The Problem With The New Down Syndrome PSA Starring Olivia Wilde

The video opens with Olivia Wilde, the famous actress, tying back her hair and straightening her sweater. As she looks into the mirror, a female voice says, “This is how I see myself.” The voice continues, “I see myself as a daughter, a sister, a best friend. As a person you can rely on. I see myself meeting someone that I can share my life with. I see myself singing, dancing, and laughing, until I cannot breathe. And also crying sometimes.” The voice continues with its inspirational message of possibilities, as Wilde acts out the scenes. She’s with her family, on the couch with her lover, on stage, at work in a restaurant, and more. This thin beautiful white woman sure seems to be enjoying a nice life.

But it’s not Wilde’s voice that’s doing the speaking. At the end of the video, we see AnnaRose, a young woman with Down syndrome, who asks, “How do you see me?”

The video, made by the well-connected and well-funded firm Saatchi and Saatchi, is intended to promote World Down Syndrome Day, held every year on March 21. Their goal is to make you, the…