000dia000 wrote:
However, while I find that Dodie is young and hasn't exactly "lived" enough to gain valuable, real-world experience, she can still write an interesting book on mental health. It may not be content for an adult audience but may be beneficial for those who are young, struggling, and have people telling them "they aren't depressed enough". Also, I get unreasonable bitter when people insinuate that Dodie is playing up her mental health. It isn't a competition. There's obviously a lot more beneath the surface, if you watch her video "angry" she discusses very clearly sexual assault and relationship issues that have affected her self-esteem. She just doesn't broadcast reasons because, well, who would want to talk about stuff like that so much? I agree that putting herself out there may not be the best, but for all we know may be therapeutic. I feel like a lot of her audience really connect with her and feel less alone to have someone be very openly sad.
Calling her pretentious is one thing, and to each their own. But openly criticizing someone for their mental health? Jesus Christ IDB
thank you for this. reading some of the posts here made my stomach churn uncomfortably, and you put a lot of what I felt in words.
I was at Vidcon EU, and there was a panel called "A Conversation About Mental Health" (it was really really good, featuring TomSka and Beckie Brown (?) and Dodie, moderated by Kati Morton) and I really appreciated hearing them all talk about this. Dodie states clearly that she has mental health problems, and making it seem like she talks about it too much, or plays it up, or is just a slightly sad young person who exploits that to appeal to others - that is very toxic. Some of the symptoms she's shared openly also almost always stem from more serious issues beyond that, which I won't get into, but - just because she doesn't share her reasons doesn't mean there aren't any.
On the topic on her book: I am not too invested with her, I casually watch those videos of her that interest me, and I probably won't get it. But I think that someone her age can definitely bring out some kind of memoir. Obviously it won't be about the whole life, obviously it won't be able to share the most important lessons she'll ever make (because some of those she hasn't made yet), and maybe some of her wording and approach aren't ideal. But with 22 you've experienced many things already, experiences in puberty alone could fill a whole book and one that could seriously help people out. Also, different people experience things in differing intensity, so she might have more to share than some others her age.
In my opinion, a memoir/auto-biography doesn't have to include the whole life or the most important things looking back at your whole life. It can be a snapshot of things you've learned and experienced
so far, and I personally really like reading those type of books. Sometimes especially from younger people, people my age, who get into the topics that are currently my life in much more detail than they would if they looked back on it from a more mature level of experience.