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A review by plantbasedbride
Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space by Amanda Leduc
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A fascinating and eye-opening exploration of the connection between fairytales and disability. Amanda LeDuc did an excellent job of compiling a tremendous amount of information into a compulsively readable, concise, and understandable format.
Disability and mental illness are so often vilified in the stories we consume; used as shorthand to indicate that someone is unworthy or wicked. A trope in lazy writing that directly correlates with how disabled and mentally ill people are treated in their day-to-day lives.
How does it feel for a young person consuming media such as The Little Mermaid to see themselves represented in a way they never had, only to find that the heroine is magically cured of her "ailments" and gets her happy ending as an able-bodied woman, with legs and a voice.
How does this reinforcement of the idea that a happy ending is inextricably linked with able bodiedness impact our preconceived notions and biases as we grow up?
This is a world-view shifting book that everyone should read.
VIDEO REVIEW: https://youtu.be/Z6jPExstT1Y
You can find me on...
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/plantbasedbride">Youtube</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elizabethturn/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ElizabethTurn">Twitter</a>| <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@plantbasedbride?lang=en">TikTok</a>
Disability and mental illness are so often vilified in the stories we consume; used as shorthand to indicate that someone is unworthy or wicked. A trope in lazy writing that directly correlates with how disabled and mentally ill people are treated in their day-to-day lives.
How does it feel for a young person consuming media such as The Little Mermaid to see themselves represented in a way they never had, only to find that the heroine is magically cured of her "ailments" and gets her happy ending as an able-bodied woman, with legs and a voice.
How does this reinforcement of the idea that a happy ending is inextricably linked with able bodiedness impact our preconceived notions and biases as we grow up?
This is a world-view shifting book that everyone should read.
VIDEO REVIEW: https://youtu.be/Z6jPExstT1Y
You can find me on...
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/plantbasedbride">Youtube</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/elizabethturn/">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ElizabethTurn">Twitter</a>| <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@plantbasedbride?lang=en">TikTok</a>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Medical content, and Body horror