It would be different if they didn’t really highlight mental health on the show with anyone, but it’s the fact that they acknowledge it and use mental health as a driving point of why people should watch cause they wanna highlight mental health within the black community especially and show empathy to everyone that struggles with all types of mental illnesses/disorders (and AS THEY SHOULD cause that’s VERY important and necessary to show, especially in the black community as there’s still so many stigmas)
So what’s really disappointing is that they completely disregard Olivia when it comes to mental health and she’s a character that struggles with so many. They tell that POV with Layla, Spencer, Jordan, even the parents when Spencer suggested that Grace go see Dr. Spears and Billy and Laura had that family therapy session (that was more so for them). Olivia has been through an overdose (and was taken advantage of by someone the night of that overdose), went through rehab alone and came back alone with no support. Felt neglected/overlooked by her family and loved ones (and that’s cause she was). Her whole journey is finding and utilizing her voice and carving out her own diet and not being tied to someone/something else. Then, she literally went through A WHOLE SHOOTING where not only she was shot at and almost died, but her best friend got shot in front of her and almost died, had to keep him from dying, had his blood all over her and had PTSD from it by not being able to sleep and being scared by loud sounds in public. Then she went through a whole relapse and you didn’t even go into what led her into her relapse and blamed her for it and then the whole tamika Pratt situation and getting harassed by the cops. Now, she got swatted and had been harassed in person, online and over the phone and is losing everything and getting stress/anxiety from work, etc. and you mean to tell me this isn’t mentally damaging to anyone ?? Especially since she hasn’t healed through any of it ??? And you’re going to blatantly ignore it ???
And to make matters worse, he literally said that she had this “addictive energy” and is “disruptive” and they use that for drama and that’s so disgusting to me cause that’s going to show that you have no respect for anyone who may or does struggle with addiction and only use it as a plot point instead of using it to tell a story and spread awareness and teach people to have empathy and MUCH MORE PEOPLE need to call out the writers for that and also them literally using SA as a plot device to make drama and/or push two people together for a ship and they did that TWICE. Sam and Olivia deserves SO MUCH BETTER, especially knowing that Sam is such a huge advocate for mental health as she hosted a podcast talking about mental health within the youth and had been open about her own struggles with mental health and is even more passionate about Olivia and spelivia than we are and IT SUCKS
and don’t even get me started on how they keep dismissing Simone more and more in favor of a lightskinned ship (but if you seen my other posts, you know I’ve already gotten started on that and how their colorism along with the fans’ very REEKING colorism is VERY MUCH SHOWING). Geffri/ Simone also deserves SO MUCH BETTER.
