As part of its “Barbie Vlog” series, the official Barbie YouTube channel uploaded a video last year in which Barbie discusses her struggles with depression, or, as she puts it, “feeling blue.” Barbie shares some tips and tricks for getting out of a funk (going on a walk, talking to someone, etc.), but she also emphasizes that it’s okay not to feel happy all the time. As she puts it:
Sometimes I still feel blue. And then I feel guilty about feeling sad because I am supposed to be the upbeat positive one all the time. I mean, I am known as being an upbeat person… But I’m not always. And I started to think, maybe I’m just being really unfair on myself. You know? I don’t always have to be upbeat and positive. And to expect that of myself, it isn’t fair. To camouflage myself to fit into a mold of what I think I should act or feel or think, well that doesn’t help anyone. And it just gets you lost.
The video is powerful, not only because it normalizes discussions of mental health issues, but because its specifically aimed at young girls, who are at a much higher risk of depression than their male peers. In fact, a new study suggests that more than a third of teenage girls will experience depression by the time they’re 17. While the Barbie video may be just a small part of combating that problem, the ubiquity of Barbie as a cultural icon also gives her message a lot of power. Or as writer Jenny Trout puts it:
This made me really emotional. To hear an aspirational figure from my childhood give me permission to be depressed is a big deal. https://t.co/YlePJczxNL
— Jenny Trout (@Jenny_Trout) May 31, 2017
