If you have even touched a smartphone in the past week, you've probably heard about the passing of handbag designer, Kate Spade. She passed on June 5th, due to an apparent suicide. This brought shock to the world, as no one knew she was struggling with any mental illnesses. But, just because she was famous doesn't mean her death should mean more than anyone else's.
In my opinion, Kate Spade is just another person. She dealt with her own problems, lived a seemingly nice life with her family, and had a good career. None of that accounts for her suicide to mean more to the world than anyone else who has tried or committed suicide. Don't get me wrong, the current media attention on mental illnesses is wonderful. It's amazing to see how many people "care". But this will die down within a few weeks, and everyone will be back to sharing "female thoughts" posts about how men are trash, and how we couldn't relate more to Meredith Grey.
Kate's death doesn't mean anything to me, personally. I'm not discounting her death in any way, but I didn't know her. Yes, it is a tragedy that she has passed especially in the manner that she did, but her fame shouldn't make her death mean something to people who don't even care about what she does. People who don't carry handbags, and have no brand loyalty or fond memories of shopping in her store are weeping via social media for someone they never even thought about solely because she was famous.
Why do we do this? Why do we care when someone famous does something when millions of others do the same and we pay no mind? If you're going to tell me Kate Spade's death meant absolutely anything to you, I hope you think that Rosalie Avila's death means something to you. Or Andrew Michael Leach's death means something to you. You've probably never heard these names before, and most likely never will. They both committed suicide due to bullying, which most of you are bandwagon advocating for this week. And yet, their deaths don't affect your day.
Kate Spade was a special person to many. Her death was most certainly tragic, and should not go unnoticed. But let this be more than two weeks of articles shared on facebook. Let this ignite a spark in you. Be the change. Stop the stigma. Make bullying something kids question when they read about it in history books. Jump off the bandwagon, and join the fight. Be a light in other's lives.
