Tanya Tehanna is a 4-foot-3 African American woman who has faced discrimination in her career due to her small stature. Recently, she discussed the struggles of being a little person in the entertainment industry with Forbes. In the interview, Rihanna talked about being forced to strip and other experiences that have left her feeling misrepresented and unheard within the industry. She also shared how she hopes to use her platform to speak out against such injustice. This blog post dives deep into Tehanna’s story and what we can learn from it as an audience. Read on to gain a better understanding of these issues and how you can work towards making a difference for people like Tanya.
Tanya Tehanna’s story
Tanya Tehanna is a performer and model from Los Angeles, CA. She has appeared in several national publications and has been featured on multiple TV shows and films. In March of 2015, Tehanna was cast in the role of “Lydia” for American Horror Story: Freak Show. After arriving on set, she was told by producers that her character would be required to strip down to her underwear. When Tehanna refused, she was immediately replaced with another actress.
This experience led Tehanna to speak out against the misrepresentation and mistreatment of little people in Hollywood. In an interview with Huffington Post, she said “I’m tired of being typecast as a stripper or sex worker just because I have a disability.” She went on to say that “disabled women are so much more than our bodies and what we can or can’t do physically.”
Tehanna’s story is just one example of the discrimination and mistreatment that disabled people face in Hollywood. Hopefully, by speaking out, she will help to change the way that Hollywood views and treats disabled performers.
The misrepresentation of little people in the media
Since the beginning of time, dwarfism has been both revered and feared. In many cultures, little people were thought to be magical creatures with special powers. However, in recent years, the public perception of little people has shifted from magical and mystical to something much more negative.
One of the biggest contributors to this change is the way that little people are represented in the media. In film and television, little people are often portrayed as buffoonish characters or objects of ridicule. This is not only hurtful and offensive, but it’s also inaccurate.
The reality is that little people are just like everyone else. We have the same hopes, dreams, and aspirations. We want to be treated with respect and dignity, not as a punchline or a sideshow attraction.
It’s time for the media to start representing us accurately. Only then will the public’s perception of us begin to change for the better.
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The exploitation of little people
Tanya Tehanna, a little person, opens up about being forced to strip and the misrepresentation of little people in the media.
Tehanna talks about how she was approached by a man who told her that she could make a lot of money by stripping. She was hesitant at first, but he convinced her by saying that it would be a “fun” experience. When she got to the club, she realized that it was anything but fun. The other girls there were making fun of her and the customers were treating her like a piece of meat. She felt humiliated and degraded.
Tehanna also talks about how little people are often misrepresented in the media. They are shown as clowns or freak show attractions, when in reality they are just like everyone else. She says that this needs to change and that little people should be given more respect.
The challenges of being a little person
Many little people face discrimination and misrepresentation in the media. Tanya Tehanna, a former exotic dancer who is now an advocate for little people, spoke out about her experiences in the industry and how she was often treated like a novelty act.
“I was always the token little person,” she said. “I was always the one that they would bring out to perform for the guests, but I was never really seen as a human being.”
Tehanna said that she was often made to feel like a freak show, and that she was constantly sexualized by her employers. She recalled one instance where she was asked to strip down to her underwear and dance on a table for a group of men.
“I felt like I wasn’t worth anything,” she said. “I felt like I was just there for their entertainment.”
Tehanna is now working to change the perception of little people in the media. She has started her own production company, which produces positive representation of little people in film and television.
Conclusion
Tanya Tehanna’s story of being forced to strip is heartbreaking yet unfortunately all too common. It spotlighted the continued misrepresentation and mistreatment of little people in our society, as well as raising awareness about the exploitation that members of this community often suffer from. Hopefully her story will serve to open up a conversation about these issues so that those who experience them can have their voices heard and be supported in overcoming such injustices.