My inquiry question for my semester 1 project is ““How is Mental Health spoken about in Pop Culture?” To find an answer to this question, I came up with 3 mini questions to address first. The one I am going to be addressing today is about “How do celebrities and influencers perceive mental health online?”
In recent years, Social Media has become a big part of how celebrities speak up about topics and causes they believe in. Now, celebrities use platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Youtube to speak up about how mental health has affected them and their families which helps their audience and fan base feel like they are not alone. Like those who they look up to do suffer from problems as well and its not always a bad thing as long as one receives the help needed. (4)
Some celebrities who are known for using the online world to advocate for mental health in a positive way include: (1)
Demi Lavato (Photo (7)): She first was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder at the age of 19. She did not know she was sick and that she was fighting. After her family forcing her to seek help, she agreed to receive it. She fought and she fought harder as she thought it was “end of [her] life.” It took her a while to understand why she needed help but after she got it, she never looked back. The well known actor and musician recently opened up about her struggles with mental health to the world. She uses her platform, that being music and acting to advocate for what she believes in. Whether that be through her songs or documentary, she does it all. (5)
Selena Gomez: She was diagnosed with a medical condition known as “lupus” in 2014. Some of the side effects of this condition included anxiety attacks, panic attacks and depression. She publicly fought through her physical and mental health problems and took time to do so. She took time to go to rehab and get all the help she needed. Now, Selena Gomez uses her brands and social media platforms to advocate for Mental Health and other social causes she believes in. (2)
Prince Harry (Photo (8)): He grew up knowing he had anxiety. For someone who took his mothers death very hard, he started receiving therapy at the age of 12. As he grew older, he was diagnosed with high functioning anxiety which would often cause him to have panic attacks. Being a part of The Royal Family, there was always a lot of pressure put on him. This resulted in him suffering from high functioning anxiety at a young age. As mental health is a topic close to his heart, he does everything he can to help advocate for it and get rid of the stigma behind it. Along with a couple other of his family members, he started the Heads Together organization that helps provide services and a safe space for those suffering with mental health issues. (3)
Going back to the mini question for this blog post “How do celebrities and influencers perceive mental health online?”, many have different ways of perceiving it. Some celebrities like the ones mentioned above use their platforms online to speak up about their struggles, and advocate for what they believe in. Other celebrities shame others in their field, talking about how celebrities are using social media and the internet to make mental health “fashionable”. As per the article ‘We Need To Talk About Celebrity Mental Health Coverage’ by Bonnie Eve Gifford on happiful.com, we see how celebrities like Piers Morgan, a British Broadcaster, spoke about people like Sophie Turner, an actress, using their platforms to advocate for mental health. This article focused on how some celebrities tend to romanticize a serious topic such as mental health just for clout purposes. Sophie Turner then spoke back talking about how she as well as others in her field don’t just talk about these problems without actually caring and having gone through them themselves. Like her, many celebrities choose to use these platforms to share their stories because this is now one of the most efficient ways to get news around. (6)
Thank you for joining me on understanding “How do celebrities and influencers perceive mental health online?”. My next post will focus on “How does the media (Hollywood industry) showcase mental health through movies and other forms of entertainment?”. If thats something that interests you, I can’t wait to see you next time! Thank you for reading 🙂
Citations:
- Celebrities who are advocates for better mental health | Yardbarker. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.yardbarker.com/lifestyle/articles/celebrities_who_are_advocates_for_better_mental_health/s1__34563539
- Selena Gomez: Depression, anxiety and therapy – psycom. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psycom.net/depression/celebrities-with-depression/selena-gomez-depression
- Prince Harry on his mental health struggles and processing his … – vogue. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vogue.com/article/prince-harry-on-his-mental-health-struggles-and-processing-his-mothers-death
- The benefits of celebrities sharing their mental health stories. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://emeraldpsychiatry.com/the-benefits-of-celebrities-sharing-their-mental-health-stories/
- How Demi Lovota manages her bipolar disorder | bipolar lives. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bipolar-lives.com/demi-lovato-and-bipolar-disorder.html
- Gifford, B. E. (n.d.). We Need To Talk About Celebrity Mental Health Media Coverage. Happiful . Retrieved from https://happiful.com/we-need-to-talk-about-celebrity-mental-health-media-coverage/
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/demi-lovato-mental-illness-be-vocal_n_5612c1dae4b0dd85030cd58e
- https://www.medicaldaily.com/heads-together-mental-health-prince-william-kate-386265