Friday, February 8

one-arm prime time

On this season of The Bachelor, one of the women vying for his love is missing her left arm below the elbow. And no, that's not the teaser for the show, though I kind of wish it were.

Bring it, Herron.
How do I know this? Glad you asked. It seems that while Mountain Guy was in North Dakota, there were only two things to do for entertainment: freeze your tail off or watch thirty plus women cat-fighting in a mansion.

So, I sat down with some kettle corn to watch the first episode. Hey, it was research. Her name is Sarah Herron, and she was born without her left forearm. She was also born supermodel gorgeous, poor thing.

As it turns out, even supermodel looks aren't enough to keep insecurities at bay. I once saw an interview with Uma Thurman in which she admitted to having severely low self esteem. Apparently, she could kill bill, but not the ugly monster inside that said she wasn't good enough.

But I was expecting more from Sarah Herron. She was beautiful and successful; surely she, of all people, knew that one missing forearm was nothing to fear. By the middle of the episode, she still hadn't been taken aside for a private tête-à-tête with the man of the hour, and she started to get worried.

In an interview, she told the camera she didn't know why she hadn't found a man yet. Ok, I hear ya sister. Then she said the only reason she could think of was that her arm was keeping the guys away. My chin hit the floor. Are you kidding me? I dropped the kettle corn and started pacing my living room. How could she say something like that. Please tell me the producers were holding a gun to her head, I begged.

I hear Sarah is still in the top ten on the show. I can't bear to watch anymore. I'm not mad, even if she did affirm the stereotype that we handicapped folk are to be pitied. After I calmed down, I felt a little sad for her. I also feel thankful that I no longer believe my arm is something guys have to 'look past,' handsome and rich and kind as they may be.

I'm not gonna say I never feel self conscious or low on the self assurance scale. And perhaps it's pride, but if a guy writes me off because of my arm, I immediately assume he isn't worth my time, I don't care how many arms he has. And PS, it hasn't happened yet.

OneArmGirl

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