[Bearing in mind the statistics that confirm the stigma
surrounding mental health among black and Asian communities, it
wouldn’t be too much of a jump to make the correlation between
ethnic minorities successfully seeking help for mental health.]
[[link removed]]

PORTSIDE CULTURE

ARE BLACK WOMEN BEING LET DOWN BY TV’S MENTAL HEALTH STORYLINES?  
[[link removed]]


 

Jazmin Kopotsha
December 10, 2019
Refinery29
[[link removed]]

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
* [[link removed]]

_ Bearing in mind the statistics that confirm the stigma surrounding
mental health among black and Asian communities, it wouldn’t be too
much of a jump to make the correlation between ethnic minorities
successfully seeking help for mental health. _

Naomi Ackie as Bonnie in "The End Of The F***ing World", IMAGE
COURTESY OF CHANNEL 4.

 

Bonnie was the most engaging thing about the second series of _The
End Of The F***ing World
[[link removed]]_.
Though we returned to the show eager to find out whether James (Alex
Lawther) was alive and how Alyssa (Jessica Barden)
[[link removed]] was
coping with the lingering trauma from the first series, we kind of
knew what to expect from our troubled lovebirds. Bonnie (Naomi Ackie)
threw another layer of uncertainty into the mix. A third deeply
troubled young person, Bonnie expanded the show’s celebrated
exploration of mental ill health to include the perspective of a young
black woman who had just been released from prison.

It’s tricky. If we look at the ebb and flow of television’s
commitment to diverse storytelling, we’re at a point where the need
for realistic representation
[[link removed]] is
such familiar territory that poor casting
[[link removed]],
stereotypical characteristics or unfair narratives
[[link removed]] are
called out on Twitter quicker than many of us can get to watching the
shows in the first place. Save for the regressive haters who like to
pre-emptively moan about the world being 'too politically correct
these days', generally, we know that public consciousness – and
critique – of the way communities are represented on screen is a
good thing.

Bonnie, a black character whose purpose is (thankfully) far from
performing the caricatures of 'blackness'
[[link removed]] that we’re
used to seeing on screen, is also a welcome presence on a big-hitting
TV show like _TEOTFW_ which, until this season, had featured only
one other character of colour. But when we place Bonnie in the canon
of black television characters with fully explored mental health
narratives, it’s clear that she’s one of few. Knowing that
ethnicity has a part to play in conversations about mental health and
minority groups, and that the percentage of people from black ethnic
minority groups who receive mental health treatment
[[link removed]] is
lower than any other demographic, my hunger for more of Bonnie’s
story isn’t at all surprising.   

IMAGE COURTESY OF CHANNEL 4.

Charly Clive as Marnie in "Pure"

Perhaps it’s unfair to put the weight of that on one character.
It’s a big ask in an already dense, eight-episode programme in which
Naomi’s portrayal of Bonnie shone brightly and resonated deeply. If
we were to look to other TV shows that purposely tackled mental health
in 2019 we’d find _Pure
[[link removed]]_,
Channel 4’s brilliant miniseries which unpicked the common
misconception that OCD is just about having a fixation with
cleanliness. The broadcaster also released Aisling Bea’s _This Way
Up [[link removed]]_, which
explores, with expert humour, the stark reality of loneliness in young
women and the slow recovery after a nervous breakdown. _13 Reasons
Why
[[link removed]]_,
Netflix’s contentious teen drama, returned this year for a third
season despite widespread criticism of its perceived glamorisation of
suicide. The streaming service’s _Crazy Ex-Girlfriend_, which came
to an end this year, will undoubtedly live on as the critically
acclaimed musical which nailed a sincere portrayal of mental health.

What do all of these shows have in common? Save for Sky’s 
[[link removed]]_Euphoria
[[link removed]]_ which,
narrated by Rue (Zendaya), gave us one of the most stimulating
portrayals of teen addiction and mental ill health in years, the
majority of shows – particularly those produced here in the UK –
are anchored to the experiences of white protagonists. And though it
goes without saying that the experiences of other ethnicities
absolutely echo and run parallel to those of these white leads,
it _is _worth remembering that the experiences of non-white people
struggling with mental health are affected by factors which are left
under-explored on screen.

IMAGE COURTESY OF CHANNEL 4.

Aisling Bea as Aine in "This Way Up"

Diversity within mental health visibility is a big issue and, as with
most areas of representation, there is a correlation between seeing
something that truly relates to your experience and feeling
comfortable addressing it. Aimee Gee, head of news at mental health
charity Mind [[link removed]], told Refinery29: "Our latest
research showed that one in four people (26%) who saw a mental health
storyline in a soap contacted a friend, colleague or loved one
experiencing mental health problems, and one in six (16%) sought help
for themselves from a health professional."

Aimee explained that Mind’s media advisory service works with
programmes to make sure that their portrayals of mental health
problems are sensitive and accurate but added: "Although the number of
storylines depicting a mental health problem is growing, we want to
continue to encourage the media to show a wider range of different
people’s experiences and diagnoses. There is still so much room for
more diversity in onscreen portrayals."

Bearing in mind the statistics that confirm the stigma surrounding
mental health among black and Asian communities
[[link removed]],
it wouldn’t be too much of a jump to make the correlation between
ethnic minorities successfully seeking help for mental health problems
and the rarity of seeing these demographics exploring mental health on
screen. Jo Loughran, director of the mental health anti-stigma
campaign Time to Change [[link removed]] says
that we see it in many ways, with BME coverage and men’s mental
health, too. "Attitude is changing but there are still people who we
aren’t reaching, and I think sometimes the film and media portrayal
becomes really important if we’re trying to reach people for whom
mental illness is not on their agenda whatsoever," she tells
Refinery29.

"If we’re not close to the topic of mental health or we’re
experiencing it and we’re internalising some of the stigma that
we’re seeing out there, it stops people from talking about their
experience, or disclosing if that’s what they choose to do. And what
we really need to do is enable. What we know works really well is if
we have people who look like us, who sound like us, have the same
sorts of jobs as us or who we look up to. It’s really important that
we have role models out there talking about their experience of mental
illness because it’s that sense of resonance that then says, 'Well,
actually that person’s just like me and if it’s alright for them
to talk about it with respect and to have that expectation of respect
in return, maybe that’s something I can start to do'."

Perhaps this is why Bonnie's narrative grated in _TEOTFW_. Early on
in the final episode of the season (spoiler alert), we find out that
Bonnie has confessed to trying to kill James and Alyssa, accidentally
killing a motel manager and ultimately attempting suicide herself
towards the end. In an interview with the investigating police
officer, James asks what will happen to Bonnie. The officer answers:
"I don't know." "I don't think she's very well," James replies. "What
can you do," the officer shrugs.

In one swift dismissal, Bonnie's trauma and the experiences that led
her to that near-fatal end point are wiped away. It's a sharp,
frustrating nod towards the state of the criminal justice system I'm
sure, but it does nothing to quell the niggling feeling that despite
all the leaps and bounds, black women are still either left behind or
given the short straw when it comes to the representation of our
mental health issues on screen.

*
[[link removed]]
*
[[link removed]]
*
* [[link removed]]

 

 

 

INTERPRET THE WORLD AND CHANGE IT

 

 

Submit via web [[link removed]]
Submit via email
Frequently asked questions [[link removed]]
Manage subscription [[link removed]]
Visit portside.org [[link removed]]

Twitter [[link removed]]

Facebook [[link removed]]

 



########################################################################

[link removed]

To unsubscribe from the xxxxxx list, click the following link:
[link removed]