Changing the Way We See

Changing the Way We See

“I know I’m not an ordinary ten-year-old kid,” Auggie Pullman tells us in the heart-warming movie Wonder. A movie I saw twice, crying nearly throughout both times. I cried over memories of the past, and the ways in which my story unexpectedly coalesced with the one unfolding on the screen. Additionally, my tears flowed from watching a movie acknowledging a young boy’s disfigurement while both highlighting and celebrating his heart. A welcome change in a world filled with villains possessing scars.

Villains and Scars

Some of these famous villains make their way into the movie. A bully compares Auggie to both Freddy Krueger and the infamous Darth Sidious, among others.

Choosing to cast villains possessing scars can be quite damaging upon the culture at large. “These negative stereotypes create a deep cultural bias against burn survivors, resulting in social isolation, shame, and bullying for those living with facial scars,” according to Phoenix Society. Happy endings - a common Hollywood staple concerning plotlines - are seemingly off limits to those possessing scars. “As young burn survivors look for role models in movies and TV… they don’t see burn survivors save the day, make friends, or fall in love,” the study found. Frighteningly, Hollywood depictions of villains may be contributing to a cultural association of deformity with evil.

Choosing to Hide

In an effort to avoid the stares or rude comments about his face, Auggie enjoys wearing an astronaut helmet in public. His favorite holiday is Halloween, when a costume can cover any perceived irregularities concerning his appearance. The helmet serves as a mechanism to hide, allowing Auggie to successfully disappear.

I myself possess my own version of an astronaut helmet. A few months into my return to high school, I discovered my ability to grow a beard. As the hair came in, growing over the red scars protruding from my face, I felt free. Suddenly the questions were silenced, the rude remarks put to rest. I could be myself, instead of shrouding my personality in an effort to avoid any unwanted questions from friends and acquaintances.

Feeble attempts to hide do little to shield me from encountering the cultural narrative surrounding scars, however. In a recent conversation with a friend, he innocuously mentioned the movie Scarface, informing everyone within earshot of his deep love for the film. Trying to betray nothing, my body language must have communicated a lack of enthusiasm for Al Pacino’s depiction of a notorious criminal.

“Why don’t you like it?” he asks innocently, seemingly unable to comprehend my reason for not readily praising this popular movie.

I attempt to articulate my longing for the portrayal of a scarred hero rather than a scarred villain.

“Wait, is that why you don’t like the movie? He looks that way because he is evil,” he says, hesitating on that last word.

His embarrassed look tells me he failed to calculate the implications of his words before they tumbled out of his mouth. Yet the question remains. Do I look this way because I am evil?

Time for a Change

“Auggie can’t change the way he looks,” Principal Tushman says in Wonder. “Maybe we can change the way we see.” Perhaps this sentiment extends far beyond the culture at large, but to those of us who possess scars. For we all do, some more visible than others. We carry them with us wherever we go, whether we choose to acknowledge them or not. It may be too much to hope for a cessation of burn survivors being portrayed as villains; but, is it too much to ask for the world to change the way they see my scars?

I am committed to the mission of changing the cultural perspective on scars, both visible and invisible. In honor of Burn Awareness Week, I am choosing to support my favorite non-profit organization in their commitment to increase awareness surrounding the need for a scarred hero. The aim is to raise thousands of dollars on behalf of Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors over the next few weeks, sending a message that change is needed in a world unwittingly peddling falsehoods concerning scars. Visit the following link to help reach this audacious goal: https://app.mobilecause.com/vf/IN/SamuelMooreSobel

“If you really want to see what people are, all you have to do is look,” Auggie tells us near the end of Wonder. I believe this encapsulates the human experience. We all want to be seen, viewed for more than our pasts or the scars we carry. We want to be known for the things we love, the passions we hold dear, the hopes and dreams we carry deep within our souls. I believe we can change the world by changing the way we see. So the next time you see someone who isn’t ordinary, don’t forget to look for their heart.

Samuel Moore-Sobel is a freelance writer. He is currently working on a memoir and publishes a blog which can be found by visiting www.holdingontohopetoday.com Follow him on both Facebook and Twitter.