Progress is being made. People walk around with all sorts of things hanging out of their ears these days, and nobody bats an eye. Apple and other consumer brands have entered the hearing technology space. Captions are everywhere. It’s a better time to have hearing loss than ever before.
And yet, the stigma remains.
The Joke that Never Gets Old (except it does)
Unlike other disabilities, hearing loss is still routinely used as the punchline of the joke — a lazy shorthand to make a character look foolish, out of touch, or old. We used to laugh at vision problems this way too — Mr. Magoo built an entire cartoon career out of squinting his way into disaster. But that humor curdled. Today, a character bumbling around because he can’t see well reads as cruel, not funny.
Hearing loss hasn’t completed that journey yet. A person mishears something? Still comedy gold. Think about how often you’ve seen it: a character mishears a word, responds with something absurd, and everyone laughs. The message underneath the joke is always the same — this person is diminished, and their struggle is funny.
So why does hearing loss get a pass when other disabilities don’t? Part of it might be that hearing loss is often filed under aging — something that happens to everyone eventually, so why take it too seriously? And part of it may be that a communication slip looks harmless from the outside.
What others don’t see is the work behind every conversation: the leaning in, the lip-reading, the guessing, the exhaustion that settles over you after a noisy dinner, the slow drift toward staying home because catching up has become harder than keeping up. The joke lands on the mishearing. It misses everything underneath.
Media coverage of hearing aids doesn’t help. Articles often include images of outdated devices — many of which aren’t even hearing aids at all, but PSAPs (personal sound amplification products). The visual message: hearing aids are clunky, embarrassing relics. Never mind that today’s devices are sleek, discreet, and Bluetooth-enabled.
What Stigma Does to Us
Without realizing it, we internalize these messages. We start looking down on ourselves. Nobody wants to appear out of it or behind the times, so we hide our hearing loss — anything to avoid seeming weak or broken.
I know, because I did it. When an audiologist first told me my hearing loss was too mild to do anything about, I was relieved. Hearing loss felt so stigmatized to me that I was happy to have an excuse to ignore it. Denial was more comfortable than acceptance. It took me years — and becoming a parent — to break that pattern.
My story is far from unique.
Only about 1 in 4 U.S. adults aged 20 and over who could benefit from a hearing aid actually use one, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. And research from Johns Hopkins finds that, on average, people wait 10 years before getting help. That’s years of missed conversations, strained relationships, unnecessary isolation, and opportunities that can never be recovered.
Cost, access to care, and denial also keep people from seeking help. But stigma magnifies every one of those barriers.
Stigma isn’t just hurtful. It’s a public health problem.
How We Fight Back
The good news: stigma loses its power when we refuse to play along. Here’s what each of us can do.
Be visible. Every time we talk openly about our hearing loss, wear our devices proudly, or ask for what we need without apology, we chip away at the shame. Visibility is contagious.
Call out the punchline. When a show, movie, or advertisement uses hearing loss as a cheap joke, say something. Write the letter. Post the comment. Creators won’t change what they don’t know is a problem.
Celebrate the tech. Share what modern hearing technology actually looks like and does. The gap between perception and reality is enormous — and closing it helps everyone who is hesitating to seek treatment.
Support those still hiding. If someone you love is in the hiding phase — as I was for years — lead with compassion. Stigma put them there. Kindness, not shame, is what helps people out.
The earbuds-everywhere culture is helping. OTC hearing aids are helping. Consumer brands are helping. But lasting cultural change comes from people — people willing to say out loud, “I have hearing loss.” It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m done hiding.
I spent too many years in the corner. I’m not going back. Will you join me?
Readers, when you encounter stigma, how do you respond?
Related Posts
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter!