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Why Rita Farr on 'Doom Patrol' Is Groundbreaking for the Chronic Illness Community
There are so many things to love about HBO’s take on “Doom Patrol” member Rita Farr (aka Elasti-Girl): her gloriously retro 1950s clothing, hair, and makeup; her status as an active character who, despite her struggles with anxiety, grows as a person and starts taking on a leadership role (especially in Season 2); and her complex, fully-developed, flaw-filled backstory*, which serves as the source of her compassion for others — even difficult characters like The Chief. But the thing I love most about Rita is likely to go unnoticed by healthy, able-bodied viewers: to my knowledge, she’s the only superhero on television living with a chronic illness.
