Sep 27 2009
WE T.V. (Good show, bad title)
There is a somewhat cheesy show on We TV called The Secret Lives of Women, they recently did a show on short statured women (the politically incorrect term is midget). The title of the episode was “Mini-Women”. I find that title offensive. Just because you’re a little person (politically acceptable term) doesn’t mean you are less than any other women. Would this producer do I show on physically disabled woman and call it “Broken Women”. One would hope not!
Other than my title issue, I liked the show. They portrayed these women as empowered, employed, and for the most part happy. The three women profiled are Tara (a mom and mascot for the Florida Panthers), Ali (an actress and rental agent), and Marilou (a tax accountant and sexuality educator). The show doesn’t take pity on them and they aren’t portrayed as these magnificent overcomers of everything as so often happens when disabled people are talked about in the media. As a disabled person, there are moments in this episode that make me uncomfortable. Ali, for example, seems to think it’s perfectly fine to let her boyfriend push her around in a grocery cart while they go shopping. I’m sorry. It’s my opinion that if you can’t walk through the grocery store you should buy mobility equipment or have your insurance buy it for you as opposed to looking like a two year old sitting in a grocery cart. However, it’s her life and if she doesn’t mind being pushed through the grocery store like a toddler who am I to question her decision?
I would recommend that this show be a part of diversity awareness trainings mostly because the people involved are portrayed as so average. For years, most people with disabilities have wanted to be shown as just your average guy or girl. Most shows that attempt to do that fail miserably. This one didn’t. The only issue I really had that the production team had any control over was the title, and I’m sure they got a lot of letters about it.
