Somehow, in this era of social media, influencers have risen to the same level as most celebrities. It’s a strange concept, but people are now looking to TikTok and Instagram for entertainment just as much as TV shows and movies, if not more so. These influencers often come with their own very well manicured public personality, and it’s natural many everyday folks end up looking up to them. I would be lying if I said I haven’t fallen victim to this same thing many times, idolizing influencers with very little credentials to be discussing what they discuss. I’ve also fallen into the trap of being envious of everything influencers have and do. It’s incredibly difficult not to, and too easy to become sucked into the social media world.
Emma Chamberlain has been an online personality for five years now, and the internet quickly became obsessed with her. She started out making funny YouTube videos that gained popularity largely because of her unique editing style. She ended up dropping out of high school to pursue her social media career, and was always pretty open about her mental health. This is very admirable, because mental health can be incredibly stigmatized in today’s society. Emma has transformed into more of a fashion icon, and although her style was always admired, she’s moved onto very mature high fashion events.
Emma’s podcast, “Anything Goes,” has gained a huge amount of popularity the past few years. A lot of people admire the unfiltered, honest perspective she gives about mental health and life. She’s been very open about her struggles with depression and anxiety. I, too, used to be an avid listener of her podcast. However, I’ve grown really tired and frustrated with some aspects of it. She talks about how she sometimes doesn’t leave her house for weeks, reverting to the comfort of her bed for most of the day. This clearly is a symptom of depression, and suggests a larger issue happening.
What frustrates me is that she tries to “normalize” this, and says sometimes you just need to not do anything for a few months. I don’t have an issue with staying in bed and not doing anything, but Chamberlain is so out of touch with reality. She doesn’t seem to realize that this is an entirely unrealistic and impossible idea for the majority of people. College students, parents, and anyone with a typical job will all tell you this is never going to be an option for them. Sure, you may be able to take a mental health day here and there, but not doing anything for weeks would get most people evicted, fired, kicked out of school, and/or destroy their livelihood. It’s not that lower and middle class people don’t have mental health issues, it’s the fact that they don’t have the privilege to focus on solely that for months at a time.
I still absolutely admire Emma Chamberlain, and find myself being jealous of everything she has that I don’t. I think her podcast being so out of touch is a symptom of a larger issue, where mental health has become a privilege to take care of. Many people don’t understand this. Getting help for your mental health is a privilege, and doesn’t make you more in need of it than others. It means you have people around you that understand these issues, you have the money to do it, and the time. Emma Chamberlain hasn’t addressed any of these privileges, which is why I find her suggesting ‘if you’re depressed, just lay in bed for a few weeks and do nothing’ very unhelpful. This isn’t the way it should be, but unfortunately so many of the people who desperately need help don’t receive it.