A blind influencer has amassed a lot of fans with tongue-in cheek videos that poke fun at society’s expectations of her due to her visual impairment.
Lucy Edwards, 25, who lives in London, has racked up over 108,000 followers on Instagram from sharing parody videos comparing her daily life as a blind person to how society often expects those with the condition to live.
The broadcaster, content creator, disability activist, and content creator has been posting content on Instagram from 2015, but it wasn’t until 2021 when she posted her first parody video, to educate people about blind people’s daily lives.
Lucy pours water on the kitchen counter with a jug. A film follows showing how she does it using the liquid level indicator, which is a small device attached that vibrates or makes sounds when it’s almost full.
She has received over 259,000 likes to her video, and she now posts videos of her daily life. She recently won a contract as a photographer. Thanks to her popularity on social media, she is now a brand ambassador of Pantene
Lucy told Femail that she’s keen to bust misconceptions about blind people, saying: ‘A few are: That I can’t feed myself or my dog. That I can’t get dressed independently. That I don’t care about how I look, which is so wild, because just because I’ve lost my eyesight doesn’t mean I’ve lost myself or my passions in life.’
Pantene has announced Lucy Edwards (pictured) as the new brand ambassador for their Silky & Glowing product range
In her new role for Pantene, she will be tasked with promoting the Silky & Glowing product range, as the brand continue to strive for Greater accessibility in the beauty and hair industries to make it more accessible for all.
Social media users were quick to praise Lucy for her new role and to thank Pantene that they gave her the opportunity to work alongside them.
One person wrote: “Congratulations Lucy for breaking all the mould, or should I say congratulations to @PanteneUK who stepped up and gave some of society’s most talented a chance to shine.”
Another commented: “Congratulations! I love your positive posts and I’m so happy to hear that Pantene found you and your insanely beautiful and vibrant locks’
A third comment was added: “Congratulations Lucy, this is a wonderful compliment. You are such an inspiring lady.
Lucy shared her story with FEMAIL, saying that she was inspired to create content after realizing how little she knew about disability. I thought I could bridge the gap and make accessible content more accessible for everyone.
Lucy (pictured), who has over 108,000 Instagram followers, has stated that her hair can impact her confidence
“By sharing my blindness and being vulnerable, it has allowed people connect to my story and how to make their social posts accessible.
‘I get a lot of comments online and offline assuming that I can’t do things so I thought I would take a light hearted approach and have some fun with my video responses. I don’t get offended because I know people don’t know lots about disability, but I believe that humour really does dispel myths and makes people think.’
Lucy explained that her eye sight was affected by Incontinentia pigmenti, a disorder that affects the skin, hair, teeth, nails, eyes, and central nervous system.
“At the age of four, I was diagnosed with IP after I developed blistered bumps on my back. My parents were worried about me, so I was referred several times to skin doctors until I found a specialist GP who recognized my skin rash.
‘I had no idea it would lead to an eye condition as a lot of people with IP don’t go blind,’ she said.
Lucy (pictured), who lost her vision in her right eye aged 11, had cataract surgery to remove her remaining working eye.
“I was eight years old and was going to see my sister and mum for a routine eye exam. The ophthalmologist advised that I be rushed to Birmingham Eye Hospital. We then discovered it was IP. Because of my very aggressive condition, I spent a lot my childhood in eye hospitals. All the doctors never knew how my eye condition would develop because it’s so rare.
‘I lost my sight in my right eye when I was 11 years old. The eye consultants then closely watched my remaining working eye. At age 15, we discovered that I had a cataract. To be honest, I didn’t know it was there until years later. We knew that if the surgeons operated on my front eye, my poor retina at the back of the eye could lead to severe detachment. Because everything was so cloudy and foggy, the cataract became more and more cloudy.
It was either go blind from the cataract, or risk an operation hoping that your retina would stay in its place. I chose the latter. It was a scary six-month period. I remember waking up from the cataract operation and being really that I could see my sister’s spots and my mum’s wrinkles.
“We still joke about it to this day. It’s a bit weird that only a few months later I was having more eye surgery to save my vision because my retina detached.’
Lucy (pictured), said that she is proud of her ability to learn daily routines and recover from losing her sight.
Lucy claimed that her grandmother and her mother never had sight loss, despite this condition being a family trait. Her grandmother’s older sister has mild vision problems in one of her eyes, but she is still able and able to drive.
Lucy stated that losing her sight made it easier for her to grow up faster than other people her age.
She stated that she was traumatized by the sudden loss and suffered a mental breakdown as a result. My friends were all going to university and thriving, but I was trying to survive.
‘I’m really proud of myself that I managed to rehabilitate and relearn daily routines in order for me to accept the blind version of myself. I used to believe that I was a burden and that I needed to be fixed but now I really do believe in the social model of disability – I’m blind, not broken.
‘I’ve had to rehabilitate and relearn everything in my home. We live in a blind world. Every food product and bottle feels the same to us. This means I need to rely on other senses such as smell.
Lucy (pictured) stated that she burst into tears after scanning Pantene’s soon-to-be released bottle. It’s been eight years since Lucy was able to shop in a store independently.
‘When I first got the chance to scan the soon to be released a Pantene bottle with the Navilens app I burst into tears because until that point I hadn’t been able to independently shop in store on my own for eight years. I felt so free. I felt so free.
Pantene taking universal design seriously is a huge plus for me. I absolutely adore the way the Shampoo smells, it’s so distinctive and it really helped me orientate myself in the shower. Technology is an integral part of my daily life. Without it, I would not be as independent. I love apps like Microsoft Seeing AI and Be My Eyes. I don’t know what I’d do without my family and my guide dog either.’
Lucy added that there are many misconceptions about blind people, saying: ‘Just because I can’t see, doesn’t mean I don’t want to look and feel beautiful. The beauty industry until this point has not been inclusive and I’m so excited to be making a change to this alongside Pantene. These misconceptions and many more can be found on my TikTok.
Many Instagram users were quick and enthusiastic to congratulate Lucy on her achievement and praise Pantene’s choice of her.
Pantene announced Lucy as a partner in partnership with Pantene. The brand also launched a social code to conduct with the intent of creating a benchmark for social content such as beauty tutorials, which will be accessible to all.
Pantene plans to also revolutionize its packaging in-store to include NaviLens technology, and strengthen its existing ties to RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People).
Lucy commented on the announcement, saying: ‘I love beauty, I love looking good – but there is an assumption that because I can’t see, I don’t care. It is still important for me to feel good about how I look.
“The power of hair and its positive impact on my confidence, self-esteem, and identity is just like it is for everyone else. I just experience it through touch – which is why I love Pantene Silky & Glowing, as it makes my hair feel silky soft.
‘From experience, visually impaired people in the UK – including myself – feel overlooked and misunderstood by the hair and beauty industry.
‘I can’t wait to work closely with Pantene on leading the way in creating a more inclusive industry, and society – not only for the visually impaired, but for everyone.’
Sumaria Latif who is Company Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble, said the partnership with Lucy (pictured) is a step forward for the entire hair and beauty industry
Pantene recently conducted a survey that found many people feel there is not enough accessibility in the hair and beauty industry.
The brand found that there were five key areas for improvement for social content creation, which has been used to inform and create Pantene’s new social media code of conduct.
This includes introducing and explaining yourself, using clear content descriptions, captions, audio describing key elements, using subtitles, and simply being aware of the fact that everyone needs access to content to create the best content.
Sumaria Latif, Company Accessibility Leader at Procter & Gamble (P&G), added: ‘I am not only P&G’s Company Accessibility Leader – first and foremost I am a blind consumer. I know firsthand how important brands are in making me feel confident.
‘Our partnership with Lucy Edwards is an incredibly exciting, and important, step forward – not just for Pantene, but for the hair and beauty industry as a whole; demonstrating that the power of a good hair day extends far beyond what you can see.
‘P&G is on a journey to create a more accessible and inclusive world – both within our organisation, and in wider society. While we know that we don’t have all the answers, we are proud to be one step closer to a more equal world.