During the 90s, the heroin chic aesthetic extended far beyond fashion imagery (Yao, 2). Although the era is often considered to have ended following Sorrenti’s death (Sidhu, 2019), its presence in film continued (Yao, 2). Heroin chic is demonized within the fashion industry, which is traditionally a female-dominated industry, yet remains tolerated in film, a typically male-dominated field. Ironically, the film that receives the most criticism for glorifying suffering is Girl, Interrupted, which had a majority female cast, adapted from a memoir by a female writer.
Girl, Interrupted was adapted from Susanna Kaysen’s memoir, speaking about her experience being institutionalized at a psychiatric hospital. The memoir utilized certain language and imagery that contributed to the romanticization of female mental illness and addiction (Yao, 8). This memoir was meant to depict authentic female suffering, yet the author unknowingly reinforces certain ideas that it was meant to critique (Yao, 8). Kaysen’s memoir criticizes the psychiatric system and the conduct and behaviour of male doctors towards female patients; however, there are moments where the script varies, replicating the problematic point of view surrounding this fashion trope (Yao, 8). These inconsistencies reflect the influence of popular culture, even on individuals attempting to reject this.
There is a point in the memoir where Kaysen says the psychiatric facility “was famous and had housed many great poets and singers” (Kaysen, 48). This reinforces the stereotype connecting “depression and giftedness” (Yao, 3). As a result, the message being given to the reader is that when you torture yourself and engage in self-destructive behaviour, you are associated with being interesting and beautiful.
These underlying stereotypes in the memoir are amplified in the film adaptation due to casting choices and new storylines. Two popular actresses known for their beauty, Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, were cast as the main characters: Susanna and Lisa. This casting choice changes the perception of mental illness and beauty standards on screen due to their established public images, especially among a young, impressionable audience (Yao, 5). In the film, the characters stay beautiful, even when undergoing moments of crisis, underplaying the negative aspects and harsher realities of addiction, which distorts the viewer's understanding of risks and consequences (Yao, 5).
The film introduces the affair between Susanna and the male nurse, which was not present in the memoir. This addition makes the psychiatric facility seem tragically romantic, reinforcing the stereotype that women with mental illness crave sexual attention and validation from male authority figures, feeding into “the male perspective on mental illness” (Yao, 7). This degrading stereotype reduces ill women to sexual deviants, a common theme in heroin chic imagery.
Conversations about illness and addiction became mainstream, contributing to the popular culture of illness and addiction becoming further established (Mayze, 4). The attractive depictions of addiction caused a surge in adolescent heroin abuse (Tonkovich, Glamorization or Condemnation). In 1988, the average age of heroin users was 27, but in 1995 it dropped to 19 (Tonkovich, Glamorization or Condemnation). Young people are the main target for these bad influences due to their knowledge of popular culture, but lack the ability to fully comprehend the risks involved (Yao, 5).
I chose to use a screenshot of Lisa from the film Girl, Interrupted to help inform my creative process (Piece 11). I chose this image because it depicted how Lisa is romanticized in the film. She is portrayed as unpredictable, bold and deviant, even in states of distress. The film picks and chooses which features Lisa will have but leaves out the unattractive parts, leaving the audience with a false idea of female mental illness.
I pasted down the image and waited for it to dry before attempting to tear it off the page, leaving the edges torn, and some paper left behind. This depicts the notion of how, even when Lisa is doing well, she will never really be fully healed. I then tore the black and white image and pasted it on top, representing her bad spells. When she is low, she turns violent and erratic, placing herself and others in danger. This dangerous side of her will always be there and overshadows her true personality. We see this when she has to be confined in a padded room or when she torments a girl to the point where she commits suicide. She becomes cruel and guiltless, making her both terrifying yet magnetic. For everybody who knows Lisa, she remains a mystery.
The second piece I chose to develop in this section is a screenshot of Susanna in her home (Piece 12). Unlike Lisa, Susanna gets to heal. She has a support system of people who care. Lisa doesn’t have this privilege and has to navigate the scary world of addiction and mental illness alone. The only difference between Lisa and Susanna is circumstance.
Susanna is privileged, young, and beautiful. She has relationships with men throughout the film. The use of attractive male actors makes it seem as if you suffer, handsome men will be drawn to you. It may seem like Susanna completely rejects the male gaze, but through the film, she remains beautiful and composed, even in her worst condition.
I printed the screenshot along with a slightly enlarged monochromatic copy. The use of layering and material represents Susanna’s journey throughout the film. The coloured base is her privilege. Next, I pasted on the monochromatic pieces to weave in her experience with mental illness. The tearing of the image represents the depressive state she falls into. Her head was then taped on, showing that she gets to leave the hospital. Her life was momentarily interrupted, but she got to tape her life back together.