Breaking The Stereotype: How Hollywood's Portrayal of Scoliosis Fuels Stigma and Damages Self-Esteem
By Stacey Teytel
Often times in mass produced media there is a characterization of people with scoliosis as “losers” as lower than others on the social chain. If you look at shows like Scream Queens, with Leia Michelle’s character having scoliosis, it was a large emphasis of her personality. In the show, the writers wanted to show that the absolute bottom of the social chain had joined the main sorority, in order to achieve this task they made each new recruit embody a different aspect that made them considered a loser. And Leia Michelle’s character had scoliosis and wore a brace. They continued to push this narrative, and when she finally was considered pretty, she had removed her brace. It is even a stereotype that a character’s fall from grace is physically embodied in them wearing a brace, whether from breaking their back or just having one to begin with. There is an obsession in Hollywood with medical tools such as braces, retainers, and wheelchairs to make a person less than. This can have a detrimental effect on young kids who are watching characters that use those tools and can continue to isolate them from more able-bodied people. The mental effect this can have on anyone is truly horrific. The insulation that in order to be pretty you can’t wear a brace, when this is obviously not the case is incredibly harmful. It is something that needs to change in order to increase the self-esteem of the youth of America. Media has such a big impact on our lives and can change not only the way we see ourselves, but also the way others see us. Like it or not, media can influence beauty standards and social norms in a big way. And when movies like New York, I Love You, show a boy getting bullied because he is dating a girl in a wheelchair, it sends the message that it isn’t “cool” or “normal” to date people who don’t fit the social norm. This is an issue that needs to be addressed today and acknowledged as simply not true. By raising awareness for illnesses like scoliosis we can come closer to removing the stigmas that the media has placed on us and make the world a better place for everyone.
