In late April, the Somers Central School District in Westchester County, New York, for example, sent an email to parents about the series with documents attached, cautioning families to read the materials and have conversations with their children.
“And maybe in some small way, making a TV show where there’s this diverse representation of different issues and different ways that life can suck sometimes can make them feel like they don’t have to be ashamed about what they’re going through.”īut some parents, school administrators, and mental health experts have criticized 13 Reasons Why for romanticizing suicide, and schools have even sent letters and emails home to parents about their concerns. “I feel like kids need to know that a lot of what they go through is universal,” Gorman said.
“I think teens have been given a heavy dose of lip gloss and handbags in television.” Gorman went to college with 13 Reasons Why creator Brian Yorkey, and worked with him on his Tony Award– and Pulitzer Prize–winning 2009 Broadway production Next to Normal, which also centers on a character who attempts suicide. “Kids need to be heard, and I think that our show makes them feel heard,” Joy Gorman, a producer for 13 Reasons Why, told BuzzFeed News. “I think they’re taking it too seriously.” I don’t think that it’s glamorizing ,” she said. “If anyone disagrees, that’s their opinion. In a short time, young people have grown to idolize these characters and obsess over their stories, which has sparked a major debate: Is it dangerous to show Hannah ending her life because it gives the audience step-by-step instructions, or is it important to highlight the horrors of this painful reality?Īnders acknowledged that “suicide is a real issue,” but ultimately, she said that her promposal is “just a pop-culture reference” and 13 Reasons Why is “just a show.” 13 Reasons Why, produced by teen-adored Selena Gomez, has inspired a passionate fandom akin to that of other teen dramas that aren’t centered around such dark issues. There’s a lot of pressure - as well as a genuine desire - to think of creative ways to ask your date to the prom, but some people are skeptical about how teens are using a show about suicide and sexual assault as inspiration for what’s supposed to be a lighthearted and cheerful high school rite of passage. Another from Connecticut also created a promposal related to the Netflix series with a friend she’s going to the prom with (sans romantic dates). A teen from the Bay Area posted her boyfriend’s promposal based on the show, and it netted over 18,000 retweets. Anders is one of dozens of teenagers who've come up with 13 Reasons Why–themed promposals.