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“She got into the tub, still with her clothes on, slit her wrists…and bled to death.”
“She got into the tub, still with her clothes on, slit her wrists…and bled to death.”
How does
"13 Reasons Why" represent mental health issues and can it be argued
that it glorifies suicide?
There have been many debates over the representation
of suicide in the media and its ambiguous meanings and messages that it
presents to the audience. Inevitably there is always controversy over
displaying explicit scenes in film and TV. The Netflix series "13 Reasons
Why”(2017) created by Brian Yorkey, is a teen drama
about Hannah, a high school student who commits suicide after being mistreated
by the people in her school. The show follows the stories of thirteen people
who contributed to the death of Hannah, who she sends tapes to, which explain
how they have had an impact on her. In the last episode, Hannah's suicide is
explicitly shown to the audience to inform them on how suicide is a major issue
in today's society. However, there have been many debates regarding the show's
use of explicit scenes, as some have argued that the series in fact, glorifies
suicide and makes it seem desirable, especially to a younger audience.
Furthermore it “ignores the
relationship between suicide and the mental illness that often accompanies it.”[1] This significant
issue was explored in the 80s cult classic "The Breakfast
Club"(1985), where we could argue that the theme of suicide was not taken
as seriously as more recent films and TV shows. This touches upon the idea that
society has become more emotionally literate towards sensitive issues such as
suicide and mental health. Additionally, other films such as
"Elephant" (2003) and "Bowling for Columbine" (2002),
explore the relationship between mental health and high school shootings. This
is also another important debate as it explores the issue of mental health
amongst teenagers and how it can have an impact on their behaviour. This essay
will explore the representation of mental health and the glorification of
suicide in “13 Reasons Why” and the media.
“13 Reasons Why” is based on the novel of the same
name written by Jay Asher, and was distributed by Netflix, which has become
increasingly popular in the last few years. Netflix is “available in over 190
countries”[2]
and has revenue of “$8.83 billion”[3]
You could argue that the availability of the show on Netflix makes it
susceptible to controversy, and therefore influences the impact it has on
audiences. The depiction of suicide in the bathtub suicide scene is quite
explicit and raises question about the glorification of such an issue in a show
targeted mostly towards a particularly young demographic. At the beginning of the scene we hear Clay's
voice narrating the events that unfolded, the day Hannah decided to commit
suicide- "...she went back home, put on some old clothes"[4].
She turns the bathroom tap on and picks us a "box of razor blades that she
got from her parents store"[5]. A close up is used to show her
expressionless face, which creates a sense of identification and makes the
audience feel guilty, as she looks directly into the camera. Her pale skin and
short hair makes her appear quite lifeless and doll-like, which foreshadows her
death. We can also see that she is quite hesitant as she takes her time to
come to grips with the situation- this is shown by the way she sits in the bathtub
for a while before using the blade. She then proceeds to slit her wrists with the blade and
cries out in pain. With her whole body quivering she lays in the bathtub until
she bleeds to death. The simplistic action codes in the scene compared to the
overall impact of the scene is quite effective and makes the viewer feel quite
distressed and uncomfortable. This “sensationalised portrayal of a 17
year olds suicide”[6]
therefore brought up the question of why they chose to depict the suicide in an
explicit way and whether it was acceptable for young audiences. More
specifically the issue of imitation was a serious concern amongst critics as
the scene is almost instructional and suggests that the act of committing
suicide is “result of clear headed thinking” [7]
The scene is
essentially a culmination of all the mistreatment she has received in her life.
Her body language and facial expressions change throughout the scene and
reflect her attitude towards her experiences. When she begins to cut herself
she starts to groan/cry out in pain, and then slowly begins to breathe at a
steady rate and lie down in the bathtub. This transition could possibly mimic
the process in which she receives mistreatment- at first she is upset or
affected badly by the situation, but ends up suppressing her emotions.
Ultimately, her death is portrayed as “an act that will achieve something”[8], and shows the audience a number of ways in which
someone can be affected by bullying or harassment and how that can impact their
mental health. The scene uses high key lighting and allows the viewer to see
the severity of her cuts, which makes the scene difficult to watch. Medium
long shots of the bathtub are used to show the setting clearly and allow
the viewer to perceive the bathtub as her resting place/coffin. It
only follows the story of one person and essentially “stereotypes”[9] victims
of suicide/ depression. This links to Dyer’s theory of how “those with power
stereotype the less powerful”[10],
as teen dramas always portray the youth as vulnerable people, who are incapable
of dealing with their own problems. This could have possibly been done to fit
the dominant ideology of these ''troubled''[11]
teenagers and meet the social needs of
society, by convincing them that suicide is a significant issue in today’s
society and that parents should be wary of the dangers that students face in
school such as bullying.
There’s no doubt that
the show received a lot of criticism due to the representation of suicide and
mental health as it is a very sensitive subject and not always seen explicitly
in teen dramas. However, themes such as bullying and depression have always
been explored within the genre to portray some of the issues students face
during high school, which could lead to mental health issues. The hallway scene
in “13 Reasons Why” explores the issue of different social groups in high
school and how some students are made to feel inferior. The outfits of the new exchange students
show the various personalities of each character in the school. This iconography is
common in most teen dramas that are set in high school as the characters
appearance determines what kind of person they are. For example, Courtney's
character wears smart-casual attire; this is because she is a member of the
"honour board"[12]
and other academic clubs. Next, Clay goes on to introduce two of the main
characters of the show, Justin Foley and Zack Dempsey. Clay introduces
them as the ones that "own the school"[13]-
which hints at their significant role in Hannah's suicide. As the popular boys
of the school, their superior status is challenged by Clay, an average student,
who is portrayed as the protagonist in this scene. This fits in with the
dominant ideology of teen dramas as the popular students are always seen as the
stuck up and intimidating group, whereas in this clip, Clay stands up for what
he believes in an makes an intense speech about the topic of suicide. The
clip demonstrates how students in high school are made to think that they’re
insignificant and inferior, which could lead them to depression.
“The Breakfast Club”
(1985), directed by John Hughes, is also a teen drama that explores the issue
of mental health amongst teenagers and how it can influence their behaviour.
The group therapy scene, demonstrates how these problems can cause teens to
have suicidal thoughts. In the scene we see the characters sitting down on the
floor, and talking to one another about how they ended up in detention. In the
scene we see a medium close up of Brian laying down on the floor, crying, as he
tells the rest of the group why he got into trouble. He explains that one of
the teachers "found a gun"[14]
in his locker and claims that "he tried...”[15]
He goes on to explain that he tried to kill himself due to his bad grades and
says that he "can't get an F..."[16]
and that he knows his parents "can’t have it"[17].
The medium long shot of the whole group sitting on the floor shows the
characters remaining listening to Brian and trying to help him with his
problem, with one female character saying that "killing yourself is not an
option"[18].
Brian immediately responds with a louder tine saying " Well, I didn't do
it did I."[19]
This shows that he is quite defensive and that he wants to change the topic of
the conversation. He then smacks the chair beside him, a “proairetic code”[20],
which shows his frustration. The film doesn’t explicitly mention suicide but
instead explains one of the ways the person tried to kill themselves. It is
said that “77%” of those who have attempted suicide, “reported getting their
information on methods…from the movies.”[21]
The fact that audiences can sympathise with the suicidal
character is a concern as it might cause them to believe that taking their life
is also an option.
The scene touches upon
the theme of parental pressure and what it can do to teenagers. This links to
the theme of mental health amongst teens, as pressure from parents, and strict
parenting can have a significant effect on a teen's behaviour. In “13 Reasons
Why” the reasons for Hannah's death didn't necessarily link to parental
pressure, but instead peer pressure (from the people in her school). This is
what drove her to her death as she could not handle the unfair treatment she
got from her peers. In this scene, we see that Brian, although he didn't
actually kill himself, has been affected by his parent’s views towards his
grades. Both texts have similar iconography e.g a high school setting
and "social groups". However the main difference would be that “13
Reasons Why” deals with issues amongst teens more explicitly and directly
address the theme of suicide and mental health. This therefore shows us
that there are fewer stigmas regarding suicide and audiences are more
sympathetic towards those with mental health problems in today’s society.
After releasing all thirteen
episodes of the series, the producers of “13 Reasons Why”, decided to also
release a follow up documentary, entitle “Beyond the Reasons”(2017) in which
they “discuss scenes dealing with difficult issues, including bullying,
depression and sexual assault.” [22].
Since most of the criticism towards the
show was aimed at the portrayal of Hannah’s character and her suicide, the
documentary essentially focused on, what one user claimed, “the emotional state
of the central character and what goes on in her mind”[23]. However the
documentary also received a lot of backlash as they did not understand why the
character was uninterested in receiving help from others. One of the reviews
state that it was "extremely shallow and nothing beyond the reasons…”[24] The show also seemed to provoke schools as some were
forced to send out letters regarding the “glorification” of suicide in the
show. One headteacher claimed that the show didn’t provide any solutions for
Hannah’s problems and that there was a “lack of mental health resources that
were available to her.” [25]
The show also brings about the issue of how audiences can be
influenced by what they see on screen. By showing someone committing suicide,
some audiences may be tempted to see that suicide is a “viable”[26]
solution to their mental health issues and depression. The vast amount of
explicit scenes in the show (especially for a teen drama) is one of the reasons
why the show raised “significant concerns about…emotional safety”[27].
The exposure to scenes such as rape, suicide, and violence, leads to audiences
finding that sort of behaviour acceptable in the real world. With the rise
in suicide rates over the years, the issue with helping those with poor mental
health is an increasingly difficult issue as “moral panics arise when society
fails to adapt to dramatic social changes” [28] Traditionally, women’s magazines
emphasised the need for the “perfect body” which is “damaging to women's
physical and psychological well being”[29], however
in today’s society it is said that “journalists are sensitive to the subject of
mental health and pursue an "anti-stigma agenda"[30]
Furthermore, various audiences may interpret the key messages of
the show in a different way. Older and mature audience members may use the show
for “information”[31]
whilst younger audiences may see the show as a form of “entertainment”[32]
- which diverts them from the real meaning of suicide being an
unacceptable choice for victims of mental health issues. The fact that the
show is available on Netflix is also an issue that links to the way in which
audiences are influenced. Technological convergence allows audiences to watch
the show on several devices e.g their mobile phone, laptop or tablet. This enhances
the shows accessibility and encourages users to “binge watch” the show. This is
turn could influence the way in which they see suicide as they become
desensitised to the issue. However with this in mind, you could argue that
portraying suicide was necessary for the show to explore mental health amongst
teenagers as it wouldn’t have had a significant impact on the audience if she
resolved her issues. The shock of witnessing the characters death therefore
explored the issue of mistreatment in itself and teaches audiences about the
ways in which teenagers can be affected several issues at school.
Recently, there have been many debates about mental health in the
UK and the availability of mental health services especially due to the lack of
funding for the NHS. In a report on mental health in the UK, it is estimated
that “1 in 6 people in the past week experienced a common mental health
problem".[33]
More specifically “in 2016 5,668 suicides were recorded in Great Britain.
Of these, 75% were male and 25% were female". [34]
The representation of women in the media also links to mental
health as the topic of body image and peer pressure have influenced the way in
which young girls feel about their appearance, which is another cause of
anxiety and depression amongst teens. In a recent NHS report, it is stated that
“the number of times a girl aged 17 or under has been admitted to hospital in
England because of self-harm has jumped from 10,500 to more than 17,500 a year
over the past decade.” [35]
Another issue relating to the topic of mental health is high school
shootings. The film “Elephant” (2003) directed by Gus Van Sant, was based on
the 1999 Columbine school massacre and follows the events leading up to a
school shooting. One of the quotes from the film highlight the issue of
bullying and mental health as one of the characters says “Some heavy shit's
going down!" and “the next kids that come up to you with their problems...
that they're being picked on, you should listen to them...”[36] .
Similarly a documentary entitled “Bowling for Columbine” (2002) also explores
the relationship between mental health and school shootings with a quote from
Michael Moore, the director that states that “Our children get turned into
little monsters, but who's to blame?”[37] This
brings about the issue of the portrayal of violence and mental health in the
media.
In conclusion, the series “13 Reasons Why” represented mental
health issues throughout the narrative through the actions of the protagonist,
Hannah Baker, and chose to present a “sensationalised”[38]
suicide, in order to inform audiences of
the existing issues that affect teenagers in today’s society. The depictions of
mental health (in “13 reasons why”) is devoid of "...any social
responsibility to present more balanced or accurate representations of mental
ill health..." [39]The
impact of the show would have been minimal if her suicide was not portrayed
explicitly, and she resolved her issues. Essentially, the shock of seeing her
suicide as a result of certain circumstances audiences are encouraged to help
those who could be affected by similar issues such as depression. In today’s
society, we have become more aware of the issue of mental health and are
therefore why some films/shows decide to explore sensitive issues in their
narratives.
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[1] Roy, E. A. (2017)
[2] Netflix, (2017)
[3] Annual Report, (2017)
[4] 13 Reasons Why (2017)
[5] ibid
[6] Campbell, D. (2017)
[7] Roy, E. A. (2017)
[8] Williams, Z. (2017)
[9]
Dyer, R. (1979)
[10] ibid
[11]
Campbell, D. (2017)
[12]
13 Reasons Why (2017)
[13] ibid
[14]
The Breakfast Club (1985)
[15] ibid
[16] ibid
[17] ibid
[18] ibid
[19] ibid
[20]
Barthes, R. (1974) p. 8
[22] Acevedo, Y. (2017)
[23] IMDb, (2017)
[24] ibid
[25] Stolworthy, J. (2017)
[26]
Dhingra, K. (2017)
[27]
Stolworthy, J. (2017)
[28] Revision World
[29] Harper, S. (2009)
[30] ibid
[31]
Shao, G. (2009). p. 7-25
[32] ibid
[33] Bebbington, P. et al. (2016)
[34] Office for National Statistics (2016)
[35] Campbell, D. (2017)
[36] Elephant (2003)
[37] Bowling for Columbine (2002)
[38]
Campbell, D. (2017)
[39]
Philo, G. (1996) p.18
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