Let It Go - Disability Anthem

6 years ago this month, Disney released what had been until this year (The Lion King remake now holds this title) it's most successful film to date, Frozen, and if I had to guess, the newly relaxed Frozen 2 will do just as well as the original.

If by any chance you have been living under a rock and don't know what I'm referring too, Frozen tells the story of Elsa, princess of Arendelle, who was born with magical powers of ice and snow. After an incident as a child where Elsa harms Anna with her powers, Elsa's parents decide it is best to keep her hidden from the outside world while also separating her from Anna until her powers can be controlled. After inadvertently causing Arendelle to fall into an eternal winter, Elsa runs away and goes into hiding, and soon after begins to come into her own and accepting herself and her powers, and Elsa sings one of the most iconic songs in Disney, and I'd argue film, history:


"Let It Go" is an anthem of self acceptance, being who you are, and living apologetically, and in many ways, I personally see the song as an anthem for people with disabilities everywhere.

Allow me to explain.

Elsa sings Let It Go moments after her secret is revealed and it forces her into isolation, a feeling many people living with disabilities (both visible and invisible) know all too well. Lyrics like "Don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know", for many with disabilities can feel extremely relatable.

Try for a moment to put yourself in the shoes of someone revealing to people around them that they live with Bipolar disorder. In that moment, telling someone something so personal such as this, no matter how well you know that person, can feel extremely scary and isolating. Speaking for myself, my history of revealing my Spina Bifida and why I limp usually starts with someone saying "Oh my god I am so sorry you have to suffer through that", assuming that I suffer through my life instead of LIVING my life to the best of my ability. I won't speak for every person with a disability, whether it be physical like mine or internal like Bipolar, but I would guess many have similar stories.

After Let It Go, Elsa's entire demeanor begins her journey to accepting her true self. She has highs and lows still throughout the film, including once Anna finds Elsa and another incident occurs which leads Elsa to further isolate herself. However in the end when it is called for, Elsa stands strong, comes into her own, and saves the day and the kingdom.

The moral of the story here is we all have things about us that make us different, but it is how we use those things about us that matter. I refuse to let my Spina Bifida get in the way of my acting goals, and much like Elsa, I had to go on my own self acceptance journey to "Let It Go".

A lesson we all can learn.