Deceiving Looks

My latest architecture project was themed “Mobility Meets Strategy,” so I decided to research how the immobile become mobile. I discovered a fashion designer, Izzy Camilleri, who designed an entire line of clothing for people restricted by wheelchairs. I found a video demonstrating how the clothing was engineered for easy use. In the video, the young, wheelchair-bound woman demonstrating the clothing, praises Camilleri and thanks her for designing something fashionable for disabled people. When I go shopping for clothes, I don’t have to worry about buying something stylish because I know the option will be there for me; however, disabled people aren’t so lucky. So many other people have conditions that affect their clothing options, so why is Camilleri the first person to incorporate fashion with versatility? Disabled people have the same feelings as “normal-bodied” people. People with “abnormal” looks desire to dress fashionably, have expressive hairstyles, love, and be loved. The desire for these emotions surfaces in Lucy Grealy’s “Autobiography of a Face.” Even though Grealy’s body is normal, her facial bone structure has been effected by a major surgery from childhood, and she struggles with finding her identity, especially aesthetically. “I was secretly hoping that in the process some potential lover might accidentally notice I was wearing my private but beautiful heart on my stained and fraying sleeve,” is proof that Grealy knew her personality and wished others would see it; not her face. Another point in the plot where Grealy realizes that she could have potentially romantic relationships she states, “I was never going to have anyone want me in that way, so I mustn’t desire such a thing.” People whose bodies are marked as different go through this every day. They desire the fashion, attention, and feelings that able-bodied people have. Grealy recognizes at a young age that because she looks different, she may not be desired by males or even looked at as a sexual being. It’s one struggle to go through life disapproving of one’s own looks but with an able body. It’s a completely different life when one’s body or appearance is disapproved of by society and restricts daily life.

Graphic Benefits

Prior to reading Persepolis and Fun Home, I have never even thought about reading a graphic novel. The impression I had of graphic novels were that they were for men only; written by men for men (aka sexist and something in which I would be uninterested). After all the hype about the popular, graphic-novel-based movie Watchmen a few years ago, I was completely done with the whole graphic novel craze and I hadn’t even read one. After reading the two graphic memoirs for class, I realized the graphic genre isn’t so bad after all. Firstly, the text is easy to understand. Several theories, including feminist theory, can be explained in the simplest terms. Graphic novels contradict the concept of academese, which is an institution that feminist writer bell hooks is strongly against. Academese is incredibly complex, academic writing that is difficult for the average person, or even average intelligent person, to understand. Graphic novels challenge this concept by putting theories in an easily understandable form. Secondly, the text is accompanied by pictures. According to Scott McCloud in “Understanding Comic,” “The idea that a picture can evoke an emotional or sensual response in the viewer is vital to the art of comics.” Not only can feminist theories be explained, but they can also be demonstrated. The reader can literally see what feminist theory does and how it affects women. For example, in Persepolis when Marjane’s mother is harassed by a police officer, the reader can see the emotional effect it had on both Marjane and her mother. Finally, graphic novels can attract a lot of readers and reach an audience that normal novels may not reach. Young girls and boys can learn about serious theories at a young age. People who might not otherwise be exposed to feminist theories can be via graphic memoirs. McCloud thinks that “Together, of course, words and pictures can work miracles,” and I agree.