Warning: this article contains images and social media posts referring to self-harm and depression that some viewers may find distressing
There is an epidemic on social media of glorifying brokenness. We've all seen it before: black-and-white photos depicting different types of disorders and harmful situations. Usually, the pictures are of a young girl, usually commenting on how beautiful she is. She's beautiful because she's suffering. Maybe she's in an abusive relationship with her boyfriend, or maybe she's her own abuser. Maybe she's emaciated because she's been starving herself for months. Let me tell you something right now: there's nothing beautiful in suffering. There's nothing beautiful in mental illness.
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There's nothing beautiful about crying on the floor over your best friend, holding her in your arms while she goes in and out of consciousness because her pill addiction is taking over her life. She can't remember how many pills she took this time, but when she's conscious, she's begging for more.
There's nothing beautiful about begging your friend to please just eat something because she walked up five stairs and feels like her heart will explode. She has already lost 30 pounds and her elbows are protruding, but she still thinks she's fat. A piece of bread is out of the question.
There's nothing beautiful about cleaning the blood out of your friend's clothes after you found him soaked in his own blood because he took a razor to his skin. hoping it would make him feel something, anything.
These things are not beautiful. They're heartbreaking. You wouldn't look at your friends in these situations and tell them how beautiful they are. You would cry for them and beg them to get help. So, why does it become beautiful when it's photographed and shared online? Here are a few examples of social media glorifying suffering:
These images depict and glorify self-harm, Anorexia Nervosa, depression, suicide, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder. These images can be found on Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook. Sharing pictures like these sends a strong message to young social media inhabitants: there is beauty in being broken, there is beauty in suffering. It discourages the seeking of help and encourages the hiding of their struggles. Being shared along with these pictures is the idea that nobody cares or understands, therefore help doesn't exist and it is, in turn, better just to suffer in silence. These types of posts can project feelings like insecurity, depression, uselessness, suicidal thoughts and being unlovable on the youth who scroll through social media; this can be detrimental to their mental health and, in turn, their physical health.
Mental illness is very serious and should be treated as such. Glorifying it on social media is sickening and detrimental to youth. It is a very real thing to suffer from depression and struggle to force yourself out of bed for things as trivial as a shower. It is a very real thing to look in the mirror and see a distorted image of yourself, thinking your reflection depicts you as larger than you are. It's incredibly real to feel sick from eating, not only because it makes you feel fat, but also because it's been so long that even a single slice of bread sends your body into shock after you've been starving it for so long. It is all-together too real to have a hard time getting rid of your razor because you swear you need it. The intent of this article is not to take away from credibility of these and any other mental issue. My intent is to make it clear that these mental issues are completely credible and real and should not be taken lightly! The sadness that runs through people's veins should not be considered trendy: it should be taken seriously!
So, let me say it one more time for those in the back: being broken is not beautiful. This type of thinking is toxic. It is toxic for the well-being of our youth and our society. What we should be finding beauty in is strength, growth, healing, positivity and effort. What's beautiful is how, despite how difficult it was, the girl with depression got out of bed this morning and carried out her day. What's beautiful is how the girl who suffered from anorexia nervosa now eats three square meals a day and loves the shape her hips have taken; she now finds healthy ways to maintain her goal weight. What's beautiful is how the boy's scars have healed and his skin is clearing. It takes so much work to get better, and often symptoms of mental illness never completely go away. But, it is not the suffering we should celebrate. We should celebrate the healing.
