Prior to the idea of customisable prosthetic limbs, many amputees felt the urge to hide their limb differences from the world. But now, in an age of technology and social media, I meet with three people who want to change this narrative.
Image via @Unyq on Instagram
Waking up in the hospital at the age of ten, to the news that he had lost his leg in a car accident changed Mark Williams’ life forever. The incident pushed him to pursue a Paralympic career six years later in 1988, swimming with Team GB for five years. Working a corporate job before starting his own business to sell prosthetic limb covers in 2018, the former Paralympian now refers to the day of the crash as, “The best day of my life”. But this was not always his outlook.
Set up in Wales in 2018 as an extra source of income, Williams’ business LIMB-Art started as a simple solution for his own problem and has now grown into a global venture. They now ship worldwide to the likes of Australia, Canada, and the USA. Williams works closely with his design teams by using computer-aided design and manufacture processes to help amputees express themselves with customisable leg covers in a variety of designs and colours that attach to their prosthetic legs. Williams discusses the effects of his work, “It has absolutely impacted the lives of others, it gives them confidence, which is the biggest thing. It changes what is intrinsically a big negative – losing your leg – into a massive positive.”
A call to bring prosthetics into the mainstream fashion industry, as well as the film industry has been made by amputees such as Williams. This has been highlighted in the media this month, following the release of the film ‘The Witches’ based on the Roald Dahl book. The film was released in October, starring actress Anne Hathaway, where her character, The Grand High Witch, is depicted with missing fingers on each hand. This sparked controversy among various Paralympians and those with limb differences on social media as the portrayal of her character as a witch could lead to children associating limb differences with representations that are hurtful to this group. As a result, the ‘#NotAWitch’ campaign trended on social media, with people posting their limb differences and their opinions on the film, to which Anne Hathaway responded to with an apology. It is for this reason; amputees are asking for better representation in mainstream media and fashion.
Among those who were dismayed by the film was Sam Tokita, an artist and Instagram blogger based in Seattle. Following her reaction to the film, Tokita took to her Instagram account ‘@bionickick’ to express her concerns to her 10,000 followers: “As storytellers, filmmakers have an opportunity to shed light on unheard perspectives. That didn’t happen here. I cannot imagine how much this will exacerbate the teasing, the shame and the self-doubt that kids with limb differences already experience.”
Tokita set up her Instagram account in September 2019 to document her sports journey with Muay Thai. Her page gained popularity as she discussed her experience as a congenital amputee and her expressive photography, and with the growth of her page, she soon felt she had a responsibility to represent the disabled community. Tokita began featuring other members of the community on her platform in support. “I feel this responsibility to fight for them and to care for them,” she tells me, “I wanted to have a space where I could give back and use the privilege that I have, to hopefully help people a little bit.”
Tokita talks about her prosthetic leg in detail on her page, featuring live Q&A sessions where she discusses the possibility of getting her cosmetic limb cover tattooed and customised. “It’s so cool that we're constantly advancing prosthetic technology and spending time on what's going to make patients happy and to not feel like this is just something they’re going to have to wear for the rest of their lives,” she says excitedly, “people who don't have prosthetic limbs probably totally envy the designs.”
Advancing prosthetic technology is also at the heart of Eythor Bender’s company, UNYQ. Set up in 2014, the San Francisco-based brand creates 3D-printed medical wearables ranging from scoliosis braces to prosthetics and covers. His main aim was to move away from focusing on just the function of prosthetics, but also, “To pay attention to design and the fact that it’s actually something to wear all day long, like your eyewear,” he tells me. The company works together with amputees every year to create a line of prosthetics with unique and affordable designs. Featuring in London Fashion Week in 2014 and working with various fashion designers, UNYQ aims to “Give people the tools to actually personalise [their prosthetic wear],” Bender says.
Creating a future where prosthetics are destigmatised is a top priority for Bender, Tokita and Williams. “In the past, we were helping people to hide their prosthetics rather than showing it off,” Bender says, “but the industry is becoming more inclusive now, we can pay better attention to specific needs.”
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