Nina Muehlemann is doing a PhD in English Literature on ‘positive’ representation of disability in mainstream culture and Disability Culture. In her blog, she writes about her research, about disability in the media and in art and the gap between mainstream and Disability Culture.

Thoughts on the WOW festival

10 March 2013

Blog

This week I went to several events of the Women of the World festival at the Southbank Centre in London. I saw Claire Cunningham’s Ménage A Trois for the second time and a Q and A with Claire Cunningham, The WOW edition of CripTease, two very interesting talks that focused either on female queer identity, trans identity and gender or on fat. In the later, the lovely Dr Charlotte Cooper took part in, who I got to know because we both participated in the same mock beauty pageant for...

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‘Undateables' is back -and still gets it all wrong

10 January 2013

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Channel 4’s ‘Undateables’ goes into season two. ‘Undateables’, despite its title, wants to come across as politically correct, respectful, sympathetic – treating its ‘extraordinary singletons’ as if they were regular folks. But, it seems to suggest to an assumed nondisabled audience, really disabled people are not the same as everyone else. Instead of including them in a regular dating show or of deeming some nondisabled people as...

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‘A bizarre silver stocking’ and the limits of mainstream beauty

23 November 2012

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Viktoria Modesta: Fashionista, model, singer, nightclub icon, amputee. I have come across Viktoria Modesta many times ever since I moved to London  - I attended the same club nights as her, seen her perform her music, saw a beautiful photograph of her and one of her custom prosthetic legs at the Spare Parts (It is now hanging in our living room). Like many other people, I was glued to my TV screen when she performed as the ‘Snow Queen’ at the Paralympic Closing Ceremony....

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Disability, Food and Reality: A Blind Cook Wins Masterchef US

22 October 2012

Blog

This summer, disability was everywhere. The most surprising super-crip pop-up was that of Christine Ha in the American version of Masterchef. Ha has an auto-immune condition that caused her to become blind at the age of 19. Now 33, Ha came, cooked and won Masterchef US. First presented to us, Ha is all heroic super-crip, trying hard to overcome her disability by entering the contest. Whenever Ha’s in focus, the music becomes dramatic, the judges’ faces show both admiration and...

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