Pop Culture

Comic-Con Panel Examines How Pop Culture Stigmatizes Burn Survivors

Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger from the 2010 remake of “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Image from Netflix trailer

For more than 50 years, the Burn Institute in San Diego has sought to help burn survivors and organize education programs to reduce burn injuries and the trauma they cause.

On Friday, officials with the Institute took their message to a new audience — fans at Comic-Con.

The Burn Institute sought to raise awareness about how pop culture can stigmatize burn survivors. Institute leaders presented “Beyond the Mask: Championing Face Equality in Pop Culture,” a discussion that attracted more than 50 people to a ballroom in the Marriott Marquis hotel near the San Diego Convention Center.

It’s the first time the Burn Institute has organized a program at Comic-Con and it sprung out of a discussion marketing director Edward Wilensky had with his son. They were watching the scene where Darth Vader removes his helmet to reveal his burned, disfigured face and his son asked why villains always have burns or scars.

Wilensky thought it would be a good topic to discuss in a creative and interesting way, leading to Friday’s panel.

Speakers pointed to pop culture villains who suffered from some sort of disfigurement, including Freddy Krueger from “The Nightmare on Elm Street” horror franchise and Two Face from the Batman comic books and films.

Scars are often used as visual shorthand to portray villains, but people should be judged by their actions and not their appearances, said Wilensky.

Carlos Olivares, director of burn survivor services for the Institute, urged content creators to think carefully about adding scars to characters they create. He urged them to give the characters positive storylines and avoid perpetuating biases and inaccurate portrayals.

“Words matter,” said Olivares. “Words matter one hundred percent.”

Tina Martinezm was only 15 months old when she suffered second and third degree burns over 80 percent of her body. She underwent more than a dozen surgeries over 15 years and at the age of 16, she decided to accept herself for who she was.

When kids teased her about being Freddy Krueger, she told them she was Freddy’s sister. Now, she is a counselor at burn camps for children organized by the Institute.

“I’m able to be there for the kids,” she said.

Advocates have achieved some success. Years ago, it used to be common to refer to burn victims. Over the years, that has changed to the term burn survivors.

The Burn Institute serves San Diego and Imperial counties and has a variety of programs to help people, especially youth, who have been burned.

“You are not alone,” said Tessa Haviland, executive director of the Institute. “You are not alone in your healing journey. You are not alone in your struggle.”


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