[Script Info] Title: [Events] Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was speaking to a group of about 300 kids, Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.00,0:00:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,ages six to eight, at a children's museum, Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.00,0:00:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I brought with me a bag full of legs, Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.00,0:00:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,similar to the kinds of things you see up here, Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.00,0:00:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and had them laid out on a table for the kids. Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.00,0:00:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And, from my experience, you know, kids are naturally curious Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.00,0:00:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about what they don't know, or don't understand, Dialogue: 0,0:00:19.00,0:00:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or is foreign to them. Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.00,0:00:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They only learn to be frightened of those differences Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.00,0:00:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when an adult influences them to behave that way, Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.00,0:00:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and maybe censors that natural curiosity, Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.00,0:00:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or you know, reins in the question-asking Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.00,0:00:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the hopes of them being polite little kids. Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.00,0:00:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I just pictured a first grade teacher out in the lobby Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.00,0:00:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with these unruly kids, saying, "Now, whatever you do, Dialogue: 0,0:00:41.00,0:00:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,don't stare at her legs." Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.00,0:00:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But, of course, that's the point. Dialogue: 0,0:00:45.00,0:00:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's why I was there, I wanted to invite them to look and explore. Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.00,0:00:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I made a deal with the adults Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.00,0:00:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that the kids could come in without any adults for two minutes Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.00,0:00:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on their own. Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.00,0:01:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The doors open, the kids descend on this table of legs, Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.00,0:01:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they are poking and prodding, and they're wiggling toes, Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.00,0:01:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and they're trying to put their full weight on the sprinting leg Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.00,0:01:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to see what happens with that. Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.00,0:01:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I said, "Kids, really quickly -- Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.00,0:01:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I woke up this morning, I decided I wanted to be able to jump over a house -- Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.00,0:01:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,nothing too big, two or three stories -- Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.00,0:01:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but, if you could think of any animal, any superhero, any cartoon character, Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.00,0:01:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,anything you can dream up right now, Dialogue: 0,0:01:23.00,0:01:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what kind of legs would you build me?" Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.00,0:01:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And immediately a voice shouted, "Kangaroo!" Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.00,0:01:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"No, no, no! Should be a frog!" Dialogue: 0,0:01:30.00,0:01:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"No. It should be Go Go Gadget!" Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.00,0:01:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"No, no, no! It should be the Incredibles." Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.00,0:01:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And other things that I don't -- aren't familiar with. Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.00,0:01:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then, one eight-year-old said, Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.00,0:01:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Hey, why wouldn't you want to fly too?" Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.00,0:01:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the whole room, including me, was like, "Yeah." Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.00,0:01:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:01:49.00,0:01:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And just like that, I went from being a woman Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.00,0:01:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that these kids would have been trained to see as "disabled" Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.00,0:02:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to somebody that had potential that their bodies didn't have yet. Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.00,0:02:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Somebody that might even be super-abled. Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.00,0:02:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Interesting. Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.00,0:02:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So some of you actually saw me at TED, 11 years ago. Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.00,0:02:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And there's been a lot of talk about how life-changing this conference is Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.00,0:02:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for both speakers and attendees, and I am no exception. Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.00,0:02:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,TED literally was the launch pad to the next decade of my life's exploration. Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.00,0:02:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the time, the legs I presented were groundbreaking in prosthetics. Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.00,0:02:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I had woven carbon fiber sprinting legs Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.00,0:02:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,modeled after the hind leg of a cheetah, Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.00,0:02:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which you may have seen on stage yesterday. Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.00,0:02:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And also these very life-like, intrinsically painted silicone legs. Dialogue: 0,0:02:41.00,0:02:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So at the time, it was my opportunity to put a call out Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.00,0:02:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to innovators outside the traditional medical prosthetic community Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.00,0:02:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to come bring their talent to the science and to the art Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.00,0:02:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of building legs. Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.00,0:03:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So that we can stop compartmentalizing form, function and aesthetic, Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.00,0:03:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and assigning them different values. Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.00,0:03:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, lucky for me, a lot of people answered that call. Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.00,0:03:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the journey started, funny enough, with a TED conference attendee -- Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.00,0:03:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chee Pearlman, who hopefully is in the audience somewhere today. Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.00,0:03:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She was the editor then of a magazine called ID, Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.00,0:03:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she gave me a cover story. Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.00,0:03:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This started an incredible journey. Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.00,0:03:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Curious encounters were happening to me at the time; Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.00,0:03:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'd been accepting numerous invitations to speak Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.00,0:03:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on the design of the cheetah legs around the world. Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.00,0:03:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And people would come up to me after the conference, after my talk, Dialogue: 0,0:03:34.00,0:03:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,men and women. Dialogue: 0,0:03:36.00,0:03:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the conversation would go something like this, Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.00,0:03:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You know Aimee, you're very attractive. Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.00,0:03:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You don't look disabled." Dialogue: 0,0:03:44.00,0:03:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.00,0:03:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought, "Well, that's amazing, Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.00,0:03:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I don't feel disabled." Dialogue: 0,0:03:49.00,0:03:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it really opened my eyes to this conversation Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.00,0:03:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that could be explored, about beauty. Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.00,0:03:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What does a beautiful woman have to look like? Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.00,0:04:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What is a sexy body? Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.00,0:04:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And interestingly, from an identity standpoint, Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.00,0:04:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what does it mean to have a disability? Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.00,0:04:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, people -- Pamela Anderson has more prosthetic in her body than I do. Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.00,0:04:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nobody calls her disabled. Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.00,0:04:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.00,0:04:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this magazine, through the hands of graphic designer Peter Saville, Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.00,0:04:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,went to fashion designer Alexander McQueen, and photographer Nick Knight, Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.00,0:04:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who were also interested in exploring that conversation. Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.00,0:04:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, three months after TED I found myself on a plane Dialogue: 0,0:04:31.00,0:04:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to London, doing my first fashion shoot, Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.00,0:04:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which resulted in this cover -- Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.00,0:04:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Fashion-able"? Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.00,0:04:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Three months after that, I did my first runway show for Alexander McQueen Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.00,0:04:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on a pair of hand-carved wooden legs made from solid ash. Dialogue: 0,0:04:49.00,0:04:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Nobody knew -- everyone thought they were wooden boots. Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.00,0:04:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Actually, I have them on stage with me: Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.00,0:04:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,grapevines, magnolias -- truly stunning. Dialogue: 0,0:05:00.00,0:05:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Poetry matters. Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.00,0:05:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Poetry is what elevates the banal and neglected object Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.00,0:05:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a realm of art. Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.00,0:05:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It can transform the thing that might have made people fearful Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.00,0:05:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,into something that invites them to look, Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.00,0:05:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and look a little longer, Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.00,0:05:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and maybe even understand. Dialogue: 0,0:05:23.00,0:05:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I learned this firsthand with my next adventure. Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.00,0:05:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The artist Matthew Barney, in his film opus called the "The Cremaster Cycle." Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.00,0:05:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is where it really hit home for me -- Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.00,0:05:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that my legs could be wearable sculpture. Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.00,0:05:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And even at this point, I started to move away from the need to replicate human-ness Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.00,0:05:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the only aesthetic ideal. Dialogue: 0,0:05:45.00,0:05:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So we made what people lovingly referred to as glass legs Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.00,0:05:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even though they're actually optically clear polyurethane, Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.00,0:05:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a.k.a. bowling ball material. Dialogue: 0,0:05:55.00,0:05:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Heavy! Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.00,0:05:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then we made these legs that are cast in soil Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.00,0:06:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with a potato root system growing in them, and beetroots out the top, Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.00,0:06:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and a very lovely brass toe. Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.00,0:06:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's a good close-up of that one. Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.00,0:06:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Then another character was a half-woman, half-cheetah -- Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.00,0:06:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a little homage to my life as an athlete. Dialogue: 0,0:06:10.00,0:06:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,14 hours of prosthetic make-up Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.00,0:06:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to get into a creature that had articulated paws, Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.00,0:06:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,claws and a tail that whipped around, Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.00,0:06:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like a gecko. Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.00,0:06:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.00,0:06:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And then another pair of legs we collaborated on were these -- Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.00,0:06:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,look like jellyfish legs, Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.00,0:06:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also polyurethane. Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.00,0:06:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the only purpose that these legs can serve, Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.00,0:06:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,outside the context of the film, Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.00,0:06:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is to provoke the senses and ignite the imagination. Dialogue: 0,0:06:42.00,0:06:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So whimsy matters. Dialogue: 0,0:06:45.00,0:06:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, I have over a dozen pair of prosthetic legs Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.00,0:06:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that various people have made for me, Dialogue: 0,0:06:53.00,0:06:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and with them I have different negotiations of the terrain under my feet, Dialogue: 0,0:06:57.00,0:06:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I can change my height -- Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.00,0:07:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I have a variable of five different heights. Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.00,0:07:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.00,0:07:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, I'm 6'1". Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.00,0:07:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I had these legs made a little over a year ago Dialogue: 0,0:07:08.00,0:07:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at Dorset Orthopedic in England Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.00,0:07:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when I brought them home to Manhattan, Dialogue: 0,0:07:12.00,0:07:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my first night out on the town, I went to a very fancy party. Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.00,0:07:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And a girl was there who has known me for years Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.00,0:07:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at my normal 5'8". Dialogue: 0,0:07:19.00,0:07:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Her mouth dropped open when she saw me, Dialogue: 0,0:07:21.00,0:07:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she went, "But you're so tall!" Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.00,0:07:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I said, "I know. Isn't it fun?" Dialogue: 0,0:07:26.00,0:07:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean, it's a little bit like wearing stilts on stilts, Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.00,0:07:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I have an entirely new relationship to door jams Dialogue: 0,0:07:31.00,0:07:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that I never expected I would ever have. Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.00,0:07:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I was having fun with it. Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.00,0:07:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And she looked at me, Dialogue: 0,0:07:38.00,0:07:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she said, "But, Aimee, that's not fair." Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.00,0:07:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter) Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.00,0:07:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause) Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.00,0:07:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the incredible thing was she really meant it. Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.00,0:07:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's not fair that you can change your height, Dialogue: 0,0:07:51.00,0:07:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as you want it. Dialogue: 0,0:07:53.00,0:07:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that's when I knew -- Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.00,0:07:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's when I knew that the conversation with society Dialogue: 0,0:07:58.00,0:08:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has changed profoundly Dialogue: 0,0:08:00.00,0:08:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this last decade. Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.00,0:08:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is no longer a conversation about overcoming deficiency. Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.00,0:08:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a conversation about augmentation. Dialogue: 0,0:08:09.00,0:08:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a conversation about potential. Dialogue: 0,0:08:13.00,0:08:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A prosthetic limb doesn't represent the need to replace loss anymore. Dialogue: 0,0:08:18.00,0:08:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It can stand as a symbol that the wearer Dialogue: 0,0:08:21.00,0:08:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,has the power to create whatever it is that they want to create Dialogue: 0,0:08:24.00,0:08:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in that space. Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.00,0:08:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So people that society once considered to be disabled Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.00,0:08:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can now become the architects of their own identities Dialogue: 0,0:08:34.00,0:08:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and indeed continue to change those identities Dialogue: 0,0:08:36.00,0:08:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by designing their bodies Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.00,0:08:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from a place of empowerment. Dialogue: 0,0:08:41.00,0:08:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And what is exciting to me so much right now Dialogue: 0,0:08:46.00,0:08:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that by combining cutting-edge technology -- Dialogue: 0,0:08:50.00,0:08:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,robotics, bionics -- Dialogue: 0,0:08:52.00,0:08:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with the age-old poetry, Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.00,0:09:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we are moving closer to understanding our collective humanity. Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.00,0:09:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think that if we want to discover the full potential Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.00,0:09:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in our humanity, Dialogue: 0,0:09:07.00,0:09:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we need to celebrate those heartbreaking strengths Dialogue: 0,0:09:11.00,0:09:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and those glorious disabilities that we all have. Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.00,0:09:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think of Shakespeare's Shylock: Dialogue: 0,0:09:17.00,0:09:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"If you prick us, do we not bleed, Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.00,0:09:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and if you tickle us, do we not laugh?" Dialogue: 0,0:09:24.00,0:09:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is our humanity, Dialogue: 0,0:09:27.00,0:09:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and all the potential within it, Dialogue: 0,0:09:29.00,0:09:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that makes us beautiful. Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.00,0:09:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you. Dialogue: 0,0:09:33.00,0:09:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)