The Scoliosis Watch List
Scoliosis in the media… Where to even begin…
Rather than dive into this with the appropriate heartbreak, rage, and disappointment that all of us with scoliosis constantly endure when experiencing the fleeting mention of scoliosis mentioned in the media… Why don’t we start at the beginning (while forgiving that glorious run-on sentence).
The Beginning:
Sadly - and perhaps rather expectantly if you’re been around the scoliosis space for awhile - scoliosis has never been represented in a resoundingly positive light in the media.
”Why is that!?”, you might ask. In the spirit of this short-form blog, we simply do not have the character limit to unpack that. So we will move on as quickly as we started.
The Middle:
Without laying this out in time brackets per decade - I am an author of experience, not a professional historian - let’s call ‘The Middle” anything within the past 50 years. Cool? Cool.
Scoliosis has often been used in comedy as a verbal short-hand. Something quick and presumably ‘witty’ to diminish a person’s strength, appeal, or value. Characters with scoliosis are not in ‘the cool crowd’. They are not the athletes. They are the targets of the bullies and the jokes. Here are two big reasons what that is not okay.
[Side note: I could probably write a thousand reasons on this particular matter but, again, “short-form blog”.]
Not Okay #1: Compounding the Negative Public View of Scoliosis
Imagine if movies and tv shows were to constantly make fun of - for the sake of an example here - tall people. That every mention of height was used to belittle. That anybody over 6 feet tall received nicknames that made them uncomfortable, and that despite that discomfort their peers persisted in verbally belittling them. Being tall, something you have no control over, was to be something to be ashamed of. Somehow a physical part of your being that is so unique and beautiful and a visible part of you is to be hidden due to peer mockery encouraged by media mention.
Making fun of scoliosis in movies and tv shows somehow makes it ‘okay’ for the average peer to continue to make fun of it. Some sociology expert is welcome to weigh in as to the scientific ‘why’ of this phenomenon, but this I do know for sure: every negative mention of scoliosis in the media is one more strike against bringing light to this condition to make it easier for kids (and adults!) with scoliosis worldwide. I dream of the day the movies stop using ‘she has scoliosis’ as a verbal put-down because then maybe - just maybe - the people on the other side of the screen will stop that nonsense as well.
Not Okay #2: Compounding the Lack/Misinformation of the Scoliosis Condition
“Not Okay #2” goes completely hand-in-hand with “Not Okay #1”.
For every scoliosis insult written into scripts, that right there is a missed opportunity for factual scoliosis information.
If everybody is hearing & seeing scoliosis being used as a weak/negative/laughable condition, then they’re certainly not pausing to think about what living with scoliosis truly means! These are missed opportunities that break my heart every time. In my opening paragraph here I mentioned the emotional rollercoaster we feel when there is even the most fleeting of mention of scoliosis on tv: hope at the word “scoliosis” actually used > hear that the information is negative or plain wrong > heartbreak that yet another opportunity for an ounce of proper scoliosis information fed to the masses was missed > rage that the writers think it’s funny/okay > a flitter of sadness that maybe what they’re making fun of is true and that I am indeed ‘lesser’ because of my curved spine (Ignore them! You are awesome!!) > disappointment that it’s 2026 and serious medical conditions that turn lives upside down are somehow still permitted into writers rooms as joke material.
The Now:
That rollercoaster of emotions has caught us all off-guard more than once now. And I think I speak for the scoliosis masses when I say: ENOUGH.
So let’s work on changing that uncalled-for rollercoaster of emotions, and the narrative of scoliosis in film and tv. It will take all of us working together, from all parts of the globe.
To know where we need to go, we must first know where we stand. I give you, the final NEW step in this ‘The Fleeting Scoliosis Mentions on TV’: > take note of it and write it down in one list so we can document who/what/where/when/why/how scoliosis was mentioned in media.
Who is writing these 'un-witty quips? What genre of tv/movie? What countries have more/less scoliosis content? What is being said about scoliosis?
Together we will build a list of all mentions of “Scoliosis” in moves and tv. We will be able to see just how much the scale leans between positive/informative mentions vs. negative/false mentions. And then we will work to tip that scale.
Tangled in the Curves has taken the initiative to build the base for this list: The Scoliosis Watch List is now Live and publicly viewable on IMDB.
Whenever you find another mention of scoliosis in the media, add it to the list! Use the contact form on the Events & Contact tab up top at tangledinthecurves.com, or dm on Instagram @thescoliosisbook or Facebook Tangled in the Curves.
Don’t be shy! We are building this awareness and community together. I certainly cannot watch every movie and tv episode in the world all by myself! And who knows, maybe you’ll find some new movies and friends along the way! Together, we can build up repository of all mentions of scoliosis - good and bad - in media, with the intention of working towards tipping the scale in favor of the GOOD in the future.
Looking for more scoliosis info, insight, community, and (hot take) authenticity? Get your long-form scoliosis support in paper form: Tangled in the Curves was written for you.
Note: This blog is based on the author’s experience and opinion only, without any formal medical training. In no way should this blog replace professional medical advice.