Glorification of mental illness in the fashion industry worsens stigma

While society has become more accepting of those with mental illnesses, an elephant in the room remains present— the glorification of mental illnesses.

Glorification can be defined as the action of unjustifiably representing something in an admirable manner. In summary, the idea of having a mental illness is romanticized and turned into a sick aesthetic.

Mental illness is often glorified through “fashion statements”. Whether referenced as something beautiful or something to joke about, there is nothing entertaining about illnesses that causes people to physically and mentally harm themselves.

Pieces of these “fashion statements” can be found anywhere from online stores to local malls. Recently, when I took a trip to a nearby mall, one of the shirts on display contained a message that states: “I Hate Being Bipolar- It’s Awesome!” I walked into a neighboring store and read a makeup bad that said “Cute But Psycho”.

The commonality of these “fashion statements” show the true colors of the fashion and marketing industry. Mental illness is painted as “trendy” and “relatable” in a majority of these pieces of clothing. This dulls the severity of mental illness to the eyes of many people while people who actually suffer from mental illness kill themselves every day.

People can buy merchandise with Kurt Cobain’s suicide letter on them with just the click of a button. Many people today joke about wanting to kill themselves or say they are depressed for the sake of sounding “relatable”.

YouTube influencer Corinna Kopf is currently under fire for her recent “anxiety” merch. Many, including her own fans, justifiably labeled the merch as problematic. Others were offended by the pricing. Regardless of the complains, the entire drama was set aside as if nothing ever happened.

Not only does the glorification of mental illness paint a false persona onto those who have it, it worsens the stigma and makes it harder for people to get help.

In countries such as Japan, it is incredibly hard to be open about mental illness without being shunned and frowned upon. Even in our American society, suicide rates are skyrocketing due to our failure to understand mental illness.

Boycotting brands that glorify mental illness is a beneficial solution to ending the horrific stigma.