What’s more lovely than helping someone care for their body? Let’s normalize this act of care. Simply showing characters or talent engaging in these kinds of actions in the context of a scene makes an impact…and sounds like the antidote to typical TV clichés.
Care can look like:
- Helping someone bathe or shower – loofahs and lather can show that a person matters.
- Helping someone dress – adaptive clothing can pull a lewk together.
- Assist someone with shaving – clear care and clean shave.
- Assist someone applying cosmetics – a cat-eye can catch viewers.
- Helping style someone’s hair – maybe that’s why it’s called hair CARE.
- Support with nail care – cuticle care is still care.
AVOID THE PITFALL:
It’s great to use humor, but stories that position hygiene and grooming support as weird and gross reinforce stigmas. Consider instead how these activities might reflect intimacy between individuals – and how that fuels the comedy or drama of a scene…or, if you’re greedy, go for dramedy. You learn a lot about someone when you find out if they use washcloth or sponge – or just their hand!
A quick note: scenarios described here are generalized from information that Caring Across Generations has collected through focus groups, polling, and other research. They are generalized scenarios and are not any one individual’s story, and they are not meant to be comprehensive of all experiences having to do with care. This resource is intended to illuminate new storytelling opportunities that also contribute to a more authentic and holistic representation of care on screen.
