Twitter is divided over these mental illness-themed necklaces
The fight to end the stigma surrounding mental illnesses is an ongoing battle, and while we’ve definitely made progress, there’s still a long way to go. And there’s no one agreed-upon way to tackle the problem, either. In an effort to help normalize the dialogue surrounding mental health, one company has created a mental health-themed necklace line — but Twitter users can’t agree if it’s helping or harming.
Jen Gotch, founder of the lifestyle brand ban.do, recently released the nameplate-style necklaces in collaboration with Iconery, and customers can choose between the words “Anxiety,” “Depression,” or “Bipolar” on their chains.
In a statement, Gotch — who herself suffers from Bipolar Disorder — said that she intends for the jewelry to “serve as a conversation starter for people to be more open about what’s going on in their minds.” Ban.do donates 100% of all proceeds from the line to Bring Change to Mind, an organization that aims to end the stigma around mental illness (and will also donate 1% of all site profits to the org for the month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month).
However, despite Gotch’s intentions, some are concerned that the necklaces appear to make light of mental illness — especially since not everyone who sees them will know the story behind their creation.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1000807513305075713
K I read more of this thread. but I still don’t like it at all bc majority of people who see this necklace will not know that it’s to be worn for awareness. Like obviously if people are getting so fired up about this they’re not doing it right.
— 🌿Emma🌙 (@emma_earthstar) May 28, 2018
even if theyre donating the proceeds, theres so many other ways to break the mental illness stigma besides wearing it in a cute necklace
— nol 🧚🏻♂️ (@ariesfairy222) May 28, 2018
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Can we stop romanticizing mental illnesses
— Christine 🌘 (@Chriscross_13) May 29, 2018
im sorry you’ve had to deal with that but there are better ways to bring attention to mental illness than glamorizing it like these necklaces do
— danielle (@daniellecos_) May 28, 2018
Ban.do’s official Twitter account responded to the criticism by reiterating the company’s goals in creating the jewelry.
so far we have seen a conversation open up about mental illness – both positive and negative- and we really appreciate your thoughts and opinions on the subject. if you want to learn more about our initiative head to https://t.co/6CvMnv0BEI
— ban.do (@shopbando) May 28, 2018
Others defended the necklaces, noting they helped start a conversation.
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1000922469014917120
Bullshit. They are not glorifying mental illness and no one would wear them for "attention". God forbid we can finally wear our "badges". Juicy can write that shit all over the ass of shorts and someone who suffers can't embrace WHO THEY ARE? Don't @ me.
— Buffy (@missbuffyh) May 28, 2018
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1001457161828880386
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https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1001145686480572417
As we said, there’s no certain way to address the stigma around mental illness, and there’s bound to be debate over the best way to do so as we all strive to push an inclusive narrative forward. What are you thoughts on the necklaces?
