The Beautiful People, The Beautiful People

With all our worries about the recent EDS diagnosies I would be remiss if I didn't point out the advantages of having the disorder.

You can, for example, entertain your friends with freaky body manipulations - always a hit at parties.

With EDS, yoga is a breeze.

The disorder makes washing one's own back effortless.

And then there is the more superficial advantage: EDS has been called, accurately or not, "The Beautiful People's Disease." It seems that actors and models have it (or the associated, but somewhat more benign, Joint Hypermobility Syndrome) in a greater proportion than does the general population. The disorder tends to make those who are afflicted slender, longer-limbed, with delicate, long fingers, and with skin that is often quite soft and flawless. In runway models, the loose joints allow for that classic cat-like walk with hips that swing easily from side to side.

A quick google brings up articles speculating that Micheal Jackson had it. Johnny Depp is said to have been diagnosed as well. Mary Louise Parker, David Caruso, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Katie Holmes have been discussed. Two of the tween sensation Jonas Brothers are mentioned. British model Erin O'Connor is one of many, many models that are frequently part of the conversation (the young model Marissa Irwin lives with the rare and painful Arnold-Chiari malformation - a direct result of her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.)

Certain athletes, particularly swimmers, benefit as well from the anatomical oddities conferred by EDS. The great Australian swimmers Ian Thorpe and Jodie Henry have it and gold medalist Micheal Phelps is rumored to have it as well.

My wife and I had discussed the Girl's unusual attractiveness before all this. We've joked nervously about the strangely womanly way she tends to pose or stand - hand on hip with palm turned out, leg extended, and opposite hip pushed out. It looks very modelesque and isn't a typical pose for a preschooler. It now makes sense and seems quite natural for someone with joints as loose as hers - it offers more stability and comfort. Her skin has always been smooth as velvet with a flawless purity that more than a few people have coveted. It isn't hard imagining her becoming one of the "Beautiful People." So perhaps all the pain, misery, and discomfort she'll face will be worth it in the end...

But I doubt it.