The Alleles Studios’ Nouveau prosthetic leg cover has a bubblegum pink base, gold detailing and attaches below the knee. The Nouveau was created by designers McCauley Wanner and Ryan Palibroda as part of a growing movement to celebrate differently-abled beauty. The campy and feminine aesthetic of the cover poses a sharp contrast to the streamlined, utilitarian designs of the past which put assimilation above all else. In a conversation with Anita Perr, an occupational therapist working with the NYU Ability Project, Cole learned that insurance companies enforce standards of what is ‘necessary’ in a design through issuances of coverage, and thereby perpetuate the idea of beauty as a privilege reserved for those able to meet the standards of normality and productivity.
