Tattooing is an art form, and Selena Gomez and two 13 Reasons Why stars seized the opportunity to use that art to spread awareness about mental health stigmas.
Yesterday, Gomez, Tommy Dorfman (Ryan) and Alisha Boe (Jessica) tattooed semicolons on their wrists, with Gomez documenting the whole thing on her Instagram story.
The tattoos correspond to the Project Semicolon movement, which was founded in 2013 to promote mental health awareness and suicide prevention, and offer hope to those struggling with depression and anxiety. Founder Amy Bleuel, who died in March, chose the semicolon as a representation of new beginnings. It has become a symbol of strength and hope on social media.
Dorfman also took to Instagram to share his new tattoo, opening up about his own battle with addiction and depression, and how the visualization of a semicolon has helped him recover.
He wrote:
Today was a magical day. Another day to be grateful to be alive. Alisha, Selena, and I went together to get ; tattoos. The ; symbol stands for an end of one thought and a beginning of another. Instead of a period, authors use the semicolon to continue a sentence. For us, it means a beginning of another chapter in life, in lieu of ending your life. I struggled with addiction and depression issues through high school and early college. I reached out and asked for help. At the time, I thought my life was over, I thought I'd never live past the age of 21. Today I'm grateful to be alive, in this new chapter of life in recovery, standing with my colleagues and friends, making art that helps other people. If you're struggling, if you feel suicidal, I urge you to click the link in my bio. Ask for help. Start a new chapter with the support of others. 🌧⛅️🌤☀️and RIP Amy Bleuel, who started the semicolon movement.
Gomez, too, has used her celebrity for mental health advocacy, openly discussing her time in rehab and warning her fans about the negative effects of social media. She also executive produces 13 Reasons Why, which follows the journey of a young man trying to determine why his classmate committed suicide. You can watch all 13 episodes on Netflix now.
