A person will be hard-pressed to find someone who actually likes to roam around the halls of hospitals; yet if we give it some time, perhaps that won't be the case much longer thanks to Karolyn Gehrig. A patient suffering from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a disorder that mainly affects the joints, skin, and blood vessels, Karolyn Gehrig finds herself in such sterile environments quite often. But she has decided to reclaim them for herself.
Creating the hastag "Hospital Glam," Karolyn Gehrig poses as though she were being shot for a high-end editorial. She explains, "#HospitalGlam is taking the shame out of being in treatment one selfie at a time." If such a movement will help empower patients and make them feel more comfortable in their own skin as well as in the hospital, power to it.
Glamorized Hospital Photography
Karolyn Gehrig Attempts to Make the Environment Less Sterile
Trend Themes
1. Hospital Glam - The trend of normalizing hospitalization and making hospital environments more comfortable through glamorous photography presents opportunities for innovation in healthcare marketing and patient experience design.
2. Patient Empowerment - The trend of patients using social media to take control of their narratives and redefine the healthcare experience presents opportunities for innovation in patient-centered care and digital health.
3. Stereotype-breaking Photography - The trend of using photography to subvert negative stereotypes associated with certain illnesses or disabilities presents opportunities for innovation in healthcare advertising and media representation.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - The healthcare industry can use the trend of Hospital Glam and Patient Empowerment to improve the patient experience and create more patient-centered care models.
2. Marketing - Marketing professionals can use the trend of Hospital Glam and Stereotype-Breaking Photography to develop new strategies that leverage social media and user-generated content to engage audiences and build brand loyalty.
3. Media - The media industry can use the trend of Stereotype-Breaking Photography to create more authentic and diverse representations of healthcare experiences, which can lead to greater understanding and empathy among audiences.