LilyBiggs

Carl Wheezer in “Jimmy Neutron” is the epitome of the asthma stereotype- he’s nerdy, helpless, awkward and weak. Image source: JimmyNeutronWiki.com.

Rowan Laslow in “Wednesday” has asthma to make him appear weak and awkward. He uses his inhaler incorrectly, too. Image source: VillainsWiki.com

At the end of “The Goonies”, Mikey throws away his inhaler like it’s trash and is immediately cured. Image source: TheGooniesWiki.com.

In “Toy Story 2”, Wheezy’s entire name and character is based around being weak and helpless due to his asthma. Image source: PixarWiki.com.

In “Jigsaw”, Carly gets trapped because she accidentally stole the inhaler of an asthmatic, who later died since she didn’t have it. Image source: SawWiki.com.

When Lyle gets sent to the zoo in “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile”, Josh passes out from an asthma attack since he got so emotional. Image source: Vulture.com.

Quick- when you think of someone with asthma, what do you think of? If you said someone who’s more nerdy, unathletic or awkward, you wouldn’t be the only one. When directors run out of ideas to make a character weak, asthma always seems to be at the top of the list.

Asthma isn’t a joke. It kills. Ten people in America die every single day due to asthma. However, pop culture still seems to make asthma the butt of all too many jokes. You never see any shows making fun of cancer or heart failure, thankfully.

The bad representation goes beyond just a nerdy stereotype, though. I will always get pissed off when I see a character get emotional and suddenly pass out because “they have asthma,” like in Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. People in Hollywood are openly making up rules when it comes to asthma and completely ignoring how it actually works.

Let’s go over some of these issues. First of all, you don’t use an inhaler once, and poof! All is fixed. In reality, you have to breathe out, breathe in while using your inhaler, and hold your breath for about 10 seconds to allow the powder to actually go into your lungs. Repeat twice, and in about 15 to 20 minutes, the drowning feeling will slowly go away. 

Another example of inaccurate representation is the lack of wheezing in characters. It’s shocking, but films completely exclude the most recognizable part of asthma. Instead, characters act like they’re insanely surprised. These actors need to recognize that they didn’t get a hippopotamus for Christmas and need to calm down. There’s no need to gasp.

I’m so tired of seeing asthma being shown as a personality trait. If you want your character to be seen as weak, put in the work to actually make them appear that way. Don’t slap the “asthma” label onto them and call it a day. You’re just being lazy.

If you see someone in real life who has asthma, please do not put them into the box Hollywood creates for my fellow asthmatics. Telling them to “just breathe” won’t help either. The best thing you can do is give them space and the comfort of your being there. It’s rough, but you can’t really do anything to help.

Asthma is a terrible condition, but we can all put in the effort to destigmatize it.