Comments on: The Perfect Body http://www.esteeklar.com/2009/07/05/the-perfect-body/ The Joy of Autism is about our journey with autism and our opinions about how society views it. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:07:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Estee http://www.esteeklar.com/2009/07/05/the-perfect-body/comment-page-1/#comment-3802 Estee Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:44:12 +0000 http://www.esteeklar.com/?p=1456#comment-3802 I couldn't agree more, Joe. Aimee Mullins has often talked about this (plastic surgery). There's a great article on design and disability in UTNE this month. She writes, "People would come up after my talk, and the conversation would go something like this: 'You know Aimee, you're very attractive. You don't look disabled.' I thought, 'Well, that amazing, because I don't feel disabled.' It opened my eyes to this conversation that could be explored about beauty. What does a beautiful woman have to look like? What is a sexy body? And interestingly, from an identity standpoint, what does it mean to have a disability? I mean, Pamela Anderson has more prosthetic in her body than I do. Nobody calls her disabled." She mentions that this is no longer a conversation about overcoming deficiency but about augmentation and potential. With regards to prosthetics, she argues that they can stand as symbols that wearers have to create their own identities -- "So people society once considered disabled can now become architects of their own identities." I think that's what this is all about. Becoming architects of our own identities. So often, as a woman I can speak to this, we are pressured to accept the status quo -- what we should look like and behave as women in order to be accepted. I see it no differently than for autistic people as well. It is why self-advocacy remains so important, why writing is important, why science conducted by autistic researchers remains important. No one should impose that architecture upon us because it just won't do. We must create it for ourselves. I couldn’t agree more, Joe. Aimee Mullins has often talked about this (plastic surgery). There’s a great article on design and disability in UTNE this month. She writes, “People would come up after my talk, and the conversation would go something like this: ‘You know Aimee, you’re very attractive. You don’t look disabled.’ I thought, ‘Well, that amazing, because I don’t feel disabled.’ It opened my eyes to this conversation that could be explored about beauty. What does a beautiful woman have to look like? What is a sexy body? And interestingly, from an identity standpoint, what does it mean to have a disability? I mean, Pamela Anderson has more prosthetic in her body than I do. Nobody calls her disabled.”

She mentions that this is no longer a conversation about overcoming deficiency but about augmentation and potential. With regards to prosthetics, she argues that they can stand as symbols that wearers have to create their own identities — “So people society once considered disabled can now become architects of their own identities.”

I think that’s what this is all about. Becoming architects of our own identities. So often, as a woman I can speak to this, we are pressured to accept the status quo — what we should look like and behave as women in order to be accepted. I see it no differently than for autistic people as well. It is why self-advocacy remains so important, why writing is important, why science conducted by autistic researchers remains important. No one should impose that architecture upon us because it just won’t do. We must create it for ourselves.

]]> By: Club 166 http://www.esteeklar.com/2009/07/05/the-perfect-body/comment-page-1/#comment-3781 Club 166 Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:53:08 +0000 http://www.esteeklar.com/?p=1456#comment-3781 This is indeed interesting, but I find it somewhat wanting in a couple of respects. 1) In looking at the schedule, it seems only one small part will be devoted to genetics and enhancement. I feel that, going forward, genetics is the new untapped frontier where the most harm in this area will occur. 2) Although it's laudable that anyone is talking about this, until such subjects are covered as part of plastic surgery and genetic research conferences, people will just continue to press blindly forward with whatever the public will pay for. Joe This is indeed interesting, but I find it somewhat wanting in a couple of respects.

1) In looking at the schedule, it seems only one small part will be devoted to genetics and enhancement. I feel that, going forward, genetics is the new untapped frontier where the most harm in this area will occur.

2) Although it’s laudable that anyone is talking about this, until such subjects are covered as part of plastic surgery and genetic research conferences, people will just continue to press blindly forward with whatever the public will pay for.

Joe

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