Recently, I viewed the video featuring "Aimee Mullins and Her 12 Pairs of Legs." While I wasn't completely sure what to expect given such a title, I believe Ms. Mullins embodies a wonderful sense of strength, vitality, and determination as she educates her audiences about what it is like to be not neccesarrily "disabled," but "able."
Aimee Mullins is a model, motivational speaker, and athlete (did I miss anything)? Her "12 pairs of legs" are various legs which have been tailored to fit her body to suit different needs, such as those she uses for running. Some are made just for fun, such as the pair that makes her six inches taller, or the beautiful intricate pair carved out of wood, which resemble a fancy pair of boots.
Mullins poses the question, "what makes someone beautiful?" Who dictates beauty, and why is beauty so limited? (If anyone hasn't watched the video already, it's worth it just for her Pamela Anderson joke). Mullins wants others to see not what she doesn't have, but what she has. Her vision of legs as an artform empowers her, as one friend of hers commented, "you are six inches taller today? That's not fair!"
The term "disability" is a limiting, and often demeaning term that often times is tossed about too lightly. Mullins encourages people to celebrate each other's differences, and celebrate who we are as individuals.
Response: I enjoyed the video, witnessing a strong, motivated person speak with such conviction. How might we view the person walking through the store with a prosthesis? With sympathy, or with indifference? People like Ms. Mullins actively convey to audiences that, yes, there are some differences, but no, it doesn't mean they're any less talented, funny, beautiful, smart, etc.
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