2023-04-24
33 分钟Chloe Cooper Jones knows how it feels to be complicit. The critically acclaimed author has moved through life with a rare disability that brings incredible physical pain and plenty of outward judgment. And she’s even guilty of judging herself. But now, she’s challenging our ideas of motherhood, disability and beauty in her memoir, Easy Beauty. In this episode, she talks about using art to step outside of your own mind, sitting with difficult experiences, embracing the messy contradictions of the human experience, and more!
Ted audio collective.
You are listening to how to be a better human.
I'm your host, Chris Duffy.
There was a period of time in my life when I was auditioning for commercials semi regularly and full transparency.
I was terrible at the auditions.
One time the casting director literally gave me the note, could you be less wooden?
And the honest answer was no.
No, I can't be.
The weirdest part of the audition, though, happened before I ever got in front of the camera.
I remember one audition for a terrifying energy drink alternative that was like a patch that somehow delivered the caffeine straight into your skin or something.
On one side of the waiting room for this audition was a row of identical bodybuilders in white tank tops.
On the other side where I was seated was a row of skinny guys wearing plaid button downs about to audition for the part of nerd who works from home.
There were maybe half a dozen of us who all looked a lot like me, except everyone else was slightly taller or fitter or more handsome.
And spoiler, I never booked a commercial, not a single one.
But I cannot forget how discombobulating it was to see so clearly the box I was being categorized in.
And yet, for many people, that is a daily experience.
Whether your identity is subsumed into parent or woman or elderly, we are all so much more than the reductive label that society might put us into at first glance.
Today's guest, Chloe Cooper Jones, is the author of the book Easy Beauty.
In it, she talks about the ways that she's been reduced by her appearance.
Chloe was born with a rare congenital condition called sacralogenesis, which affects both her stature and gait and frequently causes her physical pain and discomfort.