Let's Skip to Inclusion ("That Part" Music Video)

In this article I will be speaking in terms of monogamous romantic relationships.

The music video for Lauren Spencer Smith’s song “That Part” came out recently. I love the song, but I’m not the biggest fan of the music video.

I think the concept is beautiful, but the exclusion in the execution makes it difficult for me to enjoy it.

The video features different couples in different parts of their relationships. But there’s no wheelchair users which is very disappointing and upsetting.

Why wouldn’t you include wheelchair users in your music video?

A thought process about wheelchair users that I see a lot is that we can’t have healthy romantic relationships. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Whether it’s with another wheelchair user or with an able-bodied person (aka “an interabled relationship”), wheelchair users can be in relationships. And we deserve for that to be shown.

Wheelchair users are human. We are simply just people who use wheelchairs to get around. For some people, like myself, that is using our wheelchairs to get everywhere. For others (also known as ambulatory wheelchair users), it can depend on the day and distance they have to travel. But our level of loveableness is not dependent on how we go through the world. Wheelchair users are not less loveable than able-bodied or nondisabled people.

I personally know of at least 3 interabled couples with someone who uses a wheelchair and someone who is not physically disabled. Contrary to popular thought, this can - and does - happen and it can be completely healthy. (3 may not be that many but I grew up being the only disabled person I knew so knowing of multiple couples means something to me.)

You know, it wasn’t until I was 19 years old that I saw a romcom where one of the main characters was a wheelchair user (“Christmas Ever After” starring Ali Stroker). and I haven't seen any shows or movies with that kind of representation since.

That movie gave me hope and confidence of having a romantic relationship for the first time. Without that representation, I might still not believe I'm deserving of healthy romantic love.

More than that, after I watch a music video, I'm reminded of it whenever I listen to that song.

Speaking about "That Part", I am now reminded of exclusion when I hear the song. This sucks because I love the song on its own, but, with the music video, it makes me feel left out.

Before the music video, I heard the song as inclusive(ish). (Check out my inclusive language post on more information on that). I heard the song as talking about a lot of different romantic relationships. After the music video, I don't feel that way anymore. I see it was talking about different able-bodied and nondisabled romantic relationships.

Also, as someone who listens to music mostly to relax, being reminded of exclusion is the opposite of what I need.

A big part of the music video is people slow dancing. So let me address a "concern" of including wheelchair users in that sense: being a wheelchair user does not automatically mean we can't dance. (Check out The Rollettes.) As with every human being on the planet, every person who uses a wheelchair is different. We're different people so we have different abilities and different flexibilities.

Let me also clear something up just in case: I am in no way saying the music video should be changed and/or taken down now that it has been posted. What I am saying, however, is wheelchair users shouldn’t be an afterthought. Our relationships should be included and taken just as seriously as able-bodied and nondisabled people's.

(Photos of all the couples in Lauren’s video (excluding Lauren and her boyfriend) are attached at the end of this article.)