Illness or Fashion Statement?

            Mental illness and eating disorders are both very serious topics, which is why there was such a big uproar when Urban Outfitter released this shirt that has the word “depression” written all over it. This shirt was compared to another shirt they released a few years earlier with the words “eat less” on it.

According to an article in the New York Daily News, many online shoppers, who saw the “depression” shirt on their website, immediately went to twitter to start the criticism of the shirt. Shoppers like Courtney Crider and Emmy Blackery even vowed to never step foot in the store again.

            Personally, I think that these shirts show how stores in America contribute to problems such as depression and eating disorders, especially in young girls. Urban Outfitters is a popular store among this demographic and by glorifying depression and eating disorders, they are in no way helping young girls who are struggling with these issues. In fact, they are doing quite the opposite. By writing “eat less” on a girl’s shirt, they are telling girls that they aren’t beautiful unless they are skinny, like the models in the picture. Instead they should be encouraging a positive self- image and not glorifying an illness like depression.