Stigma in the Arts and Media PDF

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Summary

Select a song that addresses mental health, and critically analyze the lyrics and the artist’s potential meaning. Is mental health stigmatized in the lyrics? Next, provide examples of three songs that influence your mental health. What message do they send regarding mental health? Do they de-stigmat...

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Music and Mental Health "Fake Happy" is a song by American rock band Paramore and was released on August 29, 2017. The song is about being honest with yourself and your own emotions. It shows that individuals who are experiencing mental illness are forced to “Fake Happy” instead of expressing their real emotions due to the stigma around mental illness. The song destigmatizes mental health by highlighting that people with mental illness should feel more confident in expressing their emotions without the fear of judgment. In the intro of the song, Hayley Williams sings, “I love making you believe / What you get is what you see / But I'm so fake happy / I feel so fake happy / And I bet everybody here / Is just as insincere / We're all so fake happy / And I know fake happy.” Justifying your fake happiness by basing your life on other people’s perspectives is a bad habit. We should find our genuine happiness in things that we love or interest us, even if it may seem uncool. Nowadays, we are susceptible to faking our happiness due to social media, especially teenagers, which leads to deeper feelings of isolation and sadness. The artist's potential meaning of this verse is that Williams has been able to hide how she feels over the last few years after several members of Paramore have left but finally wants to express all the emotions she’s been through. She wants to tell everyone that she has been in the same position, hiding from the world, but is tired of that now. In verse 1 of the song, Williams sings, “So I been doin' a good job / Of makin' 'em think / I'm quite alright / Better hope I don't blink / You see, it's easy when I'm stompin' on a beat / But no one sees me when I crawl back underneath.” While performing, Hayley seems to be always in a state of euphoria. Her success and energy are illusionary, but as soon as the show is over, she goes back to her true, darker self. In pre-chorus, Hayley sings, “Hey, if I smile with my teeth / Bet you believe me / If I smile with my teeth / I think I believe me.” Smiling with your teeth is considered a fake smile, whereas a genuine smile is considered uncontrolled and uses every muscle in your face. The artist's potential meaning of this verse is that Hayley seems to have reached the point of thinking that faking being optimistic is a good thing, but in reality, she is just hurting herself and everyone around her. In the chorus, Hayley sings, “Oh no, oh what's the use? / Oh please, I bet everybody here is fake happy too.” Hayley doesn’t know how her other band members feel about what’s happening. However, she knows that she’s

not happy and believes that everyone would also not be happy under those circumstances. In verse 2, Hayley sings, “And if I go out tonight / And dress up my fears / You think I look alright with these mascara tears? / See, I'm gonna draw up my lipstick wider than my mouth / And if the lights are low, they'll never see me frown.” These lyrics mean that we do everything we can to make sure no one sees how broken we are, even if we have to put on a face. Hayley uses dressing up as a metaphor of imitating somebody who’s happy by putting up a facade. The three songs that influence my mental health are “OK Not To Be OK” by Demi Lovato and Marshmello, “1-800-273-8255” by Logic ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid, and “get well soon” by Ariana Grande. “Ok Not To Be Ok” by Demi Lovato and Marshmello seeks to remove the stigma around mental health. Lovato and Marshmello use this song as an opportunity to publicly discuss and open up the conversation about mental health. The song is about being "OK not to be OK" when feeling down and embracing the fact that it's human nature to not be alright all the time. The song “1-800-273-8255” by Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid are meant to give support to those suffering from extreme suicidal thoughts that we are not alone, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The song “get well soon” by Ariana Grande sends a message about mental health, that despite everything else going on in our lives, it is essential to pause and focus on our well-being. These three songs destigmatize mental health by encouraging people to seek treatment and normalizing talking about mental illness. It also shows that no one should ever feel like they need to hide their mental illness from anyone. The song “Ok Not To Be Ok” by Demi Lovato and Marshmello influenced my mental health by reminding me that life is full of ups and downs and sometimes it’s ok if you are feeling down. The lyrics that resonate with me are “Feeling like a drop in the ocean / That don't nobody notice / Maybe it’s all just in your head / Feeling like you're trapped in your own skin.” Many people that struggle with mental health issues are often told that “it’s all in their head.” This is a harmful sentiment that contributes to the stigma surrounding mental health and delegitimizes the pain and suffering that these people go through on a daily basis. Another lyrics that resonate with me in this song are “When you're high on emotion

And you're losing your focus / And you feel too exhausted to pray / Don't get lost in the moment / Or give up when you're closest / All you need is somebody to say / It's okay not to be okay.” These lyrics reassure those who are suffering that you can get through anything and it’s nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to opening up and sharing negative thoughts and emotions. It reminds people that they are not alone, and there are people who care about them. The song “get well soon” by Ariana Grande influenced my mental health by reminding me that despite everything going on in my life, I should set aside time to focus on myself and take care of my mental health. The lyrics that resonate with me are “This is for everybody / Babe, you gotta take care of your body, yuh yuh yuh / Ain't no time to deny it, that is why we talking about it / Yeah, we talking about it / To deal with it, don't try to get by it / Ain't no time to deny it.” It’s common for people struggling with mental illnesses to simply deny it and pretend they’re fine. Sometimes it can be hard to talk about your mental health and be honest about the struggles you’re dealing with because sometimes it’s easier to keep it to yourself. However, mental illness won’t just magically disappear. Another lyrics that resonate with me in this song are “Want you to get better (Woo!) / My life is so controlled by the what-ifs.” These lyrics refer to anxiety and how it can affect one’s decisions and life choices. Anxiety can induce fear in people and often prevents them from accomplishing anything. The song “1-800-273-8255” by Logic ft. Alessia Cara and Khalid influenced my mental health by reminding me that it is hard to get through every difficult situation in life, but if we keep fighting, we will come out the other side stronger. The lyrics that resonate with me are “All this other shit I'm talkin' 'bout, they think they know it / I've been praying for somebody to save me, no one's heroic / And my life don't even matter, I know it, I know it / I know I'm hurting deep down, but can't show it / I never had a place to call my own / I never had a home, ain't nobody callin' my phone / Where you been? Where you at? What's on your mind? / They say every life precious but nobody care about mine.” I felt connected with these lyrics because there are people out there suffering from mental illness and don’t show it because they don’t have anybody there with them. Some people don’t have parents or someone in their life that cares about them or think that they are hurting inside. That is why I think this song is inspiring because the title

of the song is the suicide hotline that anyone can call if they need someone to talk to or seek help. Another lyrics that resonate with me in this song are “Pain don't hurt the same, I know / The lane I travel feels alone / But I'm moving 'til my legs give out / And I see my tears melt in the snow / But I don't wanna cry, I don't wanna cry anymore / I wanna feel alive, I don't even wanna die anymore / Oh, I don't wanna / I don't wanna / I don't even wanna die anymore.” These lyrics illustrate how a person who had suicidal thoughts chooses to live normally again. No matter what hardships he has to face, he will persevere because he knows that he is not alone and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Links to the songs on Youtube. ❖ Fake Happy by Paramore ❖ OK Not To Be OK by Demi Lovato & Marshmello ❖ 1-800-273-8255 by Logic ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid ❖ get well soon by Ariana Grande...