Shows like 13 Reasons Why and Girl, Interrupted romanticize mental illness and the experience of depressed individual. Gender often plays into these narratives, and the specific roles that are romanticized-the depressed, their hero/protector, and the idolization of their struggle.
I think this is really important to see. I would open this up to all mental illnesses. Specifically, I think To The Bone showed the struggles of eating disorders, how it effects you and your family and those around you without romanticizing it? It'd be fantastic to really look at what 13 Reasons Why did wrong and what other depictions do right. Does it just come down to what stories are told? Because the 13 Reasons Why story has A LOT of criticism in general. How it showed Hannah getting all that attention post-suicide, her blaming and guilting her peers when suicide is a choice, etc. etc. Just some thoughts. – M K Keane6 years ago