The popular “Sad Girls Club” Instagram was started as a community-based effort to address the silence and lack of mental health support for women of color after girls and women reached out to Instagrammer and mental health advocate, Elyse Fox, expressing their need for mentors. It all started with her small film project “Conversations with Friends,” which follows her year-long struggle with depression. Fox’s project aims to start the conversation about mental health and remove the stigma around it, particularly for women of color.
“I’m a first-generation Caribbean woman. The topic of mental illness was never discussed in my home. I never had the outlook or knew how to speak about it.”
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, African-American women are more likely to struggle with their mental health than their white peers.
Fox wants to create an environment where women can support each other’s mental health and know that they aren’t alone. This is why “Sad Girls Club” is so important – all women should feel comfortable discussing their mental health and seeking help for their issues.
“I want everyone to know about mental health, that it isn’t just something that is visible. It doesn’t have a face, no age range. It’s a chemical imbalance [in some cases] and it’s something we can cope with — and it’s best to do it together rather than alone.”
Read more from Bustle about Elyse Fox’s Sad Girls Club in time for Women’s Health Week.
