Sia and 'Music's' Misinterpretation of Autism

For years, the media has often poked fun at various marginalized individuals, damaging the impact that these people have on the world. And this is especially true for the media’s portrayal of autism. In the modern day, we like to believe that we are more socially aware and more accepting of people’s differences. Then we get singer-songwriter Sia’s film Music. What should have been a story focused on the nuances of autism spectrum disorder was instead a foray into the pseudo-whimsical world of misrepresentation and autistic stereotypes. Throughout the course of this book, we’ll go over what went wrong, why these caricatures of autistic individuals are damaging, and what the film and media industry can do to better represent people on the autistic spectrum. Read more