I’ve been watching “13 Reasons Why” for about a week or two now, you know busy bee and all. Not only is it because I do not have the time to sit down and watch the show from beginning to end in one sitting, but because it is absolutely brutal. My mind and my heart cannot take the entire show at once, and I read the book so I know what happens.
There are two sides of 13 Reasons viewers, the people who really appreciated the show and its topics and the people who hate it because it hits too close to home or it doesn’t appropriately handle the matters for others. Different opinions are absolutely okay, but what isn’t okay? Turning the show into memes, or romanticizing the overall idea of the show.
Regardless of whether you appreciated the show or not, Hannah Baker represents someone. Someone watching her story unfold relates to one or most of her struggles and to turn this story into a meme is absolutley not okay. I was on Twitter the other day and I saw this account post some meme about Hannah making a tape for the fast food worker who charged her more for guacamole. This “joke” is making fun of Hannah’s reasons, therefore making fun of a real person’s reasons for feeling alone, for being in a dark place. Our generation is all about the memes, and trust me, I love myself some memes, but in this case I don’t agree or laugh.
“13 Reasons Why” is brutal because it is completely honest, and raw. There is no sugarcoating of anything, of depression, bullying, rape, suicide, or what it feels like to be a teenager. Many times movies and television shows tiptoe around the topics for obvious reasons, but 13 Reasons puts them on blast and makes the viewer feel those emotions, the heartbreak of these characters. 13 Reasons doesn’t romanticize teenage life, and all the struggles it comes with, so why are some real life teens/young adults trying to romanticize a show where a young girl ended her life?
Prom season is in full swing and teenagers love to make their “promposals” relevant and relatable to whatever is popular at the time. Don’t make your promposal about “13 Reasons Why”. I’ve seen one already, titled “TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY you should go to PROM with ME…” and the male proceeded to provide 13 cardboard cassette tapes with the 13 reasons why his female crush should go to prom with him. And while some people couldn’t get over how “cute!” that promposal was, others called him out on the insensitivity of it all.
“13 Reasons Why” is dark, grim, it takes you to some seriously dark places, and really hurts your heart. These topics are not light, they are not romantic, or comedic, and that is what the purpose of this show is. Talk about these topics, they aren’t taboo, someone you know could need help, so open your heart to people because you never know what someone is going through.
If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, or any other personal, and traumatic situations please seek help. You are not alone.