Marcela
Women with autism are underdiagnosed; the ratio of men to women successfully diagnosed with ASD is 3:1. The diagnostic criteria were historically based on research conducted with young men and boys, leaving no frame of reference for how female autism manifests. Women face the societal pressure of being palatable and emotionally intelligent, and deviation from the norm causes ostracization; they compensate for their neurodivergent symptoms using a process known as Masking. Masking (also known as camouflaging) in the context of autism is the “performance” of neurotypical social behavior to compensate for “unacceptable” behavior resulting from neurodivergence.
There are two “personas” within a single figure: the masked and unmasked Marcela. The external Marcela is smooth and pleasing to the eye with a simple smile. The outer character can be split in half (like Russian nesting dolls), and there is a cavity that houses the internal Marcela. The internal Marcela is visually opposite to the external, as it has a more scruffy and unrefined appearance, alongside a freer expression.
Using the metaphor of mass consumer culture as a driving force for design development, “Marcela”, a branded designer toy, was developed.
