In media, teenagers with mental health issues are often perceived to be overly emotionally and dramatic, and if they're not they are quiet and 'weird'.
Films such as The Edge of Seventeen, a film about an awkward anxiety ridden teenage girl who is overwhelmed with self hatred, display a certain demographic stereotype of teenagers. This film leans more into the stereotype that teenagers are over dramatic and unreasonable in their emotions. Now, this may be because the film is a comedy so her emotions are dramatized for entertainment value, but why go all the way to make film about mental health if you're not going to do it realistically?
The Edge of Seventeen was released in 2016, starring Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson and despite my previous comments it was a really good watch. It explores themes of sexuality, loneliness, mental health and many more in a way that will resonate with many teenagers. However, I do believe that Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld) is a character rooted in many stereotypes. The first character she is instantly comparable too is Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He too has recently lost someone close to him, he befriends his favourite teacher as he has no friends and shares very similar mental health issues as Nadine. I also find similarities between Sydney from I am not okay with us. These shows and films all released in a 8 year period, would the main protagonists of three teenage shows be so replaceable if they weren't stereotypes?
Don't get me wrong, I think Nadine is a great character, she's funny, relatable, humble and sarcastic, many people will see themselves in her. But is how she handles her mental health a stereotype? or are teenagers presented this way because its a true representation?
We mostly see the overdramatic stereotype given from the perspective of her mother, who believes Nadine is being an attention seeker and is always purposefully being solemn to make everyone else's life more difficult. I think this a very mature approach to this stereotype because Nadine goes away and finds caring adult figures who assure her it is valid to feel that way, whereas in many other shows those characters struggle to feel validated and receive the help they need, reinforcing the dramatic stereotype. An example of this would be, again, I am not okay with this where Sydney's chronic anxiety is almost "explained" by her new found powers, not that she actually has issues that need addressing.
In contrast, characters with mental health issues are often perceived as 'weird' and 'strange', for example Dwayne from little miss sunshine. He is your stereotypical angsty teenager who wants to be perceived as intellectual and different. Dwayne takes a vow of silence and instead of being interested and try to understand him better, everyone just labels it as a 'teenage thing'. When him and his uncle meet, its hinted at that he is the first person to ever really take interest in Dwayne. His family don't get his vow of silence yet there is a huge poster of Nietzsche on his wall that is really hard to miss. This vow of silence may also be a reflection on how Dwayne feels invisible inside his own home. As this film is a comedy, again they may be dramatising these stereotypes for entertainment.
Apart from his sarcasm, Dwayne is extremely ambitious and determined to be a pilot. When he is informed he cant fly planes due to his colour blindness, we see him have a complete breakdown, lashing out on everyone around him. However again, his family are very dismissive and disinterested in his dreams until it got to this extreme breakdown.
Comments