Lizzie Capener | Blind Beauty Issue 31

What does blind look like? When I saw this question along with the photo of a stylish woman with a white cane I had to find out who she was.

Lizzie Capener in blue vintage dress

The photo of Lizzie Capener I’m talking about is the image to the right of this text. In it, Lizzie is wearing a royal blue vintage swing dress with three-quarter length sleeves and a black sash around her waist. Her waist length blond hair is draped over her right shoulder as she poses with her left hand on her hip and holds her white cane in her right hand. It looks like she’s suspended in mid-air as the image is tilted to the right. The yellow background brings out the white cane, white heels, and blue in her dress.

What I like about Lizzie’s caption and the photo is exactly what Bold Blind Beauty speaks to consistently. That is, letting go of our assumptions and learning people’s story before forming an opinion. Like many other disabilities, there is a vast spectrum of blindness. Here is what Lizzie had to say about what blindness looks like:

“What does blind look like? Well, this! There are millions of other examples too, just like there are many different forms of sight loss. Did you know that only about 4% of blind people have no vision at all? I’m registered blind, but I still have good central vision. I can still do my makeup, pick up what I need in shops etc, but I need my cane to stop me from having accidents when I’m out and about.

Let’s raise awareness of hidden disabilities and not judge people by the way they look.” ~Lizzie Capener

Blind Beauty Issue 31 Featured Image Description:

Featured image is a mock magazine cover titled Blind Beauty. Lizzie is on the cover wearing a black and white polka dot vintage dress with a bright red belt and a strand of pearls around her neck. She is holding the end of her white cane like a microphone and it looks like she’s singing.

Blocks of text superimposed on Lizzie’s photo are: “Bold | She Keeps Pressing Onward,” “Blind | She Has Deeper Insight,” “Beautiful | She Sees To The Heart Of Others”

Lizzie Capener | Blind Beauty Issue 31