Research Introduction
Research Question:
How does the portrayal of depression in women change across American contemporary cinema from 1990 to the present?
My initial inspiration for this project arose after noticing an increase in social media trends romanticizing different mental health disorders, more specifically depression, and targeted towards young women. Starting in the 1990s with “heroin chic”, we can see specific trends taking over that seem to glorify poor mental and physical health.
One major contributor to these trends is the film industry. Many of the “sad girl” videos on social media reference movies like The Virgin Suicides or Priscilla, sometimes pulling audio bites from the actual films. It’s common knowledge that the media we consume impacts our own beliefs, attitudes, and well-being. It’s no surprise that when presented with a character that makes suffering look appealing, young girls and women who may already be struggling with their mental health are eager to copy.
While there is plenty of scholarly conversation surrounding portrayals of mental health and depression in film, as well as studies focusing on depression in women, there is a lack of academic sources looking at how the portrayals of depression in women in film have changed over time. Looking at how these portrayals have changed may help us gain a better understanding of how we perceive and interact with this media.
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