Sia is autistic. Was the movie ‘Music’ just a cheap thrill?
Published 23 MAY 2023
The songstress known for writing hits for artists like Rihanna and Beyonce and singing chart hits ‘Chandelier’ and ‘Cheap Thrills’ with Sean Paul has now confirmed that she has been diagnosed autistic. Previously she has confirmed a diagnoses of Elhers-Danlos Syndrome a health condition defined by hyper-mobility which can affect ones physical ability with chronic fatigue and pain and health complications which is highly common with the autistic community. Although she hasn’t shared much about her personal life and experiences hiding behind a wig and preferring to not show he face and use it as a mask to hide behind describing diagnoses of anxiety and complex-post traumatic stress disorder. Yet another common diagnoses with autistic people any commonalities hasn’t brought her close to the community.
After Sia’s movie ‘Music’ saw the musician delete her Twitter account that racked up three million followers after image tainted backlash from the autistic community for offensive and ableist depictions of autism in her movie that harmed how autistic people in how it portrayed autism. She proved she had to learn a lot about autism now she finds after receiving a formal medical diagnoses she is ‘one of us’ and it would be wrong to deny it.
Just because she has a diagnoses that doesn’t mean she should be forgiven. After her fans in wake of the backlash trolled autistic people and shared some nasty abusive and harmful comments that lead to me muting one of my tweets on the topic.
The movie ‘Music’ with protagonist character a non-speaking autistic person or as referred in movie non-verbal special needs character portrayed by speaking and neurotypical actress Maddie Ziegler. The community on social media seemed or rather through the lens overwhelmingly stated that the singer didn’t speak for them, including myself with her privilege and lack of knowledge and understanding of the topic she was producing a movie about. Some of us may find it hard to find how in the last two years after the release of the movie she was able to be ‘fully, fully myself’
Not less after the fact that her movie which triggered her fans to send abusive and harmful tweets and messages, and speaking over non-speaking autists made it harder for other autistic people to be themself and denied them the space to be themselves. This is an evidential and prescient example of the cultural and social divides within the autistic community and how the privileged autistic people can exploit and feel not representative and speak for autistic people at large for this simply look at Elon Musk when he confirmed with use of defunct terminology now just autism as having Asperger’s.
The issue of ignoring the words and experiences of non-speakers who often labelled under the damaging labels of ‘severe autism’ which funnelled the real anguish with the movie. There will be concern with what she could do after coming out as autistic after all this feels the first time she has stepped out with any major publicity within the past two years since the movie was released though she has said to have had got married. It’s been quiet from the song-writer which in her recent interviews after her she came out as autistic that she had suffered with her mental health and went to rehab. She previously stated issues with addiction and substance abuse. Her most ambitious project to date bombed at the box office making substantial losses and received woefully awful reviews that had it become one of the worst movies of 2021.
The fact is she isn’t a victim of abuse from those in the autistic community. I thought she should’ve started by apologising. Did I expect her to do so I did not but it could’ve been a mark of hope that this wouldn’t endure and can move on from this, this wouldn’t have mean I would expect people to forgive her or recognise her apology. But something she could’ve recognised where she went wrong and she wouldn’t wish to repeat past errors without that said recognition of wrong-doing would’ve given me sigh of relief that she may not do what she has done before. It won’t pacify the autistic community and worry she could in return in public life she could spark further ableist controversy that enacts a ‘culture war’ rift in the community.
Acclaimed and prolific neurodivergent activist Lyric Rivera like many on Twitter claim she rightly received the backlash of her movie which mainstream media outlets as they report on this haven’t forgot. Then claiming abusing and being ableist to other autistic people in an exploitative way is far worse. Callum Stephen also tweeted like myself hinting an apology is long overdue. Lyric stated they won’t move on and will carry Sia’s ableism with them.
I fear Sia’s ableism won’t end after the movie ‘Music’ stopped. Positive action is needed and would be welcomed but she hasn’t thought about what she did. I know a genuine apology isn’t Sia being ‘fully, fully’ herself that disappoints
