Mental Health Retail
October 23, 2023
Author: Mia Bronstein
Editor: Chava Makman
“‘Be Kind To Your Mind’ Mental Health Embroidered Sweatshirt, Embroidered Crewneck Trendy Sweatshirt Preppy Sweatshirt Positive Sweatshirt Quote Sweatshirt” is a real sweatshirt available for purchase on Etsy in over 10 colors for only $29.75. While I am all for supporting small businesses, a brand describing their product as encouraging mental health mantras while also being described as “trendy” is wildly discouraging to me. News flash: brands that use the personal topic of mental health to sell sweatshirts without any real mission to back up their mantras are missing the point and capitalizing on the “buzzword” of mental health.
Producers making these types of designs are diminishing the work of other organizations like Madhappy. Madhappy, which, as described in their mission statement is “cultivating community, elevating connection, and nurturing a world linked by shared experience,” has a large foundation conducting research, producing a podcast, and creating a newsletter. Their mission to make the world a better place intertwines with their overall brand image. The discussion of mental health has become both normalized and mainstream in recent years. We, as society, have become more open about our feelings and medication regimens, but are yet to arrive at a full state of acceptance. Brands like Madhappy are doing real work to normalize mental health topics and create discussion around the issue.
Parallel to any idea of copyrighting art, replicating the work of a fashion brand rooted in doing good without doing any real work to back it up is like reproducing “Starry Night” onto an Etch-A-Sketch — it’s cheap and tasteless. Capitalizing on struggles and personal journeys feels personal and shallow. As a consumer, in theory, the clothing looks great. But I see it as essentially the same thing as buying a historical artifact and not knowing its history, purpose, and significance.
Compensating for that missing piece of acceptance cannot be accomplished through fast fashion. Like the lengthy list of challenges continuing to curse our world, a cute sweatshirt is not going to solve our problems on its own. As conscious consumers, we can make the choice to support brands that raise and donate money, produce fact-based content, and reward positive strides in mental health awareness.
The wearing of these items is even more difficult to see in person. There is great difficulty in walking into class and seeing someone who in the past has made you experience the deepest feelings of regret and anger wear a matching sweat set with an ironed-on floral design reading, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It is almost as if it simmers all the sadness to the surface and slaps it across your face.
None of us are perfect. I constantly remind myself that those around me are experiencing their own struggles. However, something is unsettling seeing the words “Be a Kind Human” across the chest of someone who has hurt me in unspeakable ways. While it is essentially to consider the brands that our clothing is coming from (and their actions/lack thereof in mental health efforts), it is equally as important to listen to the messages the clothes are conveying. Actions speak louder than words, or in this case, graphic prints.
