Disabling the lines

Nothing new about a new pop artist though…is there?

Wrong…

Meet Viktoria Modesta. A 28 year old pop artist out of the UK.

She rose to fame in December 2014 with the release of ‘Prototype’.

So far you’re probably wondering what’s so different or unique about her.

Well, she’s the world’s first amputee pop star.

You’d be excused for thinking of the usual bionic leg or fake rubbery prosthetic but this has no place in the world of Miss Modesta. She’s out to challenge your thinking on what’s disabling and what’s enabling.

“I want people to feel new feelings that they didn’t know they had. The time for boring ethical discussions around disability is over. It’s only through feelings of admiration, aspiration, curiosity and envy that we can move forward.”

This is a young lady that wants to impact your views and make a clear statement. It’s refreshing but has certainly created strong debate on social forums with mixed views and opinions on how to ‘take’ her message.

Saam Farahmand, Director of her latest video, recently wrote “Through this video, pop culture had to engage the physical reality of amputation as a poetic concept rather than a medical procedure. The video had to create an unapologetic and less ‘morality-riddled’ forum for someone like Viktoria to exist in the mainstream.”

“Like Viktoria, it bores me that the only way an amputee can be relevant is to achieve something that people easily understand. Culture currently dictates that we view disability from a position of wholesome admiration and empathy. This video challenges that convention.”

If I’m completely honest, I’ve not yet quite comes to terms with what I should be thinking. We’ve spent years looking to ‘normalise’, ‘accept’ and ‘mainstream’ people like Viktoria. Perhaps we should simply have been celebrating them?

I don’t have the answers but I do like being challenged.

Take a look at the video and read more about her journey and how’s she’s looking to change your thinking.