Ted Audio Collective.

Audio Collective.

You are listening to how to be a better human.

I'm your host Chris Duffy. There was a period of time in my life

when I was auditioning for commercials semi-regularly. And full transparency I was

terrible at the auditions. One time the casting director literally gave me the note,

could you be less wooden? And the honest answer was, no, no I can't be.

The weirdest part of the audition though happened before I ever got in front of the camera.

I remember one audition for a terrifying energy drink alternative that was like a patch that

somehow delivered the caffeine straight into your skin or something. On one side of the waiting room for this

audition was a row of identical bodybuilders in white tank tops. On the other side where I was seated

was a row of skinny guys wearing plaid button downs about to audition for the part of

Nerd Who Works From Home. There were maybe half a dozen of us who all looked a lot

like me except everyone else was slightly taller or fitter or more handsome.

And spoiler, I never booked a commercial, not a single one.

But I cannot forget how discombobulating it was to see so clearly the box I was being categorized in.

And yet, for many people, that is a daily experience.

Whether your identity is subsumed into parent or woman or elderly, we are all so much more is guest Chloe Cooper Jones is the author of the book Easy Beauty. In it she talks about the ways that she's been reduced by her appearance.

Chloe was born with a rare congenital condition called sacralogenesis which affects both her stature and

gate and frequently causes her physical pain and discomfort. Chloe talks about

the way that she is ohered because of her visible disability but she also

talks about the ways that art and beauty and an internal life have helped

...