Brianna Gibson
O'Brien
Language and Literature 2
October 12, 2023
Is 13 Reasons Why bringing awareness to teen mental health or glamorizing it?
t.w: suicide
The Netflix drama covers topics relating to suicide, depression, sexual assault, and violence in schools. The series was cancelled on June 5, 2020 for its negative impact on young adults. While some young adults found it disturbing and off putting, others felt that the show was overall a great depiction of what teens today go through. They felt represented, and seen. An example of the disturbance felt by audiences, a now deleted scene from the show. This scene showed the suicide of a young teen named Hannah Baker, who was one of the main characters in the show. Hannah recored 13 cassette tapes regarding the people who did her wrong. She left these tapes behind for people to find. Unfortunately, this scene raised a drastic suicide increase in teens. These results and reactions were what originally began the controversy.
I personally, believe that the show explained many of the struggles of teens today, but they were not executed in the right way. I would not say the show glamorizes teen mental health, I would rather say it doesn't depict it as what it entirely holds. Many shows today do not accurately show the problems that many young adults face today, and I felt that this show added to that list. Today, one of the three largest national pains in the U.S are suicide deaths. To create a show discussing a topic that has been glamorized, ignored, and dismissed for years, I would expect for it to be done in a better way. Various reviews of this show from people who have dealt with even the thought of suicide found this show disgusting, and misrepresenting.
The show covers Hannah's suicide by explaining how she did it, and why she did it. In my eyes, it almost seemed as if they turned it into a game. Having the 13 cassette tapes waiting to be found, it just seemed odd. Aside from the idea of the cassette tapes, the show had potential. In the original trailer for the show, Clay Jensen (protagonist as well as Hannah's dear friend) quotes, "...and everyones so nice, until they drive you to kill yourself." I feel that this quote showed one of the moments in the show that had potential, and meaning. Though this quote and speech in general brought awareness to teen mental health, many moments in the show were not accurately done, and caused distress in many viewers. However, the shows main idea was a great concept. I just think with more time and input, the show could have been better.
In conclusion, I believe that the show is not doing its full justice to the nationwide issue of suicide. Though some points bring awareness, the statistics and removal of the Hannah Baker scene say a lot. Just the fact that suicide rates increased seems to be a clear sign that something was not done correctly. A show discussing suicide in the first place should include a trigger warning, (as the show did not), and help lines for viewers watching. The removed scene just gave viewers ideas regarding suicide, and pretty much helped them complete the plan. Overall, I believe the potential of the show would have been great, if it were just done better.
There are some great points in this blog post! I like how you acknowledge that suicide has not gotten enough well-done representation, but also make it clear that 13 Reasons Why was no exception. I also like how you pointed out it almost seemed like a game, more entertainment than awareness about the topic. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteI heavily agree with everything you said in this blog. Although I personally haven't read the book or watched the show I've seen many people across the internet say that it was poorly written and had the opposite affect it wanted. From the way you're describing it, it feels like the show's main plot was set after Hannah's death instead of being with her in the moment. I would much rather see her falling into depression and how that led to her suicide, bringing to attention that this can happen to anyone and start off small before becoming uncontrollable.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well-written and thought-out post. I enjoyed hearing your opinion on this matter and I 100% agree with everything you said. I have watched part of the show and I could clearly see your argument as well as the social media's argument. Over all, I really enjoyed reading it!!
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