We’re in a cultural moment when suddenly, mental health is becoming a perfectly acceptable thing to talk about.
Over the last few months loads of people of influence have opened up about struggling with their mental health, from Prince William to The Rock, and, while we need more than talking to make a difference (*cough* more funding for the NHS, please *cough*), we’ve applauded each one.
It’s great to hear celebrities talk about mental health.
It’s a reminder that all the money and success in the world doesn’t prevent you from having troubles with your health, even if money and power does make it a little easier to get the help you need.
It’s also proof that no matter how happy and brilliant a person may appear on the outside, they can be falling apart inside. That’s something we need reminding of, especially when the depictions of mental illness we see are all too often exaggerated characters in mental institutions or pictures of women with their head in their hands.
People like Prince William are important to hear from. But so is Barbie.
Last year, the Barbie YouTube channel posted a vlog ‘from Barbie’ titled ‘Feeling Blue? You’re Not Alone’.
It was originally posted last March, but is making the rounds again after the video was posted by that Facebook page all your mates tag you on, Superficial. It’s since been viewed more than three million times.
Superficial posted the video with the caption ‘BARBIE JUST ENDED DEPRESSION’. I’m not entirely sure if that’s sincere (Barbie has not ended depression, regardless. Depression lives on), but the video is worth celebrating for a whole bunch of reasons.
For one thing, it’s one of the few mental health campaigns that focuses on kids.
Young people are still in desperate need of mental health education, with many parents feeling too uncomfortable to tackle heavy subjects like suicide and depressive thoughts in chats with their kids.
Young people are often viewed as too young to hear about mental illness – which is a hugely dangerous mindset when you consider that mental health issues absolutely can start at a young age, and many young people are struggling alone, unsure about what’s going on in their brain or assuming that their consistent low moods are just part of being a teenager.
13 Reasons Why was a big step towards discussing mental health with young people, but the graphic depictions of rape and suicide made it, in many ways, more harmful than helpful to those actually dealing with depression.
Add to that the fact that the show didn’t actually mention mental illness once, instead focusing on suicide as an act of revenge for bullying (bullying can be a cause of suicide, but mental health will always play a part and needs to be considered), and it’s clear that there’s space for loads more mental health content for young people to be made.
The Barbie vlog does things better.
It’s aimed at younger children, designed to be accessible for anyone who plays or has played with a Barbie doll.
That’s important, because videos like these mean we’re getting ahead of mental illness before it gets to a dangeous point. This video talks to children before they reach the point that they feel desperate for help, introducing them to the concept that it’s okay to not be okay.
The Barbie vlog isn’t about depicting points of crisis or exploring the heavier side of mental illness: it’s about opening up the discussion, starting the conversation before issues come up, and giving kids the language they may need if they ever start to experience struggles.
It’s a little irksome that the video doesn’t actually use the words ‘depression’ or ‘mental health’ (they’re not dirty words, Mattel), instead going for ‘the blues’, but I guess the softer language is a way to ease children in – and prevent parents from panicking when their children start using the more ‘serious’ terms.
‘I woke up this morning feeling a little blue,’ says Barbie in the video. ‘No real reason I can think of, just blue.’
She goes on to list some self-care actions that help her to feel a little better – journaling, exercise, organising her room – and mentions the power of talking to people about what’s going on. That’s powerful in itself; just telling people just how crucial it is that they open up about what they’re going through rather than battling on alone.
But the really special bit comes next.
Barbie explains that sometimes, even after doing things that are supposed to make her feel better, she still feels ‘blue’.
‘I feel guilty about being sad,’ she says, ‘because I’m supposed to be the upbeat, positive one all the time.
‘I mean, I am known as being an upbeat person. But, I’m not always.’
That’s important.
Telling young people that someone who appears like the ideal of perfection, a character that’s always happy, always smiling, always cheering people up, can have mental health issues is incredibly powerful.
Barbie is a fictional character. She’s actually able to be ‘perfect’. But instead, her creators decided to give her days when she feels blue. They decided to show children that even the happiest, ‘perfect’ people can be having a tough time. They used Barbie to tell every child who feels pressure to be cheery that it’s okay to not be okay.
Because if it’s okay for Barbie to struggle, it’s okay for me and you to struggle, too.
That’s huge.
The vlog ends with Barbie deciding not to be so hard on herself.
‘I don’t always have to be upbeat and positive,’ she said. ‘And to expect that of myself isn’t fair.
‘The key is knowing that you’re not alone in how you feel. Everyone has felt the way you feel at some point. Knowing that makes me feel better about not feeling better.’
That’s what this vlog will do for young people and adults all over the world – anyone who knows the Barbie name and isn’t feeling great.
It sounds like just a light, simple video Mattel have created to promote Barbie, but it’s more than that.
It gives people the language to describe what they’re feeling. It breaks down the idea that mental health issues can be fixed by going for a ‘brisk walk’. It reminds people that it’s okay not to be okay, because other people are struggling too.
Even someone as perfect as Barbie can have mental health issues. The first step in getting help is as simple as Barbie says – doing self-care, not being so hard on yourself, and talking to people about how you’re feeling.
Sometimes, life isn’t so plastic and fantastic. That’s okay.
MORE : How long will I have to wait until I get therapy?
MORE : Why aren’t antidepressants fixing everything?
MORE : How to deal with your mental health when the world feels like a scary place
Share this with