onesie wednesday 2nd April coming

...maybe they should have had a lot of people dressed up as Einstein...

I've known a couple of employers to support various charities by having their staff dress up in onesies, fancy dress or a themed outfit and I've always thought that the reason that they choose this is to draw people's attention in the hope that they'll be more likely to donate and find out more about the cause.

Am I right in understanding that this campaigns slogan is that "it is okay to be different".

If that is the case then wearing onesies is not being different, it is the latest craze being following by a vast majority of NT teenagers (especially).  Much like wearing jeans that start at your knees with your underwear showing was the craze a few years ago.

Wearing onesies is just jumping onto an already existing fad.

From my childrens' perspective they find these outfits humiliating and would not be caught dead in one (however, they are boys so there maybe something in that).

I also think that it's OK for NT's to wear them because they have the support of each other (the group mentality).  ASC teenagers would get teased, I think because they don't have that support structure in place and prefer to be individuals. 

Nevertheless I will be giving to the cause.  Just hope the fund raisers look happy and don't appear embarassed, which would not do this cause any good at all.

I'll go dust of my leotard now 

Different thinkers rather than different dressers isn't so hard to come up with - Data impersonators, Mr spock impersonators, Dr who impersonators, Sherlock Holmes impersonators......

Oh and dare I say it, when collecting in a railway station.... Thomas the Tank Engine characters......

Anil A - Mod said:

That said, I have floated some ideas for how to represent an invisible disability better from a campaigns point of view. Hopefully we'll be able to make them happen.

 Didn't include invisible clothes I hope!

Now, if they were to wear a red nose and a onesie.........

Hi,

I can't help but make the comparison of wearing a red nose for comic relief. The charity's cause is no laughing matter, the red nose is to grab attention and raise money.

Anil A - Mod said:

Purely from my point of view here, I agree that onesies by themselves do not represent an invisible disability all that well. Nor am in a rush to wear one, either. That said, it makes for a great visual impact and so I would wear one, particularly if it meant that a passerby stopped to ask me more about who I was fundraising for. Great opportunity to explain more about autism. 

 

That said, I have floated some ideas for how to represent an invisible disability better from a campaigns point of view. Hopefully we'll be able to make them happen. 

At risk of seeming too serious...

Therein lies the problem for me: The wearing of onesies has been described as showing that "it's OK to be different" (with the implication that this is referring to autistic difference) rather than simply to grab attention.  Onsies seem like a superficial, silly, attention-grabbing difference, which doesn't really reflect autistic difference.  This is illustrated by the words "doing everyday activities in a not-so-everyday outfit".  Autistic differences run far deeper, have much more serious and significant effects, and can deliver very real benefits to society.  Being autistic doesn't mean that I do things like everybody else whilst superficially appearing different; it means that I am different in ways that significantly affect day-to-day activities.  Wearing onesies is also a choice, unlike being autistic.  Looking ridiculous to grab attention when collecting for charity and making a serious point about autism are very different things and I'm not convinced that combining them in this way is helpful.

To show that I am not a complete bore though, I am a huge fan of the use of satire to make a point.  E.g. as The Now Show does and Dead Ringers used to.  I think that this has huge potential to make serious points about autistic difference in a fun way e.g. I love online articles about "Neurotypical Syndrome".

Purely from my point of view here, I agree that onesies by themselves do not represent an invisible disability all that well. Nor am in a rush to wear one, either. That said, it makes for a great visual impact and so I would wear one, particularly if it meant that a passerby stopped to ask me more about who I was fundraising for. Great opportunity to explain more about autism. 

That said, I have floated some ideas for how to represent an invisible disability better from a campaigns point of view. Hopefully we'll be able to make them happen. 

My heart goes out to the volunteers doing the collecting in railway stations - this isn't going to be an easy one for them. But I guess it is up there with dressing as a banana, or various party animals - and it will entertain travellers.

And hopefully it will raise lots of usable money.

I'm trying to see the good in it, but unfortunately I am rather caught up with the feeling NAS has missed the point of autism difference. And thereby hangs a larger problem.....

These onesies are so shudderingly embarrassing.  They are like a giant babygrow and I have, from the outset, wondered what anyone sees in them.  I would rather be tarred and feathered than walk through the streets in a onesie.

Onesies for me are associated with peurile, infantilised people, not something I would say gave the right image to autism...

longman said:

Yes they caught on in 2013 with the young fashion set wearing them out of doors, but it caused a lot of controversy.

My reservation might be, how many people might feel reluctant to take part because they don't want to be seen in a onesie?

And is a onesie saying the right things about autism difference?

If you feel strongly enough about the project, you can surely defend it a bit more constructively......

When I first read about the event a couple of weeks ago my immediate thought was of concern over being associated with the wearing of onesies in public.  They are not something that I am a fan of.  Yes, it's important to make the point that it's OK to be different, but I really don't think that the ways in which I am "different" are very well represented by wearing onesies.  That said, freedom of expression is a fundamental right and I don't have to take part so I'm not too bothered either way.  At least it should raise the NAS some funds.  

Competing interests: A (purely personal and not meant to offend anybody) passionate hatred of onesies.

I don't want to discourage innovative fund raising, to get people's attention, and get them to give generously, and I appreciate the need to state that it is ok to be different, but all I was hoping was that you might say more about such items.

Yes they caught on in 2013 with the young fashion set wearing them out of doors, but it caused a lot of controversy.

My reservation might be, how many people might feel reluctant to take part because they don't want to be seen in a onesie?

And is a onesie saying the right things about autism difference?

If you feel strongly enough about the project, you can surely defend it a bit more constructively......

Hi Longman,

I asked one of our fundraising team to respond, his answer is below. 

"Onesie Wednesday was created to give people a platform to stand out, and stand up for autism. It's a way of allowing people to show that's it's ok to be different, by doing everyday activities in a not-so-everyday outfit.