Aimee Mullins Speech

Aimee Mullins gave a speech at Ted Talks in October of 2009, in which she discussed how her life as a person born with a disability was affected by social constructs.  Many believed that as a girl born without shinbones, she would never be able to walk or move like a normal child.  However, the people in her life that encouraged her and believed she could overcome her handicap helped Aimee become an accomplished athlete, model, and actress.  Listening to Aimee’s speech, I can also think of times in my past where others might have influenced my perception of myself and caused my behavior to change.  I’m pretty below average in height for my age and have always been the smallest in my age group throughout my childhood.  As a young girl, my parents’ friends would always comment on how small I was, and my mother would always stage-whisper, “Yes, she’s VERY small for her age” in such a way that made me believe that it was shameful to be short.  This belief that being small was a bad thing caused me to be fairly shy growing up.  It wasn’t until high school that I finally realized that I didn’t need to be embarrassed of my height.  This realization caused me to be much more outgoing and friendly, and today I have no problem whatsoever talking to a stranger.  I see myself as exactly the size I should be, and I don’t waste time comparing my height to others’ ideas of what is normal.  Although my mother never saw a problem with my size, she led me to believe it was strange by the way she conversed about it with others.  Had this behavior been different, I might not have been such a shy child for so many years.