Jesy Nelson is one-fourth of the U.K.’s premier girl group, Little Mix, alongside Perrie Edwards, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock. These women found their stardom after competing and winning The X-Factor U.K. (being the first girl group to do so). This accomplishment was the start of their lifelong dreams, but it also became the start of Jesy’s nightmare.
In her documentary Odd One Out, Jesy takes us through an extremely low period of her life as a member of Little Mix although it was supposed to be high. What was the cause? Social media. The documentary addresses a lot of pressing issues, but here are seven important quotes that stood out.
- “It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the public eye or not. You cannot get away from social media, and it’s ruining a lot of people’s lives.” – Jesy
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There’s an assumption that the hate comments that celebrities receive either never make it to their eyes or they just don’t care about it. The truth is, they’re human beings before they’re celebrities. Being a celebrity doesn’t make them immune to being bullied or trolled on social media. Hate doesn’t discriminate.
- “If you’ve ever been heartbroken in your life, it feels like constantly feeling heartbroken.” – Jesy
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Finding the words to explain how you feel can be challenging. As someone who’s spoken to people who were depressed or had thoughts of suicide, the feeling of depression can’t simply be described in one word. This quote can give people like myself, who struggle to fully understand what those around them who are affected by depression are going through, a sense of understanding.
- “It sounds bad to say but you don’t think about the people that you’re going to leave behind. You just want the physical pain that you’re feeling to stop.”
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With every suicide or suicide attempt, there is someone else outside of the person who’s affected by it. Although this might be true, it doesn’t take away from the pain that person felt so strongly to reach a point of suicidal thoughts. The chore of the event itself is much bigger than those impacted by it. The pain runs deeper than any of us could imagine.
- “The words people use whether they choose to use them positively or negatively, they have a permanency and they stick with us.” – Jesy
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A common saying I heard growing up was, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” This saying shouldn’t stop being told when people are young but should follow you throughout your teen, adult and elderly years. Words are like a permanent marker. If you’re not careful, they’ll stay for a lifetime until you’re about to find the perfect tool to erase it. Our tongues can be a deadly weapon and we must proceed with caution. Just because we might not think something we said to someone was impactful (negatively or positively), that doesn’t mean the person on the receiving end feels the same way.
- “I can’t deny that I do post pictures for other people’s approval, and I don’t know why.” – Jesy
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The pressure to be perfect is a deadly enemy. Once you start to do things to please others instead of yourself, you’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. Social media is a glimpse at someone’s highlight reel. Most often, people won’t post bad photos of themselves because of the reasons catered to them. Unconsciously, a lot of us seek the approval of our followers, whether it’s from how many likes a picture received or the interaction on your page.
- “If I can give my younger self any advice it would be: I promise one day you’re gonna be happy again.” – Jesy
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When you’re in the darkness, it can be difficult to see the light—or to even believe a light’s at the end of the tunnel. Everyone’s journey is different, so don’t compare the speed of your recovery to anyone else. The first step is to believe there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. The next step is to believe there’s a light inside of you.
- “It may sound silly to a lot of people because it’s just a picture, but for me that’s like I know I’ve come a long way because I would’ve never been about to do that six months ago.”
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Although this quote isn’t from her documentary, it’s one that I feel speaks to the importance of this documentary. Using her platform to bring awareness to suicide was what Jesy wanted from this documentary. Personally, I think she succeeded in her goals. Along with that, Jesy grew in herself, which is equally as important. She didn’t rush her recovery but rather, she took the baby steps needed for her. She’s such a strong and courageous woman and I encourage you to take the time and read the Instagram caption.
With September being National Suicide Prevention and Awareness month, this documentary couldn’t have come at a better time. Jesy not only used her platform to speak on an issue very personal to her, but she showed viewers the steps they can take to prevent being a part of the problem but rather the solution.
If you or someone you know is battling with depression and/or thoughts of suicide, please seek help.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-8255
Options for Deaf + Hard of Hearing – 1-800-799-4889
Veterans Crisis Line – 1-800-273-8255
For UCF Students – (407) 823-2811