People With Diapers Deserve DEI, Too
They’re not just for babies anymore. People with diapers, or PWD’s, are a growing segment of society. However, a cultural stigma against PWDs, and adult diapers, is hampering diversity, equity, and inclusion at the workplace and other social environments. It’s time we liberate the people with diapers from the pins and needles of social ridicule and scorn, and include PWDs as valued members of society.
To help you get some empathy for PWDs, keep in mind that fighter pilots, and others who are too busy working to take a needed nature-break, sometimes use diapers as a convenient way to eliminate waste when desired, on their own personal schedule, in a way that can be stored conveniently for later disposal. And let’s face it. Sometimes it’s just too far to the restroom.
Of course, diapers are also great for people with health issues, like incontinence or leakage. But they are useful for more than that. According to Medical News Today,
People may need to use adult diapers or pads in a variety of situations including when they are:
- having trouble using or accessing the bathroom
- struggling with bowel or bladder control
- working in jobs that require long periods of time without being able to go to the bathroom
- living with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease that affect their ability to remember to go to the bathroom
There are also people with a diaper fetish, or PWD-Fs, who need to be respected for their brave lifestyle choice. You have to admire their courage in living true to their inner feelings, despite negative judgments from others.
All together, there are lots of adults wearing diapers for one reason or another. According to Fortune Business Insight, “The global adult diapers market size was valued at USD 11.55 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach USD 19.77 billion by 2026.” Disposal diapers, including those for babies, is currently a USD 71 billion industry.
The bottom line is that there are hundreds of millions of people wearing diapers, and adults constitute about 20% them. That’s a lot of people who feel ashamed of being PWDs, and who stay in the closet, holding in their true natures.
It’s time this diapered minority stop being oppressed for their diaper usage. There is nothing about diapers that deserves ridicule, and we all need to feel more inclusive of PWDs at office meetings and luncheons.
Here is a guide to help people who do not wear diapers to better engage PWDs in a more equitable and inclusive manner.
- Try to show acceptance of the PWD by announcing your diaper status when making introductions, as you do for pronouns. For example, you can say, “Hi. My name is Todd, my pronouns are he/him, and I wear a diaper.” You might then say, “Hi Todd. My name is Susan, I go by he/him, too, but I don’t wear a diaper.”
- Be sensitive to not make fecal or urinary references in your language. For example, avoid saying “I’m pissed off”, or “You’re full of shit”. These can be trigger words for PWDs.
- Avoid commenting on any poopy-pants smell. PWDs can’t help the way they smell when their pants are full. If the aroma is uncomfortable, suggest a breath mint, which dulls the sense of smell.
- Make sure bathrooms have disposable diapers available, and a hygienic place to dispose of soiled diapers. All bathrooms, regardless of gender, should have tampons, condoms, pads, and diapers.
- Equip public restrooms with adult diaper changing rooms, which are furnished with bidets or water hoses for cleaning.
- Consider higher wages for PWDs, to compensate them for cultural oppression, as a form of reparations. Also, PWDs take fewer bathroom breaks, and are typically more dedicated workers.
- Remember that just because someone poops on the job, it doesn’t mean that they are not doing their part. Respect for diversity means accepting that some people practice alternative waste elimination, and that’s okay. It has nothing to do with job performance whether someone is in a diaper or not, unless they haven’t been changed for a while.
- Hiring committees should give priority to applicants who are not only the traditionally-oppressed gender and racial minorities, but also the diapered minority. We need more diapered leaders and role models.
- Remember that even you, dear reader, can one day be a PWD. Diapers may be in any of our futures. If you’ve poo-pooed diapers all your life, then it’s time to change.
As our culture gets past the stigmas and taboos which have oppressed and marginalized people, our world becomes a better place to live. Hopefully, we can all stand together, hand in hand, and rejoice in our common bond of humanity, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, or diaper usage.