Thursday, 15 July 2010
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5 Famous People with Scoliosis (and Including Myself - Topless!)
Don't you just love x-rays? This is mine, and I think they're beautiful.One day, I was feeling particularly down about my body. Like any girl, when I'm in these moods, I'm very good at finding tiny physical "flaws" and picking on them. Like a smaller number of girls, one of the things that I focus most on in these moods is my back.
I have scoliosis, which is a horizontal curvature of the spine. In my case, it is due to a vertebra that is misshapen, forcing the rest of my back to curve. But, well, sometimes knowing you look like that gets you down. Instead of leaving myself to wallow in my "abnormality" (3 to 5 of every 1000 children are estimated to have it), I decided to do something useful: convince myself that there are, in fact, some gorgeous and/or successful people with the condition.
And guess what? There are!
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Gellar's probably best known for her role in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", though she also did extensive acting in "All My Children." She had a role in I Know What You Did Last Summer, and has also appeared in episodes of "Robot Chicken," "King of the Hill," "Sex and the City," and many others. She's often spotted in backless attire despite that her scoliosis is pretty easily spotted.
Rebecca Romijn
Most famous for her role in "Ugly Betty," Romijn has also appeared in several X-men movies, as well as an episode of "Friends." In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, she said:
"Everyone knows what it feels like to feel different from everyone else. When I was thirteen I was diagnosed with scoliosis and I shot up like six inches over the next four or five years and my body was just in so much pain and nobody told me that exercise would have helped that. I mean, I was like, in fact that was why I became a theatre geek, because I stayed away from sports all together, cause I was so self conscious and in so much physical pain from my body and now I do Pilates, which actually helped tremendously with scoliosis because scoliosis is something that is always there."
Liza Minnelli
Tony-winning Broadway star and daughter of Judy Garland told Tony of Time Out New York about her scoliosis, after he'd mentioned he didn't know about it:
"Major. Always. In fact, I didn’t realize I had anything wrong with my back until—I guess it was around the time of The Sterile Cuckoo that Fred said, 'Come on, somebody’s imitating you. Let’s go see her.' So we go down to one of those places that used to be in the Village and we sit down and I’m all excited and this girl comes on and she goes like this [She demonstrates by walking with her shoulders twisted and uneven.] I was so indignant, I said, 'I don’t do that.' And he said, 'Yes, you do.' I found out that because of the scoliosis, if I lean back one way it hurts. The only reason I do anything like I do is because [Screams] it’s the only way I can do it without hurting! Literally. It’s really funny. It is so weird."
Elizabeth Taylor
Appearing in films such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and Jane Eyre, Elizabeth is considered a great actress of the Golden Age. Now 78, she suffers from chronic neck pain due to her scoliosis, but is feeling too weak to have further operations. She has been hospitalized over 100 times in the last 25 years for her back and hip problems.
Kurt Cobain
In an interview with Jon Savage, Nirvana's Kurt Cobain said:
"My body is damaged from music in two ways: not only has my stomach inflamed from irritation, but I have scoliosis. I had minor scoliosis in junior high, and since I've been playing guitar ever since, the weight of the guitar has made my back grow in this curvature. So when I stand, everything is sideways. It's weird… I go to a chiropractor every once in a while. You can't really correct scoliosis, because it's a growth in the spine. Your spine grows through your adolescent years in a curvature. Most people have a small curvature in their spine anyhow, though some people have it really bad and have to wear metal braces. It gives me a back pain all the time. That really adds to the pain in our music. It really does. I'm kind of grateful for it."
Of course, I'm not famous. But this is what my post-surgery back looks like:
You can see my scars! Note the one on the right side as well. Yeah. I know it's kinda gross. But, oh well.
Other celebrities that you might know:
Isabella Rossellini (Model/Actress; Death Becomes Her)
Shailene Woodley (Actress; "Secret Life of the American Teenager")
Rowena Wallace (Actress; "Sons and Daughters")
Linda Blair (Actress; The Exorcist)
Renee Russo (Actress; Yours, Mine, and Ours)
Vanessa Williams (Actress; "Ugly Betty")
Jessica Andrews (Country music singer)
Janet Evans (Olympic Swimmer)
Daryl Hannah (Actress; Kill Bill)
John Lydon (Lead singer of the Sex Pistols)
(Of course, there are many I haven't listed.)
Who do you know with scoliosis? What is your biggest qualm with your appearance?
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- From: unabridgedtales@xanga
- Name: Edeline
- About Me: I'm an 19-year-old college student, wandering through life with a mind that's on nonstop. I am hoping to major in psychology, produce large amounts of art, and get a novel to an agent before I can legally drink alcohol [in the US]. In the meantime, I'm doing my best to stay afloat in a world not entirely to my liking, and posting my rambling ideas so that maybe I'll understand something greater.
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Comments (77)
I have Sherman's Disease, which is kinda like Scoliosis, but instead of curving side to side, mine curves out. Its where I have 2 vertebrae compressed, and they have popped the disk in between, causing the fluid inside the disk to leak out, and that causes nerve pain. As it gets worse, I'll have a hump in my back.
my friend had really bad scoliosis so she had surgery to help realign her back. she has metal screws now. it's kinda cool but really sad.
I have scoliosis too, and I'm being tested for a genetic disease associated with it now. It's painful I know. I wasn't told how bad my scholiosis is but it is very noticable, and I'm only 17 - it's going to get worse.
I have a minor case of it. Mine is in my lower back, so the only way it's noticeable is if you're looking at my hips, one's a bit higher than the other. Even if it is minor, it's one of those flaws that I'm really self conscious about.
I had surgery for my scoliosis too when I was a lot younger, so my back is just fine now. There's still a slight curve that's visible, but it doesn't cause me any pain or anything. Still, I usually look negatively at my scoliosis, but this changes my perspective somewhat. Thanks.
My x-rays are very similar to yours. My back looks worse than yours, though, because my right shoulder is pushed out a little (the curve was around 70 degrees, I think, so it moved things around) and the bottom half of my spine is curved, too. They only operated on the same area as you and left the lower curve alone because it wasn't severe, and it has been kept under control since the surgery.
I was self-conscious at first, but now I'm ok with it. It's hard to find clothes that fit well since my body has a weird shape to it, but I don't let it upset me. The way I see it is, this is just the way my body is and I have to accept it, because it's not going to change. Scoliosis is very painful to deal with, so making it through the pain is something you should be proud of yourself for. I remember having trouble breathing and having the worst pain to the point where I just couldn't move at all. And I was young, too. I was around 10 when I found out I had Scoliosis. Everyone else my age was out playing sports or just being a normal kid, and I'm going to the hospital and wearing a back brace. So it's hard. But to anyone who feels self-conscious about it, please don't feel that way. For me, it just gives me a story to tell. I get some people who are sympathetic and say "aw, you poor thing," but then I get some people who actually say, "wow, you really went through all of that?" It helps to be reminded that you are strong enough to handle things like that.
Very good post!
I also have scoliosis, but very minor. I commend you on showing us that there are beautiful people who have it, and it's not ugly at all. : D
How'd the surgery go? Still recovering?
You're very brave to display your surgery scars. Scars aren't ugly, so don't feel like you should cover them up. They're a story- your story.
John Lydon doesn't have scoliosis. His back is fucked up because he had menengitis when he was a kid (I'm an obsessed fan, I know this xD).
I have kyphoscoliosis. So it has the horizontal curvature and my lower spine is curved forward...hard to explain, but I don't have a pic. Anyway, it's a huge pain - quite literally - and because of it I literally cannot sit/stand in proper posture.
I don't personally know anyone with scoliosis, but I just wanna say I love your attitude and optimism. You're also really brave to share your story and scars with all of us. Well, I wish you a speedy recovery and that whatever pain you felt in the past will lessen :).
@ForeverLove_xx@xanga - Same here and people act like it's so damn easy to straighten yourself to stop the pain. They usually love to remind me to stand up straight and it makes me pretty damn irritated. I have a minor curve in my lower back and while it doesn't call for surgery it means I will have to live with the pain from time to time. No one really makes fun of me about it and I don't want any form of sympathy but geez unless their back is curved they will never really understand. My doctor told me that pregnancy is going to be real difficult for me, more so than a normal woman (I don't know how true that is). Oh yays can't wait.
Btw thanks unabridgedtales@xanga for the post, it helps sometimes, even when you accept your flaws, to know you are not alone. I hope you're feeling better. Thanks for the bravery and inspiration.
I had a scare. My cousin had it. It was mild and her back straightened with puberty. She was one of the lucky ones who got better with puberty and not worst.
@iamthatelectricgirl30 - Yeah, an orthopedic surgeon told me that with every childbirth, the curve MAY increase by up to 3 degrees. Usually not quite that much, but after you're a certain age, it's the only natural thing that'll make it worse. Just don't have 12 kids and you'll be fine. lol.
I have scoliosis, except the doctors didn't detect it until I was a senior in high school, which was kind of weird, because it was very noticeable, and it's a large degree difference. Since I'm 20, there's no way to fix it, unless I get the metal plates put into my back. Is that was you got? If so, how was it? I'm really nervous to get it [if I ever decide to]
My spine both curves at the top and the bottom of my spine, but it's a larger degree at the top, so my shoulder blades are off, which hurts a lot. I have to stretch my arms backwards and up to feel better every couple hours. I've always been like that, but my doctor told me thats because of my back so I'm kind of happy I at least ahve a reason to why it hurts so much.
@ForeverLove_xx@xanga - So my back can curve more with each child I have, but it's not definite? That's gonna stink, cause I want eight kids. So, that's probably not good.
I have a small case of scoliosis, so it isn't that bad. My curve is towards the end of my spine and it's small. I don't need surgery but I do go to the chiropractor every so often :)
It looks good.
"Don't you just love x-rays? This is mine, and I think they're beautiful."
This is incorrect, and a change from my post. I said it's *similar* to mine, but that is not mine. I also stated that mine would have shiny white sticks in it, because this photo is probably pre-surgery.
@carolina_sunset@xanga - I've heard of that. It sounds more painful than scoliosis usually is. =/
@TheHighwayCode@xanga - ...Yeah. Have they looked into treatments for you? Even if you could just get a brace, you can usually stop it from getting worse temporarily.
@Faith14@xanga - I'm glad I could help, even if slightly. I've found that it helps me, too, though I still hate it.
@IntheGoldenWest@xanga - Thank you for sharing your story. I had a brace for awhile as well. What type did you have? Also, it's interesting that you mention breathing problems, since I've had a good deal of them, but I usually think of them as a separate issue entirely.
@mis23marie - The surgery went alright, I suppose. I lost a lot of blood and my aunt ended up yelling at the nurses, but I don't remember that. I'm not "still recovering," really - this was five years ago - but I don't (and may never again) have total feeling in my back.
@the_peach_assailant@xanga - Is that so? Interesting. A large amount of sites say he does. *shrug* Perhaps the meningitis caused scoliosis in his case? I wouldn't know.
@ForeverLove_xx@xanga - Heh. I don't recall anyone specific making fun of me for the posture/standing straight thing, but it bothers me a lot, too. x___x
@aznbunny604@xanga - @iamthatelectricgirl30 - @opheliasbones@xanga - Y'know, people tell me I'm brave pretty often, and it's interesting because I don't think of myself as brave. It's just one of those things that happened in my life. Thanks, though (and you're welcome, iamthatelectricgirl30 ;)).
@kristinxmariee@xanga - I got rods, not plates, though I do believe they were metal. They discovered mine in 5th grade, and by 8th grade, they realized I had congenital scoliosis (they thought I had one of the other kinds, which is more easily correctable), and that my spine would continue pushing on my lung if I didn't get surgery. Mine was life or death (wow, that sounds melodramatic)... there wasn't really a choice. :|
@unabridgedtales@xanga - I keep on asking them to consider a brace for me or even surgery to stop it now, but they wont tak eany of it :S I suppose they're the professionals though. I've had physiotherapy but that only takes the pain away temporarily :(
wow. this was a great post. i'm glad your surgery went well. i didn't know all those celebs had this!
@unabridgedtales@xanga - Hmm, that's possible, but I don't think so. I'm not trying to be rude, so I'm sorry if I come across as such, I'm just trying to be correct :)
Ugh, I have scoliosis too. Mine's sort of minor (the first time I had it checked out, it was at a 23 degree angle or something like that) but it still blows. :( I go to a chiropractor to try to get mine fixed.
Great post :) At times I get self-conscious about my scoliosis so your references will certainly help boost my confidence.