“I see myself singing, dancing and laughing until I can not breathe”, says the voiceover. AnnaRose said it herself – she is just an ordinary person experiencing life like everyone else, but with the added challenge of the way people see her as different from how she perceives herself. “And also crying sometimes”, says the young girl while Wilde plays each action out. How do you see me?’ But despite its intentions, the video has drawn criticism – especially from within the DS community – because it focuses on Olivia, rather than its narrator, 19 year old student AnnaRose Rubright. We created it with the support of many global associations and the incredible collaboration of Saatchi & Saatchi New York, director Reed Morano, actress Olivia Wilde.
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The PSA was made by the organization CoorDown, which helps raise awareness of the genetic disorder.
“A look may be friendly, encouraging, respectful or cold, devaluing and even discriminatory”, said the press release for the video. Others assumed she couldn’t be in “regular” classes in high school; in reality, she graduated in the National Honors Society with a 3.68 grade-point average.
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In the heart-melting video, AnnaRose asks question that she herself as an ordinary person having an important meaningful life, but how do you see her? Viewers, then, are inspired to consider their own personal views on those with the syndrome, and how they might be flawed. What makes it more heartbreaking is to realize that the impossibility of their dreams is rooted in other people’s perception of the condition.
