Geek Girl recently dropped on Netflix, and I binge-watched the entire season.
How could I not? When I watched the trailer, Netflix promoted the show as its latest geek to chic makeover story. You know, the one where the dorky girl gets a makeover, and everyone finally sees her as the amazing individual that she’s been all along. Think the Princess Diaries, She’s All That, the Devil Wears Prada and Mean Girls. Some may call it a tired trope. I call it a tried and tested formula that I am here for.
This time, the protagonist is a geeky high schooler named Harriet Manners, who gets discovered on a school field trip and becomes a high fashion model. So over the weekend, I settled in to what seemed like a high school girl’s fantasy, comfortable in the fact that I knew exactly what I would be in for.
But the more I watched, the more “hang on” moments I found myself having.
Hang on, that’s sensory overload that she’s experiencing. Hang on, she keeps on asking her friend whether they’re having a fight because she’s finding it difficult to interpret the social cues. Hang on, these characters are clearly more comfortable conversing without eye contact. Hang on, does she keep on wearing those headphones because she loves music, or is there more to it than that?
I found myself Googling “does Harriet Manners have autism?” and that’s when I found the behind-the-scenes story that rivalled the one on my screen.
The Real Story
Geek Girl was based on a popular series of books, which was inspired by the real-life story of its author Holly Smale. After reading the books, it was so obvious to the National Autistic Society that Harriet was autistic that they emailed the author “you know she’s autistic right?” According to The Times, the author responded “‘no, because I’m not [autistic], so that would be really weird.”
Then, at 38 years old, the author was officially diagnosed with autism. She reflected “and then I had to go back [to the National Autistic Society] with my tail between my legs afterwards and go, ‘OK, I’m sorry.’”
Since her diagnosis, Smale has retroactively described Harriet as autistic as well.
Unmasking On Set
When it came time to translate the books onto the screen, Smale worked with lead actress Emily Carey, who has also been diagnosed with autism, to set the right tone. Carey, who had been a “huge fan” of the books growing up, found herself unmasking on set to portray the character who had helped her to feel “so seen”.
A Sneaky Celebration
Despite diagnosing Harriet as autistic before the creation of the Netflix adaptation, the words “autism”, “ASD” and even “neurodiverse” are not mentioned once throughout the show. If I had watched it as an uninformed teenager, Harriet’s neurodiversity would have gone right over my head. It’s as if the creators are saying, this is Harriet’s story, and at this point in time, she doesn’t know that she has autism. This is what life felt like for Smale before her diagnosis, and while it had its challenges, what an amazing life it was.
While Harriet’s blossoming relationship with love interest Nick was fun to watch, it was her relationship with agent Wilbur that gave me that warm fuzzy feeling. From the moment they met, he was her biggest cheerleader and supporter. What I particularly loved was that he not only had an unwavering belief in her potential as a model, but saw her and genuinely cared about her welfare.
Harriet’s Biggest Supporter
When he noticed her struggling with sensory overload, he approached her Dad, wanting to work together with her family to ensure all of Harriet’s needs could be accommodated. When Harriet rocked up in an old spider costume that she’d once worn for Halloween, a huge grin immediately spread over his face as he appreciated her for the individual she is. And whenever she walked the runway in those insanely high heels, Harriet knew that if she fell—either figuratively or literally—that Wilbur would still be in her corner, singing her praises to the world.
– Elle Writes, Guest Blogger
If you could use your own Wilbur/ supporter, call Living My Way on (02) 8525 4000 or email operations@lmwl.com.au
We can’t guarantee that your Support Worker or Support Coordinator will be called Wilbur, but they will be in your corner, and just as keen as Wilbur to help you to reach your potential.
