Aimee Mullins is intentional. She does not coincidentally evoke change with her passion. An athlete in defiance of limits, a model in defiance of objectification and an actress with a purpose, this double-amputee world record holding sprinter and jumper will challenge how you think.
By Sarah J Murray
Donning high heels and a stunning silvery gown, the ever-glamorous Mullins crossed one prosthetic leg over the other and plunged into a conversation about the evolution of American attitudes and the beauty of difference. With absolute inspiration through honesty, she consciously redefines the female athlete.
How do you train?I do cardio every day of the week to get the blood flowing – whether it's a power walk, hiking around through the ramble of Central Park or putting on the lightest shoes I own and get some good music and hitting the streets. I also do serious stretching about three or four times a week – whether it's pilates or yoga, and I do weights three times a week.
What's pilates all about?Pilates is so fantastic. You have to check it out. It changed my life. For me, the way I have to carry my body weight, I exert so much on my body in particular places. It's a way to realign everything. It's a mind body connection as well. It draws elements of yoga and elements of Asian stretching techniques. Yoga and pilates made me such a smarter athlete in the way I train. Before, I would get on a treadmill, put my music on and just zone out. I didn't want to think about how much my body hurt. I would just push on through. But now I'm really keen on focusing on exactly what my body is doing during a workout and how it's feeling and how I'm compensating. You learn so much about how your body works if you just pay attention. Your efficiency goes through the roof.
Role model is a hefty label. How do you view your role as such?Woo. Am I a role model? I didn't know that. It's daunting but there's a lot of positive power that comes with it. You can really effect change if you chose to grab the bull by the horns, so to speak. It's exciting to be acknowledged for being a pioneer in your respective field, but you have a responsibility to help pave the way for those who come after you. When I think of the words “role model” that is to me what it connotes -- that you have the power to help people achieve more than they would without your influence.
What bit of advice would you give girls with disabilities who are self conscious about their physical difference?Well, I guess it depends on their age. It's a stage that you go through. My advice to younger girls would be to recognize that the same thing you're going through is what every other girl you know is feeling because they all have their little thing that they think is a disability – whether it's their frizzy, red hair or they think they have a big nose or they think they have two left feet. Whatever it is, physical or inside, knowing you have it can be a disability. It's realizing that you're not as different as you think. Really everyone is feeling like they want to change stuff. Just know that it'll pass and in a few more years you'll realize that your beauty comes from being different from anyone on this planet. There's nobody just like you. As they get older, I'd counsel girls to know it's really a tool that unlocks your full potential. When you accept all the parts of yourself and you like yourself, the sky is the limit. People feed off of confidence. That's what so incredible about being at this event – everyone walks with their heads held high. They believe in themselves. But you know it didn't come from winning. The winning came from believing in themselves.
Is there a point in your life that you can remember having that realization – the transformation from being self conscious about yourself to celebrating you?Well, there were stages, but I think the absolute stage that I recognized it was after the [1996] Olympics.
You've done some runway modeling. What's it like to be on the runway?It's scary. It's just as scary as a competition for me. You psyche yourself up for it. I prepared for it. It's a different way of walking. It's like a play, like theatre. It's a real attitude display. I was scared. I was scared of falling in high heels. I was scared of the other models reaction to me. I was scared of the audience's reaction. I was afraid of being photographed like that. In sports you have some element of control – you're being judged based on your merit – how much you practice and your talent. With modeling it's different.
Did you do it just that once, or have you gone back for more?I did it just once. It was a real big one – over the top. I took a year and a half away from modeling. I never really wanted to be a model, but I think that's for social reasons – in that you don't see enough diversity in advertising for women. I felt like I wanted to make the same strides that I made as an athlete and use the same approach. Before there were really no athlete's with disabilities that received the same acknowledgement that I had. I knew being able to achieve that in the sports world, I'd be able to do that same thing in the fashion world. At least in sport you have to work really hard. Fashion is about art; it's about fantasy.
Do you feel like the people you came across, designers, models and audience saw you as beautiful despite your disability or because of it?They definitely saw the uniqueness as part of the beauty. That's what I put out there. It wasn't like “shy your eyes away from this part of me and you'll see that I'm beautiful.” I wasn't hiding anything. It wasn't despite anything. The package comes with all the components.
Do you think there in an attitudinal evolution going on in America in that regard?Yeah. It's slow. It's frustrating that it doesn't move as quickly as I would like it to. There's a lot more people that are out there that you wouldn't have seen ten years ago. And they don't have Barbie proportions with big boobs and a tiny, tiny waist…or they don't look western. Before now, many black models had to conform to a white standard of beauty.
Is there anything else you want girls or women involved with the Women's Sports Foundation to hear about you?Just that they should join the Women's Sports Foundation and try to become as active as possible. It is through this kind of collective that we continue to make great things happen. It took like 20 years of this organization existing to produce superstar talent we've seen in the past five years – hockey and soccer and basketball. How big could this be 20 years from now? I know I'll be sticking around to see it.
*Editors Note* - Currently Mullins is pursuing a career as an actress, having just completed filming a movie and is in the process of filming another major motion picture, and was named to HBO's list of "Up and Comers" to watch in 2004.