Let’s be real here. Reality TV, though lucrative for TV networks, usually doesn’t have a lot to offer the general public, other than something to mindlessly run in front of our eyeballs while we try to forget that today happened. But hark! A beam of intelligent, inspiring reality TV is shining through the mass of “People With Lots of Babies” shows!
Sundance Channel’s Push Girls documents the life of best friends Tiphani, Auti, Angela, and Mia. These women are all California based, badass, beautiful, and wheelchair bound. The show explores their personal stories, their relationships, and their triumphs and struggles as women who happen to be living their lives in wheelchairs.
Push Girls is an incredibly refreshing show in general, but it’s particularly great for it’s awesome portrayal of real disabled women. Instead of the normal Hollywood tropes of depicting disabled people as weak and pitied, Push Girls shows these women as their cool, kickass selves, which though sounds like an obvious route, isn’t one often taken in pop culture.
Disabled people are rarely portrayed on TV in general, but women who have lovers, careers, sex lives, a sense of humor, and who happen to be disabled? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this might be the first time on television. The season finale just aired, but you can check out the first season online, and look out for the second season premiering in 2013. Also, read our first blog post about the Push Girls here.
Photo and video credit to the Sundance Channel.
