A US Brand Is Being Put On Blast For Releasing A Line Of ‘Mental Illness’ Necklaces

Popular US lifestyle brand Bando has released a line of ‘mental health’ necklaces emblazoned with the words ‘Depression’, ‘Anxiety’ and ‘Bipolar’.

Bando founder Jen Gotch, who suffers from Bipolar Disorder, released the nameplate-style necklaces to “serve as a conversation starter for people to be more open about what’s going on in their minds.”

Sold on the website for $48 (€41), the gold and silver pieces donate 100% of all proceeds from the line to Bring Change to Mind, an organization that aims to end the stigma surrounding mental health.

Despite this, people were not happy with the brands use of mental illness to sell necklaces:

https://twitter.com/CrueIla/status/1000890572800962560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.elle.com%2Fuk%2Flife-and-culture%2Fa20960590%2Fthe-internet-is-divided-over-these-mental-illness-necklaces-and-we-are-too%2F&tfw_site=CosmopolitanUK

even if theyre donating the proceeds, theres so many other ways to break the mental illness stigma besides wearing it in a cute necklace

— nol 🧚🏻‍♂️ (@ariesfairy222) May 28, 2018

u can totally tell this is not for awareness tho?? it’s for “fashion” and using mental illness for a fashion statement is offensive if u ask me :/

— bad ghrl bri bri (@chinchlady701) May 28, 2018

The brand itself responded, reiterating that all of the necklace’s profits are going to charity, and that the cause of mental health is particularly close to their founder’s heart.

these necklaces were designed by our founder jen who has bipolar disorder and all net proceeds from these necklaces go directly to @BC2M, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging dialogue about mental health and to raising awareness, understanding, and empathy.

— ban.do (@shopbando) May 28, 2018

so far we have seen a conversation open up about mental illness – both positive and negative- and we really appreciate your thoughts and opinions on the subject. if you want to learn more about our initiative head to https://t.co/6CvMnv0BEI

— ban.do (@shopbando) May 28, 2018

The necklaces were also given celebrity endorsement from actress and friend of founder Jen Gotch, Busy Phillips, who posted a photo of herself wearing the anxiety necklace. Busy has spoken out about her struggles with anxiety, especially after she had her eldest daughter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BfztYs6hITi/

Is it raising awareness or is it a step too far?

• mental health