Selena Gomez publicly defends "13 Reasons Why", the series she produced for Netflix. The singer gave an interview to E!, where she spoke about de harsh criticism that the tragic story received. They say that the Netflix hit trivializes suicide and encourages teens to commit that terrible act.
First, the artist claims that people will always criticize what one does. Selena explains that the creators of the series wanted to be faithful to the original story, the novel "13 Reasons Why", written by Jay Asher. The novel is a mysterious, complex and beautiful tragedy that wants to alert about teenage suicide.
What is the story about?
"13 Reasons Why, " tells the story of Hannah Baker, a girl who commits suicide because her schoolmates harass her all the time. Hannah leaves 13 tapes where she says who is responsible for her suicide and the reasons to led her to take that tragic decision.
The series is already a worldwide success that generated controversies in all the countries where it was seen. In New Zealand, a country with a high suicide rate, the series was banned for under 18s. In Canada, schools forbade their students to talk about the series while in class.
Why is the story so controversial?
"13 Reasons Why" is a story about teenage suicide, a taboo topic, even in the media. Critics say the series treats the suicide in a romantic way and that could confuse the audience.
The story also deals with topics such as sexual abuse, drug use among teenagers and shows explicit suicidal scenes.
The creators of the series consider that the story invites to the familiar dialogue and that in no way make an apology of the suicide. Due to strong criticism that "13 Reasons Why" received, Netflix decided to add more warnings about the content of the series.
The National Asociation of School Psychologists (NASP) recommends that teenagers at risk (who are suffering from bullying) do not watch the series. One of the triggers of suicide is depression, something that is mentioned very little during the story, which points to another of the weaknesses of the series. "13 Reasons Why", moreover, has an open end that disappointed many people, as they expected a well-defined end to such a tough story.
The show has won many fans around the world, and they are asking for a second season, as they believe that many questions remain unresolved. Producers are seriously considering satisfying that demand.
