Photo: Instagram/@selenagomez
On Thursday, Selena Gomez launched a new campaign named Mental Health 101 theough her brand Rare Beauty. Launched ahead of May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, the campaign is aimed at raising awareness around the subject in educational settings.
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Emphasizing that mental health education is just as important as any other subject being taught, Gomez took to Instagram to share her own struggles and the importance of such conversations. “Today, I’m so grateful that we get to launch Mental Health 101. This campaign is so close to my heart because of my own struggles with mental health,” she wrote.
“I know firsthand how scary and lonely it can feel to face anxiety and depression by yourself at a young age,” Gomez continued. “If I had learned about my mental health earlier on- been taught about my condition in school the way I was taught about other subjects- my journey could have looked very different. The world needs to know that mental health matters. It’s just as important as your physical health, and I wish we could all acknowledge that, not just in words but through our actions.”
The 28-year-old went on to share a message of hope with those suffering from mental health issues and encouraged asking for help. “For anyone who is hurting right now, I hope you know that you are not alone,” she said. “I’m a believer in seeking help. Getting support and educating myself on mental health has changed my life, and it can change yours, too. I hope that Mental Health 101 will be the stepping stones for others that I wish I had… to get connected to the resources they need, and to empower young people in ways that may not have been possible before. I hope you’ll join me in supporting this initiative and being part of the change: rarebeauty.com/mentalhealth101. With gratitude, Selena.”
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In a second Instagram post, the actor and singer detailed how one can help support this campaign in three ways. Firstly, by signing Rare Beauty’s petition that is calling on the philanthropy community to support mental health services in schools, change.org/mentalhealth101; secondly, by donating to the Rare Impact Fund: GoFundMe.com/RareImpactFund, and lastly, by sharing the post as well as tagging a friend. The post was captioned, “When I created Rare Impact by @RareBeauty, my goal was always to bring more mental health services to educational settings. I’m proud to launch #MentalHealth101- dedicated to supporting education and encouraging financial support for more mental health services in educational services.”
In 2019, Gomez was awarded the Mclean Award for her mental health advocacy and later in April 2020, opened up about her bipolar diagnosis with Miley Cyrus on her Bright Minded Instagram live series.
Gomez first launched the fundraiser for the Rare Impact Fund on her 28th birthday last July. Rare Impact Fund was meant to raise $100 million over the next 10 years to provide mental health services to underserved communities, with 1% of annual sales will also be an extra addition alongside the funds raised. If Gomez were to reach her goal, the Rare Impact Fund would become one of the largest known funds supporting mental health from a corporate entity.
Additionally, last year Rare Beauty also created the Rare Beauty Mental Health Council, which brings mental health experts from universities, organizations, and companies to navigate the company’s strategies in dealing with mental health. Some Rare Beauty, Mental Health Council members include The Cut Editor-in-Chief, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, Sephora Vice President of Merchandising, Makeup Jenifer Cohen, Youtube’s Global Social Impact Marketing Director Kit Hayes, and more.
