Rebecca Manzi A casual photo and the haters feasted on offensive comments: Julia Roberts with her speech makes us understand how much social media can harm our mental health
@emmaroberts/Instagram
A casual photo, makeup-free and in comfortable clothes, showing Julia Roberts playing cards with her niece Emma. That’s all it took to set off a wave of criticism from online haters who hurled unwarranted insults at the Hollywood star. But Julia Roberts was far from passive – she chose to respond.
The dangers of social media for mental health, especially for young women
Roberts pointedly addressed the harmful effects of social media on mental health, especially for women and girls who may take online trolls’ words to heart. In her case, the hateful comments were along the lines of “you look horrible,” “you’re aging badly,” and “you look like a man.”
“What would have happened if I were 15?”
Although there were plenty of comments celebrating her timeless beauty, Roberts was genuinely hurt by the needless hostility. However, she took the opportunity to speak about the incident during an appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s show, reflecting on her experience:
“The number of people who felt entitled to comment on how I looked, how I wasn’t aging well, how I looked like a man, it shocked and surprised me with how it made me feel. I’m a woman in my fifties, and I know who I am, but my feelings can still be hurt.”
Roberts is a confident, self-aware woman who didn’t allow this to bring her down. But she wonders, what if a younger girl had been in her position? She continued:
“I found it sad that people couldn’t see the meaning, the sweetness, the sheer shining joy in that photo. I thought, ‘What would have happened if I had been 15?’ In the end, I’m grateful, because it gave me a glimpse into a reality I hadn’t fully known.”
A reminder of the potential mental health impact of social media
Finally, Roberts reflected on the surge of hate that can emerge on social media and the potential toll it can take on mental health, especially for those who are vulnerable:
“You have to go through things to understand them, and this was just a small taste of what can happen on social networks”.
Her words encourage us to consider just how deeply social media can impact our mental well-being. A single image of someone deemed “more attractive” can make someone feel “inferior,” or one negative comment can disrupt our peace. And not everyone has the resilience that a Hollywood star like Julia Roberts possesses.
