As I was killing some time on Facebook the other day, I ran into an interesting (read: disturbing) Us Weekly post titled “Megan Fox: I Used to Cut Myself.”
(Us Weekly’s post was a link to the magazine’s article that’s actually based on a Rolling Stone interview with Fox.)
Despite her celebrity status (they’re not all as open as, say, Joey Pants or Maureen McCormick), I wasn’t too surprised to read Fox’s confession.
Self-injury - which can include everything from cutting, burning, scratching, and biting oneself to pulling one’s hair and banging one’s head against hard objects - isn’t new. Although self-injury is sometimes linked to suicidal thoughts or tendencies, as well as mental health conditions like borderline personality disorder, oftentimes self-injury is a way for the person to cope with emotional distress.
Self-injury seems to be more common among adolescents, especially female adolescents, but like many problems self-injury certainly isn’t limited to one demographic.
So, no - I wasn’t surprised to read Fox’s confession (especially after reading some of her other confessions, which included issues with self-loathing, anger, and violence).
I was, however, sort of surprised to read some of the comments Facebook users left under the Us Weekly post.
Note that these are only seven of - to date - 156 comments on the post. Also note that not each of them is negative.
However, those that are negative…
Wow.
If someone goes so far as to cause physical harm to him- or herself, doesn’t that scream, “Hey! Something is NOT right!”
If your best friend, or sister, or cousin, or daughter, or mother admitted to you she cut herself - that she intentionally inflicted wounds on herself - would your response be, “noone cares tramp go away!” Would you look at her and say, “i can’t think of anything i care less about.”
I don’t think so.
Yet, it seems that because Fox is a celebrity - an attractive celebrity who also seems to bring some sort of drama with her wherever she goes - suddenly she’s not worthy of the same kind of compassion as anyone else.
Hmm.
Is it that the public is sick of hearing about the problems of celebrities? People we just assume have it all together because they’re rich, famous, and beautiful? People with whom we get angry because we think they’re weak if they still manage to have problems despite their successes and gigantic bank accounts?
Or is it that we’ve come to see these people as something less than human? Mere figures meant for our entertainment who couldn’t possibly deal with the same kinds of mental and emotional issues as the rest of us because, after all, they’re less than human. They’re not real people.
I think it could be a combination of both of these, with a little misunderstanding thrown into mix.
Last December, Newsweek published Why She Cuts, an article about Becki Bagnato who began cutting herself at 13 years old, that takes a look at some of the statistics of cutting and self-injury. If you don’t know much about self-injury but want to, read it. Also consider checking out some of Psych Central’s posts on cutting and self-injury, as well as resources for people who are dealing with self-injury.
A little education can go a long way toward understanding and, possibly, a bit more compassion for people who deal with these issues regardless of their status.
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Really good post. It really breaks my heart to see people so mean to others - even someone whom they don’t know on a personal level. Just this week I have talked to three teen and college aged girls about their cutting habits. It is a serious and real problem! Hopefully we can all become more educated and less callous.
@ Kristi - “Callous” - You know, that’s a perfect word to describe it.
I checked out your site and admire your work! Do you work a lot with people dealing with self-injury issues?
It could also be that some of those people who are callous of those celebrities with psychological problems might have low self-esteem themselves, thinking that a person must be wealthy, successful and popular to be worthy. Of course, the idea that those three factors don’t lead to happiness is perhaps a foreign notion for most of us Americans.
@ Carlos - VERY good point.
Alicia, Thanks for the props! I didn’t intend to work with self-injury; I specialize in play therapy with children. But as I have had teen clients, and developed mentoring relationships with several college-aged girls, I have come to see what a painful problem this is for many. I have been seeking more information in order to be more understanding. I hope that these issues will find their way into the DSM, so that therapists will be compelled to become educated and dollars can become available for important research. Thanks again for a great article!
Reading through these has given me a gripping knot in my stomach. I don’t think I have been this angry or disappointed at people in a very long time.
As a teen with a history of self-mutilation (since age five), this is all very triggering. Coming about self-injury - never mind to the public! - is hard enough. For Megan Fox to be greeted with this response must be so very difficult, and I give her credit for how well she is handling things. It is just sad that instead of support, she is getting stereotypes and stigmas thrown out her.
Self-injury isn’t about being crazy, “emo”, or an attention whore. The majority of those who engage in self-mutilation go to great lengths to hide it, and those who do use it to gain attention obviously desperately needs help.
“Margaret
As a school counselor, I am annoyed that this being published. Young people want to cut when they hear about others doing it. Thanks Megan Fox!!!!”
This is the worst. Self-injury isn’t started because somebody wants to mimic a celebrity, it is begun because a person is overwhelmed with emotion. Some people shouldn’t have a degree.
I don’t get it. Do these people hate Megan Fox, maybe, and that is why they don’t give a damn? I don’t even know who she is but to comment, one would think there is either a positive or negative reaction and not one that is neutral. maybe it has nothing to do with the fact that she cut herself.
I am not the least surprised to hear that celebrities cut themselves, or otherwise self destruct. I can only imagine how horrible it must be to live in their skin.
And I am not a stranger to this stuff myself although that is now history. When I did it I had never even heard of anyone doing such a thing.
My neighbor has several foster care girls age 13/14, and 3 of 5 do it. Does seems to be somewhat contagious?
When I used to do this, though, I really ‘did it’ and had to be stitched up. It was ot superficial even if it was not suicidal.
And, of course, nobody does it to hurt themselves, just like with drugs. You do it to either feel better, or to feel something when you feel nothing and are numb. I can relate more to the second option.
I think that people are sick of this girl because she is so “out there”. By that I mean that she is obviously desperate for any and all kinds of attention and will say or do anything to get it. She’s like a spoiled child that has realized that ifshe acts up, people will notice. I’m sure the people that truly have an issue with self abuse don’t appreciate her throwing this out like it’s a fad.
Good point, rowdygirl
and again, I don’t even know who she is but I know others like her.
Well, I just read and saw enough, didn’t even know there were links to her ‘being’. (I often don’t see the obvious)
The woman is obviously sick, and she obviously is not cured in any way just because she may no longer throw up or cut herself.
If I had to be her, and live her life, and look like her, I would feel as horrible as she does. her little happy hours are surely the result of cocaine or vicodin, or something.
I can surely also understand why people hate her and don’t give a damn about the fact that she once cut herself. It’s the two opposites, like with Narcissists. feeling so horrible and then compensating with the other extreme.
She is pathetic, and I think the fact that she cut herself is really rather the least of her problems ever.
I really, really feel so sorry for her.
People love and hate the famous, or the beautiful, or rich, and powerful. They are jealous and they want to see/hear the dirty secrets.
But this is the deal. Do i want to be so beautiful that I will never know if someone loves me for myself? (not to mention that this shall not last, either.)
Do I want to be so rich that I will never know if someone loved me for me and not just my money, and when I can never trust anyone because of that?
Do I want to be famous so I can be a prisoner and never be free because otherwise I am harassed and eaten up?
I don’t know except that I would cut, do drugs, have bulimia and hate myself, among other things.
and then I would kill myself eventually
I couldn’t care less about Megan Fox self harming herself. It’s sad that she does, but we all consume so much celebrity gossip that I just don’t care anymore. Plus, it’s her private life and if she wants to seek help, she should be able to without crap from the public.
I feel sad for Megan Fox… so many people hate her. But whatever abuses she went through or whatever upbringing she had, she really needs to get a handle on it and remind herself that she can’t change the past and that it’s better to move on as best she can. It takes time and energy, but it’s well worth it.
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