recognizing yourself in different forms of media through representation is a powerful thing. A little boy and his mom discovered just how powerful it was when he found an ad in the children’s clothing section of Target featuring a young girl in a wheelchair — just like him.
A boy was excited to discover that there was a little girl in a Target ad who looked like him.
The mom, who shares her son Ez's adventures while living with spinal bifida, captured the heartwarming reaction of her young son discovering a fellow wheelchair user in an ad in their local Target.
While shopping in the kids’ clothing section, Ez, who was pushing himself around in his wheelchair, noticed something that both shocked and delighted him. In one of the ads around the clothing section that featured kids modeling the clothes, one girl was also sitting in a wheelchair. “The girl in the wheelchair is just like me!” he exclaimed with glee.
The video, which has approached 22 million views, has warmed the hearts of viewers everywhere. “Everyone needs a ‘just like me,’” one person commented. “This is why representation matters!!” another added. “Love this!! The smile on that sweet baby’s face.”
“BTW, as a grown woman in a wheelchair, I still do this,” another commenter said, proving just how far and long representation matters. “The way I’d be crying in Target,” another person said, to which Ez’s mom responded, “Mama was holding those tears back for sure.”
The video even caught the attention of some big brands like Dove, Barbie, and Headspace, who all left their own comments. “Representation truly matters!” Barbie proclaimed. “Everyone deserves representation!” Dove said. Meanwhile, Headspace added, “It just means more.”
Several commenters took the chance to point out how this proves the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, something the current presidential administration is trying to erase.
According to USA Today writer Jessica Guynn, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives ensure that people who are considered to fit within DEI standards are hired by companies and accepted at colleges. President Trump has sought to dismantle DEI since his first term in office and has made it a priority during his second term.
In his first address to Congress of his second term, the president said, “We have ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government and, indeed, the private sector and our military. And our country will be woke no longer.”
TikTokers were quick to note that getting rid of DEI would also mean getting rid of representation like what this young boy saw in Target. “THIS is diversity, equity and inclusion,” one person commented. Another quoted Berenice King, saying, “‘If you don’t think representation matters, you are probably well represented.’”
Another commenter seemed to address President Trump’s words directly when they said, “This is why diversity and inclusion matters. It’s not woke … It’s being a human and having empathy for others.”
Representation is crucial for people to see themselves as valid.
Kevin Leo Yabut Nadal, Ph.D., who described himself as “brown, queer and Asian American,” explained, “Positive media representation can be helpful in increasing self-esteem for people of marginalized groups (especially youth).”
“Representation can serve as opportunities for minoritized people to find community support and validation,” Nadal added. “Further, representation can be helpful in reducing negative stereotypes about other groups.”
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If someone has something that makes them different, seeing themselves well-represented in the world around them can make all the difference. For this young boy, who likely doesn’t see many children in wheelchairs, seeing a girl close to his age who was also in a wheelchair used in a store’s marketing campaign must have been magical.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.