The Differently- Able in Popular Culture
It seems the differently-able are rolling out of the shadows and right into pop-culture, and for the most part, I'm thrilled.
Barbie Fashionista's Differently-Abled Doll
Barbie gets a wheelchair. Now let me start off by saying when I first heard this I had mixed feelings ranging from 'Oh I'd have loved something like this as a kid' to, 'I wonder how badly this will bomb?' I never realized this but apparently, Mattel originally released a Barbie in a wheelchair in the 90s, but later discontinued the product because the doll didn't fit in her dollhouse. Understandably, one person asked whether this issue had now been resolved. 'Does she fit through the doors in Barbie's play house?'
It's somewhat ironic that fitting through doors, or under tables in restaurants or offices is also an issue for us ordinary differently-able folk, accessibility is very much something we deal with on a daily basis.
Wheelchair Barbie is also made specifically so that she cannot stand, or roll. So she is truly, differently-abled when compared to other dolls in her range.
One five star review on Amazon had this to say:
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
The attention to detail on the wheelchair is fantastic. Mattel must have consulted a modern wheelchair manufacturer, or they at least did the research. So many depictions of disabled people get it wrong, clunky wheelchairs instead of sleek rigid chairs, making the character (or doll in this case) seem less independent and more "pitiful". This is not the case here. The wheelchair even has little brakes to lock the wheels -- well done Mattel.
I would second that, well done indeed! Now, all we need is hot physiotherapist Ken!
Differently- Abled Characters in Movies and TV Series Today
It is not just in the toy world that the differently-able is rolling out, in TV and movies we are also appearing more and more. Sometimes for the worst, but mostly for the better, I am happy to say.
THE BAD
Me Before You - Will the Whiner
A few years ago the trilogy ME BEFORE YOU, ME AFTER YOU and STILL ME was published. Written by Jojo Moyes, this series of books follows the main character, Lou in her efforts to live life to the full. In fact, this 'living life to the full' is kind of a theme in the novels.
The first book, ME BEFORE YOU, was turned into a movie in 2016. The movie starred Emilia Clarke as Lou and Sam Claflin as Will, Lou's love-interest. The reason this movie is featured in today's blog is that Will is differently-able. Now when I first saw the posters for this movie I was super, super excited. Finally, a differently-abled love story encouraging people to 'live boldly, live well, just live', according to the movie's tag-line...
Then I watched the movie and realized it was actually a 90-minute advert for euthanasia. Let me explain: Will Trainer a successful, and very active businessman in London is hit by a motorcycle. He is severely paralyzed as a result. We pick up the story months later when Lou is hired as a 'companion' for the now wheelchair-bound Will. So what, you may ask, is my problem with this romantic drama?
In a word, it's Will Trainer. I cannot stand Will and here's why:
Will is a whiner, seriously that's all this guy does for basically the entire movie! Look I get that this character's entire life has been upended, the rug has been pulled out from under him and the adjustment is MASSIVE and painful and if Will did not have so many things going for him I might even have given him a pass.
But that's a big part of the problem right there. Will has so much going for him, like seemingly unlimited resources, a castle in Ireland, a physio/carer on call 24/7, a gorgeous companion who falls in love with him pretty much instantly, supportive parents and I feel the need to repeat this, A CASTLE IN IRELAND! (I'd give my right arm for a cardboard box in Ireland...)
But in all seriousness, another big problem is the movie's tagline: 'Live boldly, live well, just live'. It's a great tagline, except it's a lie. Because what the movie actually says is: "Live boldly, live well, just live...unless you encounter hardships, then feel free to go 'die with dignity' in a cabin in the Swiss Alps... Oh, and while you're at it, do make your aging parents and gorgeous new girlfriend watch this oh so brave and dignified end. You'll make everything ok when in your final letter to her, you tell Lou to 'live life to the full.' ''
I feel I'm being overly harsh here, I'm not sure what point the writer was trying to bring across. If the point was supposed to be that everyone has the right to die with dignity, then, fine, but you gave Will too much to live for, too many options still open to him, which makes the decision he ultimately makes, after just six months, seem particularly selfish and cruel.
A wheelchair is not the end and you can indeed 'live boldly and well' even in a wheelchair if you want to.
THE GOOD
A Christmas Prince -Why Emily is tops
A CHRISTMAS PRINCE is a series of Christmas Movies on Netflix. It's very much a guilty pleasure of mine. Quite surprisingly it features a differently-abled character. While Emily is not a central character she is pivotal as the titular Prince's teenaged sister.
I love how this character is written as simply being a normal teenager who just happens to be in a wheelchair. She's smart, sassy and funny. The wheelchair is never highlighted or used as an excuse for anything. Young Emily could teach Will Trainer a thing or two!
Speechless - JJ and that Finger
SPEECHLESS is a US TV Series that ran for three seasons from 2016 to 2019. It is a great series and the comedy actually manages to be genuinely funny. The series follows JJ and his family. JJ is a cerebral palsied teenager who cannot walk or speak, but as his mother warns a condescending old lady in the very first episode, JJ 'is all there upstairs and he has a thing about staring!'
JJ may be 'speechless' but he's not shy about expressing himself, including giving you the finger. I've never seen a series that is so blunt about the challenges the differently-able face on a daily basis, while still managing to be funny and uplifting at the same time.
We need more stuff like this on TV.
Ondine - Annie the Endearing
ONDINE is a whimsical Irish film from 2009. It deals with the Selkie myth and features a smart, imaginative wheelchair-bound girl who loves to read and who believes the strange, but beautiful woman her father found at sea may be a selkie...
I love Annie, she is just such an inspiring character and her never-say-die attitude never fails to make me smile.
Hopefully, this is just the beginning! I hope I see the day when differently-abled people on the big and small screen and even as characters in novels, is so every day that no one even finds it strange anymore.
Regards
Freeda Moon
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