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| Graphic by www.penmendonca.com @MendoncaPen |
World Mental
Health Day on Monday 10th October was marked by the London and Home
Counties branch of the British Psychological Society with an event at the
London College of Fashion on Mental Health Issues in the Fashion and Creative
Industries. The evening was chaired by
Dr Carolyn Mair, - CPsychol, AFBPsS. Carolyn was wearing both of her ‘hats’ for
this event; one as Subject Director of Psychology at London College of Fashion
and the other as Chair of the British
Psychological Society’s London & Home Counties branch
The diverse
panel represented both fashion, Caryn
Franklin - MBE, MSc, Professor of Diversity in Fashion, Kingston University and
Rosie Nelson, model and health advocate, and mental health professionals, Dr
David O'Flynn - Consultant Psychiatrist at South London & the Maudsley NHS
Foundation Trust with a special interest in the Arts and Dr Annmarie Rankin -
Clinical Psychologist at Chelsea and Westminster hospital in the field of
paediatrics and a former ballerina with, among others, the Royal Ballet
Company.
Carolyn began
the evening with an introduction to the issues that WMHD is aiming to address
in promoting discussion around mental health and what we can do to support
mental wellbeing. The extent of the problem specifically in the world of
fashion was highlighted by a report in Dazed magazine which cited that whilst
one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year that
increases by 25 percent if you’re working in creative job. The panel explored existing mental health
issues in the fashion and the arts. The emphasis was on the toll that the
demands of the fashion and creative industries can have on the wellbeing of
employees and consumers.
The pressures
of working the fashion industry with long hours, high expectations to create
the next big thing, the stress of balancing the creative drive with the
business of making money and the demands of being ultra-thin, were all touched
on during the evening.
Four main
themes emerged:
- Body image and eating disorders, the impact on models and the general population and similar issues in dancers. How can we change this?
“Stigma
is all of us. In speaking out I’m standing up for others.”
Rosie
Nelson
- The relationship between mental health and creativity, the negative view of tortured genius. How art can help.
“Art
makes people better” Dr
David O'Flynn
- What we as consumers of fashion can do, diversity, sustainability, outsider fashion.
“Trends
are Choices” Dr Annmarie Rankin
- The potential for harnessing fashions power to enhance well-being both inside and outside the industry.
“We
have enormous power to embolden and make a significant contribution.” Caryn
Franklin
Rosie shared how
working in fashion as a model impacted her mental health, the constant pressure
to be thinner, to question what was wrong with her body and how widespread the
issue is. Many models are still children when they begin their careers, a time
when they are forming their identity. Rosie has chosen to speak out about this
issue but acknowledges how tough it is to do so. The panel attempted to come up
with ways in which the tiny sample size that all models are expected to fit
into could be changed. It would take the whole business of fashion to agree and
there is no cohesive organisation that would be able to take that decision.
The fashion
world’s responsibility for eating disorders and body-shaming was spoken about
at length by the panellists. Annemarie commented that the fashion industry
doesn’t cause eating disorders; they are more complex than this. Body image is a fundamental part of our sense of self and our
identity, the fashion world needs to recognise the responsibility they have to
use this influence in a positive way and become part of the solution, rather
than being the problem. Rosie is pushing for new laws in the UK to promote a
healthier modelling industry.
Annmarie drew
upon her experience as a young dancer to comment on the effects of body image
and self-esteem. Importantly she drew
attention to the fact that BMI, and low body weight are not always indicators
of poor mental health; it is possible to be a fit, emotionally healthy dancer and
be very slim. Annmaire also shared positive stories of dance being utilised to
assist well-being. There are many studies which support the role of dance to
increase well\-being from both the position of participating in dance practise and
as a spectator.
David is Chair of the Adamson Collection Trust, Patron
of Raw Material Music & Media, Co-Founder/Director of Innovations in
Investigating Mental Health Population Outcomes (IIMHPO) and Trustee/Company
Director of the Bethlem Gallery. He shared his views on the way in which
creativity can be a contributing factor in recovering from mental ill-health,
echoing Grayson Perry’s statement that -
“Art should not be viewed just as a visual culture but
as an essential human process of self exploration and communication”
In order to
develop innovative strategies to deal with the issue of mental health in the
fashion and creative industries it would seem to make sense to harness our
natural assets, to get in touch with our creativity and reassess our own
measures of success. These are values that Caryn explained were fundamental to
her role as ‘Fashion Agitator’ to reform from within the business of fashion.
She advocates that consumers seize their power and shop according to the values
that they hold. Perhaps if we squeeze hard enough; apply pressure from the
bottom up with which trends we choose to buy into, and target those public
figures who have the ability to change from the top down, a balanced diverse
version of fashion will reflect the art of caring. The many high profile fashion insiders who
have experienced mental health issues could begin to challenge the stigma by
sharing their stories in a manner which
shows that it is possible to recover and maintain a prominent position in the industry
(of fashion). We hear of the tales of severe breakdown that has led to the sad
deaths of some fashions most creative talents, such as McQueen, but where are
the accounts of how it is possible to creatively traverse the inherent stress
of the business of fashion?
On balance much
of the discussion was around the negative impact of being involved in fashion.
There was little dialogue as to how being involved in the arena of fashion can
be a force for positive well-being, or how as an industry it is attempting to
take care of the well-being of those inside. What can we do to create a culture
of positive mental health that could well lead the way to other industries? As
creativity is at the heart of what fashion’ is’ how can we apply those same
skills to providing innovative imaginative interventions to provide solutions
to the problems that working and studying in fashion appears to produce. And
how does fashion education prepare its students to enter this ‘unhealthy’
world?
Questions
from the audience followed the panel debate. The final question was how can we
de-stigmatize mental health?” This gave David the chance to highlight how the
way in which HIV treatment is now so effective that the physical impact from
the condition can be mitigated where-as the damage done to individuals suffering
from HIV, is because of the “fear of the other”; the impact on their mental
health. That is shocking fact. We need to create a society where by openness
takes away the power of the secrecy of mental illness, where we can talk about
our own struggles without being scared of the repercussions. And the fashion
and creative industries can influence this.
This enlightening event highlighted
that diversity is alive and kicking in the creative industries, we just need to
tap into it in order to create well-being. The event was summed up visually
with a creative and colourful graphic representation by Pen Mendonca. I feel
that the strongest element in her depiction is “ART AN HELP”. It can and it does. Let’s celebrate that.
Reflecting on
the event I recalled a comment made at a previous seminar at LCF, Tim Lomas,
positive psychology lecturer at University of East London, issued a statement
on the power of fashion to drive change:
“The most damaging thing
is to think that a situation can’t be changed or challenged, and we can
challenge and change situations through fashion.”
I left LCF on
Monday evening with an even stronger desire to bring about change through the
vehicle of fashion.
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