Selma Blair’s Dancing With The Stars Debut Feels Like Victory

We all talk about how dangerous (or strange) parasocial relationships between viewers and actors (or content creators) can be. However, I’m going to ignore my own advice about personal attachment to celebrities and be a fanboy for a moment. After watching Introducing, Selma Blair and seeing her struggles with MS, her Dancing With the Stars debut on Disney Plus makes me incredibly proud.

To put this in context for those who haven’t seen Introducing, Selma Blair, during 2020, Selma Blair struggled heavily with her Multiple Sclerosis. So much so, that walking up stairs was difficult, speech was impacted, and daily life was a struggle. Now, just two years later she joined the cast of the latest season of Dancing With the Stars. Isn’t that amazing?

From hardly being able to go about her daily life, to challenging herself with weekly ballroom dancing challenges while being scrutinized by millions is a daunting shift. Don’t get me wrong, there’s every possibility that her MS will prevent her from seeing the competition through to the end. However, the strength of just putting herself out there for such a challenge in the face of adversity is nothing short of admirable.

This should also speak volumes for her recovery, as the treatments she underwent have clearly done some work on helping her return to some semblance of normalcy. It should be a shining example of the power of modern medicine, during a time where so many people suffer from similar disorders and afflictions. This isn’t the same type of inspiration as those movies that try to say that just because some disabled person gets out of bed, they’re an inspiration, either.

Watching Selma fight for her physical ability to care for her son and for her own autonomy has been a powerful viewing experience. This feels like just another step in that journey as well. She could have taken an easier route and gotten a less physical acting gig, but instead she chose to take on a new challenge. It feels intentional too, and only she could say whether she is proving something to herself, or showing the world that she’s back and ready to take on anything in her way.

This feels like a victory for people who wonder if they’ll ever get back to a sense of normalcy during their own struggle with chronic conditions. Sure, some of us may never get back to a 100 percent normal state, but if Selma Blair can bounce back and hit the ballroom, who knows what the future holds? Maybe I’m just happy to see her thriving after knowing how hard she has struggled though.

I’m not a Dancing With the Stars fan, but between Shangela and Selma Blair this season, I just might end up watching the entire thing. Even if Selma doesn’t make it to the end, I know I won’t be the only one cheering her on for however long she competes. It takes an iron will and a warrior’s spirit to take on challenges and adversity in the way that Selma Blair has, and I just can’t wait to see what that iron will is capable of.