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This post is going to be a bit different than the ones we’ve done so far. In large part because Alex (and his brain injury) are present for the entire remainder of the show.
This was really the first time we’ve ever gotten to see disabled style reflected over the long term on a show and Tara and I have been really excited to talk about it.
There will be accompanying pictures, which we’ll describe in our conversation.
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ALEX’S STYLE SHIFT:
TONIA: When we meet Alex in season 1, he has a nose ring. He wears a watch and dresses in layers of fancy trendy shirts, skinny jeans and dressy shoes and a watch.
In season 2, we can see the ways Alex’s style has shifted:
He no longer wears the nose ring or the watch (because those things take a major amount of coordination and time.)
But we see he’s still able to retain the basis of the style he likes: layering soft tee shirts with open long sleeved shirts and sweatpants. His shoes have also changed, to functional, sturdy tennis shoes he can wear over his brace.
And by season 4, Alex has really settled into himself and his look. (Which is largely the same as he has in season 2 with a few alterations -- I believe he’s wearing jeans more often now, for example.)
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WHY IT’S SIGNIFICANT:
TONIA: Seeing disabled style represented on screen in a respectful way is rare.
I personally love seeing the creative thought and adaptation at play that allows Alex to continue exploring his style and finding himself. That’s not something that fades away or becomes irrelevant once he is injured, because Alex is not one-dimensional.
Like most kids his age, he is trying to find himself and express himself, and style is a way kids do that -- yes, even disabled kids.
TARA: The choices Alex makes over three seasons - 2 years - feel authentic. They reflect the reality of disabled style choices, which often balance access needs with current trends:
Early on? Sweatpants and tee shirts for easy access instead of skinny jeans and button-down shirts. A good pair of tennis shoes for support and traction and, as Tonia mentioned above, to fit over what appears to be an AFO (ankle foot orthotic). A cardigan in lieu of a pullover sweater. And as the series comes to a close, we see Alex in what are likely slim-to-regular fit jeans and soft, comfortable layers of shirts.
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SUBVERTING THE USUAL DISABLED STYLE TROPES:
TONIA: We’ve seen a few representations of newly disabled characters on screen. Most notably Quinn on Glee and Jesus from The Fosters.
What we see is that previously well-dressed kids like Quinn are suddenly wearing what I will term “Rehab Style.” Ill-fitting tee shirts, baggy sweats. Hair that was typically done up was down or unstyled.
While this is accurate for a period of time, especially coping with a new injury -- typically in media -- we don’t see these kids as ever finding themselves post-disability or expressing themselves through their style (because in both Quinn’s and Jesus’s case? They overcame their disability, or it just kind of faded into the background.)
What we see Alex wearing and doing with his style is rare and important.
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HAIRSTYLE SHIFT:
TARA: In Season 1, Alex’s hair is cut short, carefully styled, and bleached blond. After his brain injury, we see him go through many different looks.
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WHY IT’S SIGNIFICANT:
TARA: On a personal level, I loved getting to see a seasons-long hairstyle journey with a brain injury survivor. What I’m used to seeing is hair shaved exploitatively and with fresh scars, often in a hospital bed. And while that is one part of the story, it isn’t the whole story.
Alex’s style portrayal differs firstly because we never see that post-op look.
During Season 2, instead of seeing his scars immediately, we see that Alex has grown his hair to cover them in the four months or so that have elapsed.
A haircut post-brain injury is a deeply vulnerable experience. I remember my first, months after my injury. Due to parasthesia, I felt tingling, prickling pins and needles on the left half of my head. On the right half of my head, I had a long and painful surgical scar surrounded by an awkwardly-shaved patch of hair. Trusting someone to touch my head and hair, to wash it and then use metal implements to cut and style it was frightening. And that doesn’t even take into account the sensory overload of lights, sinks, snipping scissors, people talking, and the white noise of hair dryers.
At the end of Season 2, Alex does decide to get a haircut that shows one of his scars. But by the first episode of Season 3, we see that he has opted to wear knit caps in a beanie style until his hair grows out again.
Scars are not inherently shameful, but they are personal. They invite invasive questions. Acclimation to them takes time, and even then, a decision to show a scar through a haircut or clothing choice is a deeply private one.
As someone who has multiple surgical scars and the option to hide them, I choose to conceal mine. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I am ashamed. My scars are a part of my body, and I get to control who sees them.
I love to see that explored on “13.” Alex doesn’t talk a lot about his style post-injury, save a brief exchange with Justin in 2x08, but we see that he thinks about it. (And that means that people in costuming and makeup and hair did too!)
Additionally, we see that as Alex recovers, the amount of time and effort spent maintaining his hair appears to coincide. In the beginning of Season 2, it appears that he brushes his hair and maybe uses a bit of product.
At the end of Season 2, at the school dance with a new haircut, he looks to have spent more time on styling and used a lot of product as well. And by Season 4, Alex seems to have reached a happy medium - a simple combed style and some product.
TONIA: This is really invaluable personal insight into why representation of hair (particularly) post-brain injury is so vital. I’m glad you shared this.
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Did you want to talk anymore about Alex’s choice to get his hair cut for the dance at the end of season 2 and then wear beanies in season 3?
TARA: Yeah! Ultimately, these things show Alex’s agency as well as representing that it’s okay that he changed his mind.
The haircut and the beanies were depicted on-screen without any sort of exposition, so I can only guess at Alex’s reasons based on his actions.
The cut he chose is quite similar to what he wore during Season 1, though a bit longer on top. It’s probable that Alex chose the style because it was familiar to him. Familiarity can bring comfort. Prior knowledge in how to maintain the style can be helpful in figuring out possible adaptations in execution that may be needed.
This particular style also does show one of Alex’s scars. And there’s really no adequate way to know whether you’re ready to display a scar without actively displaying it, and then gauging how you feel about it. In Alex’s case, we see his scar courtesy of his new haircut for roughly three days.
The beanies do seem to imply a lack of comfort with the scar. However, other issues may also be at play, such as the stamina required for creating and maintaining a more heavily-styled look. Donning a stretchy knit cap uses considerably less stamina and coordination and it more or less eliminates the cognitive load needed for styling.
In other words, the beanies may be an energy-conserving, time-saving disability hack. And I have to say that I kind of love seeing that.
TONIA: And energy-conservation is a huge balancing act when living with a disability, especially a new one.
I know you’ve mentioned cognitive fatigue before, and even things like hairstyling can likely lead to this. (For Alex, styling his hair alone is a multi-step process. Now add a possible shower taken beforehand -- which we’ve learned is one of the most cognitively exhausting things in life -- so many steps.)
With this context (and yours, Tara,) it makes so much sense that Alex might choose to wear the beanie, and find other easy-to-don but stylish clothes that don’t have a ton of buttons or zippers.
For multiple reasons -- because he is a multi-dimensional character.
Disabled style is a style all its own because it factors in the need to adapt, the need to conserve energy (because we cannot spend 8,000 years dressing and doing our hair.) And I appreciate that “13” showed this! And that there is minimal comment on it on-screen.
It’s just a fact of Alex’s life.
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Have you seen 13 Reasons Why on Netflix?
Did reading our conversation about Alex's style help you realize anything or notice anything you hadn't registered before?
We'd love to hear from you in the comments.
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