Yeah, I had the exact same reaction and also wept a few angry tears too lol. I usually try not to engage in the discourse like this but felt warranted today for sure
I definitely had my own reaction to the video, but agree that I’m shocked at the flippancy of AHP’s tone here. Even just the editorial choice to make it a very casual (and gossipy) back and forth between two seemingly able bodied women is…a gross choice. And totally agree that Virginia Sole Smith (whose work I often enjoy) shouldn’t get to just say it’s fine for them to say whatever however they want since it’s about “the narrative.” I don’t think any of those three women have been hooked up to machines to poison themselves to stay alive so..I don’t think they really get a say?
Yeah, I was taken aback by the whole thing. Like let's eat popcorn and deconstruct a woman's post-cancer message on the basis of appearance, aesthetics, and surface-level feminist politics? Get out of here!
There are certainly real and thoughtful things to be said about what we should desire and expect from our public figures when it comes to illness advocacy, awareness, and resources. I hope to write about that soon. But what they did was definitively not that, and was, to my mind, more harmful than anything that Middleton's video did or didn't do.
Also I think some of the stuff they say is absurd but currently can’t get past the tone and delivery! For me, and for quite a few women I know, not looking sick enough has made it really hard to get necessary care and it’s taken years to get various diagnoses, so I really don’t want to hear their thoughts on that whole subject. It’s dangerous, it reiterates that someone only needs care if they look or act or portray illness in a specific way.
Yes, thank you so much for this comment, as it has been part of my own experience too. It also encourages a weird sort of performance of the appearance of illness to get care/recognition/whatever, which I also find to be alarming.
I was really shocked when I opened that letter this morning (I pay for that newsletter -- not any longer!). Viscerally disgusted.
Yeah, I had the exact same reaction and also wept a few angry tears too lol. I usually try not to engage in the discourse like this but felt warranted today for sure
I definitely had my own reaction to the video, but agree that I’m shocked at the flippancy of AHP’s tone here. Even just the editorial choice to make it a very casual (and gossipy) back and forth between two seemingly able bodied women is…a gross choice. And totally agree that Virginia Sole Smith (whose work I often enjoy) shouldn’t get to just say it’s fine for them to say whatever however they want since it’s about “the narrative.” I don’t think any of those three women have been hooked up to machines to poison themselves to stay alive so..I don’t think they really get a say?
Yeah, I was taken aback by the whole thing. Like let's eat popcorn and deconstruct a woman's post-cancer message on the basis of appearance, aesthetics, and surface-level feminist politics? Get out of here!
There are certainly real and thoughtful things to be said about what we should desire and expect from our public figures when it comes to illness advocacy, awareness, and resources. I hope to write about that soon. But what they did was definitively not that, and was, to my mind, more harmful than anything that Middleton's video did or didn't do.
Also I think some of the stuff they say is absurd but currently can’t get past the tone and delivery! For me, and for quite a few women I know, not looking sick enough has made it really hard to get necessary care and it’s taken years to get various diagnoses, so I really don’t want to hear their thoughts on that whole subject. It’s dangerous, it reiterates that someone only needs care if they look or act or portray illness in a specific way.
Yes, thank you so much for this comment, as it has been part of my own experience too. It also encourages a weird sort of performance of the appearance of illness to get care/recognition/whatever, which I also find to be alarming.
The actual article was paywalled for me (not an AHP subscriber) but this blistering response affirms that I don’t actually want to read it.
Pretty much a waste of time unless you feel like indulging in a lil self-harm this evening
I’ll pass
hell yeah !!!!