GQ China Men of the Year Awards 2023
Liu Yu, Zeng Shunxi, Bai Jingting, Fan Chengcheng, Yu Shi, Zhou Yiran, Wang Anyu, Li Xian, Zhang Ruoyun, Greg Hsu, Wang Yibo, Zhang Linghe, Mika.
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Disability representation in dramas
Minor spoilers up to episode 16 of "Will Love in Spring" below.
Initially, this was going to be an appreciation post for the drama because episode 15 and 16 have been my two favorites so far.
But now, it's going to be part vent and part educational post about what it's like to be disabled because I made the mistake of going on MyDramaList and reading some ableist comments about Zhou Youtong's character, Zhuang Jie.
There were quite a few comments calling her character "toxic" for various reasons. And yes, I realize I am absolutely projecting here as another disabled person but that is PRECISELY why I wanted to address this nonsense.
No matter how much therapy you go through, society is a continual uphill struggle for those of us who have to live with one or multiple disabilities. Daily. People will judge you for something that is out of your control and it will hurt you. And sometimes that will make you hurt others.
There will be unhealed traumas. There will be traumas that get triggered, no matter how much "work" you do on them.
I am not an amputee, like Zhuang Jie. But I do have disabilities that have changed my personality and make me react in ways that do not seem "normal" or "healthy" to the able bodied person.
What I love the most about this drama is that it shows a very complex and nuanced portrayal of Zhuang Jie. And I think able bodied people are NOT used to this AT ALL because they've only seen sunny, "live laugh love" representations of disabled people in popular media. We're supposed to be strong and optimistic and be an "obvious" choice to be the perfect romantic lead.
She's messy, and that's what endears her to me.
Intimacy in particular, is a subject that media shies away from showing, especially with obvious physical disabilities. But I was so impressed with how they handled her issues surrounding her prosthetic and everything she explained at the end of episode 16.
People have told her she "only deserves" to be with someone who is also disabled. To be pitied. A man expressed disgust at her body and that was enough to close up her vulnerabilities for years.
Even the most optimistic person will feel the pain of having to deal with that type of judgment and expecting her to be completely open and "green flag central" is incredibly unrealistic and ableist.
It is especially complex to be able bodied (like Zhuang Jie) and then become disabled due to an event or illness. I wouldn't say one is harder than the other, whether to be born disabled or to have it happen suddenly but as someone with both forms - there's a specifically cruel aspect to being used to having something and then having it taken away.
Anyway. I am going to stop here although I could write a whole novel on the ableism of viewers when it comes to disability representation in popular media. (Please never get me started on Extraordinary Attorney Woo -_- )
I'm going to end this with... yes, Zhuang Jie is a fictional character. But disability itself is not a fictional concept and what you say about disabled characters is oftentimes a reflection of your internalized ableism and not some pert/accurate analysis of the character.
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