I checked out the wikipedia link, Heather's still in as of 31st October and she has won the most 'covergirl of the weeks'
Score one for us! By the way, she is Heather Kuzmich, as full name. I bet she is German!
Is this really the represenation we need
I guess your right when it comes to her being a aspie who at the same time is a popular tv personality.
I guess your right when it comes to her being a aspie who at the same time is a popular tv personality.
she may be popualr because i remeber on big brother once a contestant had tourettes and he won it eventually probably because he wouldnt or couldnt tell lies maybe this aspie contestant will be the same and show a positive side of AS
I saw only part of a show last night. I think some of the photographers need help in knowing how to work with her. They were telling her that she was awkward. I noticed they told her to put her arm down and then "put your right arm down" in a pose during the shoot. I think they would also help her if they told her what emotions to put on her face for what situations. For the burning car they would have to tell me either to be angry or upset or afraid.
I don't like the show because they don't really teach the girls what to do first. They just make them do things and then criticize them after such as how they pose or put their legs in front and how to control their feelings about everything. I get this all the time in jobs. I have certain skills such as computer, lab etc that I got hired on but I get fired for things that I do that no one will teach me: how to talk to people, what to say, how to use the phone etc.
That is the only episode where Heather has struggled with the photos. She was having a bad week after some critique after a fashion show. In all the episodes before then she did not struggle at all. I think she's quite practiced with emotions and poses and accepting critique generally. They do tend to offer critique to the girls at the end of every week.
I do know what you mean with the job thing. I sometimes have trouble with things like that too.
That won't hurt us, sarahjoke. IT'LL ONLY MAKE US STRONGER!!!
Kicked out?!?!? GRRR.... She was cuter than the others!
I loved heather too, glad to say she is just about the only model cut from that show who handled her exit with real dignity, and it's a good thing she is finally out of the company of all those nasty mean-spirited bitches. I have gotten flak for speculating on the nature of "what is considered normal is just an evil status quo, and commonality doesn't make it right", but this series was a good example. Aspies are classified as a disorder because their emotional responses in social situations "aren't appropriate"?
Consider how the "normal" girls behaved in their social interactions: They never passed up an opportunity to put someone else down. They laughed whenever another girl struggled. They were jealous when another girl did well. (I don't mean as a collective against Heather, I mean as individuals against eachother). They blamed others for their own failures. This is how "normal" people are expected to behave. It's not what the diagnosis books say, but in observing behaviors, it is the indisputable norm.
Consider how Heather behaved: She never put anyone else down, no matter how mean they had been to her. When another girl struggled, Heather would hold her hand and say "It's ok. You can do this." When another girl did well, Heather congratulated her. When other girls were mean to her, she cried. When Heather failed, she blamed no one but Heather. Yet SHE'S supposed to be the "inappropriate" one?
Heather's social behaviors ARE what textbooks would say is appropriate, yet in real life, seeing her in close comparison to "normals", it's easy to see why she'll never fit in with normals: she wasn't just pretending to be nice. She lacks the capacity to pretend to be nice while really being evil, to be sneaky and underhanded and backstabbing and greedy, which in my opinion is the real defining characteristic of "normal" social behavior. They call us flawed for lacking the ability to be two-faced and deceptive. Everyone should be so "flawed".
I'm not trying to imply that we have a lock on moral superiority, but it has to make you wonder what's really "appropriate" when you see the way normals really treat others and how commonly their behavior is contradictory to what the textbooks claim is natural.
...<sigh> yes, ok, fine, I admit I watched the stupid show, I couldn't help myself, I just flip the channels at random and whenever I flipped by it I'd be transfixed wondering what new humiliations and triumphs heather would encounter, and I was amazed she was able to endure it as long as she did.
I am a Aspie woman. I also don't think being a model is what I would call a brilliant role model. If she appears on here, or any other forum, she shouldn't be so surprised that she might have to explain herself.
She is choosing to behave in a way that is considered not typical for people who have Asperger's Syndrome. If she's strong enough to do that, then she's strong enough to get a re-diagnoses before talking about flights of fancy, like being a representative for people with Asperger's Syndrome.
The problem you seem to have with Heather is not that she is a figure and spokesperson for Aspergers, it is that she is pursuing modeling as a career and not only that, it is that she is pretty.
Earlier in this thread you stated- 'Aww poor little pretty. She should try being fat for a day, see how much unwanted attention she gets over that.'
Discrimination for being pretty and skinny is exactly the same as discrimination for being fat. Being teased for either one, also exactly the same thing. You seem to think skinny people have an easier life with your comment, well they don't. I have always been skinny and I was teased all throughout high school for it. Even these days I get comments by women who ask me how I can be so skinny, I assure you it makes me really uncomfortable and it is not meant as a compliment.
I didn't like how she kept talking about her "disability".
Exactly, why even bring it up unless someone noticed. Unless, she was trying to play the sympathy card?
she probably was because think about it if someone say's that they have a "disability" people are more likeley to think oh you poor thing.
Look, this all wouldn't be an issue if Heather didn't say she wanted to be a spokesperson for people with Asperger's Syndrome. She does not represent all of us. It'd be nice if we had someone representing us, that didn't appear to be trying so hard to be NT.
We don't have many high profile Aspergers people, so there really aren't many choices. Further to that, nobody is going to represent all people with Aspergers. If you want someone to represent people like yourself, then maybe you should stop spending your time bashing someone who is spreading Aspergers Awareness and go out there and achieve something so you can be a spokesperson.
P.S. I think Heather is a wonderful spokesperson and she has qualities that people can look up to.
Ok you know, I think you've got me. I give up. I mean, you're right. I dunno, I really don't like how people here seem to ignore the reality involved with being mainstream good looking, and that if we lived in a proper world everyone would be seen as beautiful. What was on the inside really would matter. Also that, your body is at a set weight, if you try to force it against that weight it will only rebel in the end and make you more fat than you did to begin with. It is ignorant to claim that becoming thin is just a matter of self-starv...I mean dieting.
I am interested in what games Heather would be designing though. Maybe since she's been involved with modeling, she might want to do some work on the Bratz games.
I think the problem here is you have a set idea of who a model is and what they look like and what they have to do to get to look like that. So you think that all models are the stereotypical selfish women who starve themselves and have ribs jutting out. I would not be supporting Heather if she looked like that, but she doesn't.
I really think people need to stop blaming models for their own body image problems. Models have a different body type. Not everyone would be able to be so skinny. The problem is people's ideas that they need to be like someone else, but they don't. The only person anyone has to be is themselves. Further to that, I definitely do not starve myself and I have curves, and I am also considered attractive. Real attractiveness comes from your personality - it's in the way you hold yourself, it's in the way your face lights up when you smile, the twinkle in your eyes, your laugh, the way you talk about something you are passionate about.
wonder wot thay will think of that.
I don't know that there is a 'classic type' of AS, so to speak - For example, I'm pretty different from most aspies I know...
From what I've seen, we're all pretty different here.
There is a classic/rigidly defined AS according to those who have the classic AS. I define the classic AS as ticking the boxes for many of the more commonly known stereotypes: "great at Math; loves factual information; obsessed with train schedules as a kid; disputes anything that falls from logic or 'scientific' accuracy; can recall facts, numbers, dates in perfect detail."
I won't lie that I have observed a good number of folks on AFF who match a lot of these "classic" criteria (well--to my mind--these are "classic AS" criteria, FWIW) and they do seem to be unaware that some AS folks don't fit that mold, whatsoever. I don't see this as a criticism, just an observation.
I'll have to disagree with you on this one - from what I've heard, only about 10% of aspies have the "great at maths" box ticked, and there's a whole range of differing levels of ability with regard to memory skills.
If there were to be a list of personality commonalities, it would have to involve special interests, social awkwardness, and similar things...
I don't know that there is a 'classic type' of AS, so to speak - For example, I'm pretty different from most aspies I know...
From what I've seen, we're all pretty different here.
There is a classic/rigidly defined AS according to those who have the classic AS. I define the classic AS as ticking the boxes for many of the more commonly known stereotypes: "great at Math; loves factual information; obsessed with train schedules as a kid; disputes anything that falls from logic or 'scientific' accuracy; can recall facts, numbers, dates in perfect detail."
I won't lie that I have observed a good number of folks on AFF who match a lot of these "classic" criteria (well--to my mind--these are "classic AS" criteria, FWIW) and they do seem to be unaware that some AS folks don't fit that mold, whatsoever. I don't see this as a criticism, just an observation.
I'd still have to disagree - a lot of these things are called stereotypes for a reason. Only about 10% of aspies tick the "great at maths" box, not many sat around memorising train schedules as kids, and there's quite a variance of all sorts of skill levels.
If a person was to invent a list of "usual" aspie traits, it would probably involve special interests, social awkwardness and "out of the box" thinking - I don't know that there is a standard set of skills that aspies usually share.