Aastha Agrawal
With social media being a prevalent part of our daily lives in this contemporary society, it’s a highly influential place, especially for teenagers and young adults. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have seen this as an opportunity to strategically use their shared Instagram platform @sussexroyal to bring to light important issues surfacing around mental health, by following 16 Instagram accounts that promote mental well being, body positivity, self care, mental fitness and the importance of human connection, in the hopes to raise awareness about the importance of needing to talk about these topics.
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| Screenshot from @themancave_aus 's Instagram, in order to acknowledge being followed. |
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| Screenshot of the caption from @themancave_aus 's Instagram post talking about being followed by the @sussexroyal. |
Of the 16 accounts, an Australian based page @themancave_aus, promoting healthy masculinity, has been followed. The Man Cave advocates for “developing greater self-awareness and creating healthy perceptions about personal identity, gender, and mental health to support the development of young people through the turbulent times of life.” CEO Hunter Johnson has met the Sussexes on two occasions, most recently in Melbourne during their Royal Tour of the Pacific. "Meghan came up to me and said, "Hunter, oh my God. I wish the Man Cave was around when I was young. I know so many men who really needed this," Johnson told Executive Style.
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| Johnson meets The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception at Government House. Photo: Dominic Lipinski, sourced from Executive Style. |
Majority of western
society portrays a very toxic male figure, surfacing around a stereotypical
depiction of what it is to be a man. For example, in the Australian context,
masculinity is often conveyed through males’ interest in sports, typically
footy and the aggressive behavior that is often associated with it. In a recent
study done by Jesuit Social Services on Australian men aged 18 to 30, it was
found that young men who conform to traditional views of manhood are more
likely to suffer personal harm, and do harm to others.
Steps taken towards
vocalisation of important issues by the Sussexes and organisations such as The
Man Cave- make a huge difference as their authority holds weight and is
influential. It is also important to make sure that not only men but society,
in general, realises the importance of mental health and recognises the aids
made available to them.
“We have a much
better community, awareness and generally community tolerance for understanding
mental health problems,” says Leon Piterman, a Professor of general practice
at Monash University.
Victoria provides its
health care plan holders 10 free sessions with a qualified professional, a
service many aren’t aware of.
“Just go to your GP
and talk about your issues and they can write one up [referral] and that gets you
10 sessions on the calendar year, subsidised,” says Gemma Sharp, an NHMRC early
career fellow at Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre.
“You could also go to
a community mental health service as well and if there is a specific issue that
you need help with you can go to the butterfly foundation and ask them what
them for assistance,”