I will never watch the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. I am unable and afraid to watch the controversial show, because I know that it won’t help the struggle I’m already having with my mental health.
I’m aware of this because one evening spent browsing a summary of the second season was enough to send my mind spiralling into a rabbit hole of anxiety and depression. If someone like me, who is struggling with her mental health, can’t watch a show that claims to advocate for people with mental health issues, then what kind of show is it?
Let’s look at some facts on why the show is problematic. The show does not adhere to the “Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide,” a list of guidelines for media outlets, according to The Chicago Tribune. The show’s debut led to a spike in Google searches about suicide and possibly led to at least two copycat suicides, according to ABC News. Despite all this, the series still claims to be a groundbreaking conversation starter on mental health issues.
We must look past the series’ shiny advertising and examine the messages it is sending. The show depicts suicide as a way for the main character, Hannah Baker, to revenge the wrongs done to her. This is deeply problematic because it romanticizes suicide. The first season also depicts suicide as Hannah’s only option. Perpetuating that kind of message is dangerous for people who are suicidal, who may believe that killing themselves is the only way to fix their problems and stop the pain they are feeling, even though this is not the case. A popular show that promotes itself as raising awareness for mental health while reinforcing the romanticization of suicide is incredibly dangerous.
The show also slips up when it comes to how it addresses sexual assault. Throughout the first two seasons, there are at least three graphic sexual assaults depicted on screen. As with the show’s depiction of suicide, the portrayals of sexual assault are traumatizing to watch, especially for survivors and victims of assault.
However, the show’s creator, Brian Yorkey, defended these scenes. In an interview with The Vulture, he said that the series has a commitment to “telling truthful stories.” Fans of the show often take the same stance, arguing that the show is portraying real teen issues that need to be seen in order to be understood and taken seriously.
The problem with this is that it ignores the valid concerns of those going through these issues who feel that the graphic nature of these depictions actively harms them.
Many of the problematic events depicted in the show originate in Jay Asher’s novel of the same name. The novel also portrays this revenge suicide fantasy, although it is less graphic. I believe Asher’s intent was to show how small, hurtful actions can snowball into a patchwork of trauma, leading to suicide. The reason he fails to do this, just as the show fails, is that the actual impact of both the book and the show are completely different than what Asher may have intended. The impact is a show so traumatizing in its shock-value narrative that some of the people it claims to raise awareness for are not even able to watch it.
13 Reasons Why should be used to start conversations about the media’s responsibility in depicting traumatic issues, and how stereotypes surrounding these issues are reinforced by the media.
The world should be made aware that 13 Reasons Why is no game changer, but a problematic teen drama using well-cultivated branding to cover up its inherent flaws.
