Kid Cudi, Kehlani, and the Persuasive Sexism Surrounding Mental Health

I remember reading this article awhile back, and I thought it might be of interest to our class --
 http://thelunchtabletalks.com/double-standards-kehlani-kid-cudi/

Celebrities and mental health transparency is becoming increasingly more present with added methods to communicate with fans, as well as a growing consciousness of mental illness. One example that sticks out to me is the example of Kid Cudi in the fall of 2016 reaching out to his fans in a detailed Facebook message about how he was checking himself into rehab, "for depression and suicidal urges." Not only did Kudi explain his personal struggles at the moment, but he also wanted to offer that mental illness is particularly stigmatized for black men like himself, which eventually launched the hashtag #YouGoodMan.

https://www.facebook.com/kidcudi/posts/10154706102758586

It's a very real, rough train of thought of a man who is clearly struggling, and looking for help and kindness. The act took immense courage and bravery, and has seemed to bring comfort to many of his fans and supporters. His Facebook status was met with a wave of love and gratitude for his honesty and determination to seek help, as well as for opening up the conversation on race and mental health stigmas.

While this stigma may have gotten a hole punched in it, many people noticed that this particular case highlighted another prevalent stigma that is women and mental health. A couple months back from Kudi's announcement, 20 year old R&B artist Kehlani was met with a very different reaction to her struggle with mental illness. She was hospitalized after a suicide attempt when she was a victim of an extremely vicious bout of public shaming on account of a rumor she was having an affair.

In a similar fashion to Kudi, Kehlani wanted to be open with the public, particularly her fans, and so she went about posting on social media about being hospitalized. Except in her case, she was met with quite the opposite reaction. Immediately people harassed her and doubted her saying she was "faking it." People were quick to call out this double standard across social media, and the responses weren't consoling by any means. This is pretty deeply embedded in our culture - that the man's struggle is more difficult, or the "emotional woman" and "crazy girlfriend" are representative of the female gender. This normalization of women with real, health issues as "attention seeking and exaggerating" is problematic. Think back to even Amanda Bynes or Britney Spears -- most people weren't offering any kind of condolence, instead they were mostly laughing and mocking the very serious problems these women were facing. But in 2011 when Robin Williams took his life, everyone was reverent and sending prayers, not a peep of an ill word. If anyone else has any opinions on this article, I'd be glad to hear.