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My wife sent me this article about Vice magazine (a youth magazine) directing a bad message to their young readers.

http://jezebel.com/vice-published-a-fashion-spread-of-female-writer-suicid-513888861

Really makes me mad, down right pisses me off, to read that they are glorifying suicide and the plights of those who suffered with depression. It isn't glamorous to be that low in your life. It isn't hip to feel like there is no other way. It doesn't matter what you wore when they took their life, they hurt and hurt others. Their family suffered with this, with the knowledge that they couldn't save them and that being loved by them wasn't enough to keep them from this.

I post this here, as a someone who deals with depression on a daily basis, to make a point...It is not OK to glorify and/or fashionize suicide in this way. It is not an effing little dog you pop in your purse when you feel like accessorizing that way. It is a choice that there is no coming back from. It damages you and all of those around you; it is not a victimless act.

If I didn't have my wife I don't think I would have this life and I am thankful everyday for the love and support she has given me. Unfortunately there are tons of kids out their who don't have that kind of support and the last thing they need is some effing hipster magazine showing them images that glorify suicide.

Sorry, rant over.

Good thing is that Vice magazine typically caters to the douchebag crowd, so no one is really going to miss them...

Meh, it's art.

Rather well done, at that. You definitely get a sense of despair from a couple of them that is really effective.

These photos have got duende in spades.

I don't know what duende means, but some of those chicks could use some Kronk to cheer them up.

 kronk wrote:
I don't know what duende means, but some of those chicks could use some Kronk to cheer them up.

It's a term that is used to describe art that has a dark, emotionally evocative aspect. That's probably an oversimplification, but it gets the point across.

 Monster Rain wrote:
Meh, it's art.

Rather well done, at that. You definitely get a sense of despair from a couple of them that is really effective.

These photos have got duende in spades.

Honestly it attempts at art but doesn't reach it. For me it fails to reach that message but instead is without substance and tries to paint suicide as a fashion accessory, this is what gets under my skin.

Well, I think the "is it art?" conversation may have been done once or twice in the past.

I suppose one could view it as a message to say that "These women also struggled with these issue, and they were brilliant". I personally don't find the spread offensive, and I've been around more than my share of depression and suicide. Lots of art centers around the dark and depressing aspects of life. Trent Reznor has made a career out of it.

More importantly, they're all doing it wrong.



I have comments on at least 3 other pictures, but I'll refrain.

I think the more traditional method would have been a little too "real".

There would also be an inadvertent sexual tone to it that might have blurred the message a bit, even though it might have given the pic a little more 'zazz.

It's art...but it's supposed to be fashion. Which in theory is art, but not of the angsty-diey-suicidey variety. Don't know what they were thinking.

Well, they can't show what a person would actually look like as a corpse/bleeding out. It would be too squicky.

 ProtoClone wrote:

I post this here, as a someone who deals with depression on a daily basis, to make a point...It is not OK to glorify and/or fashionize suicide in this way. It is not an effing little dog you pop in your purse when you feel like accessorizing that way. It is a choice that there is no coming back from. It damages you and all of those around you; it is not a victimless act.

If I didn't have my wife I don't think I would have this life and I am thankful everyday for the love and support she has given me. Unfortunately there are tons of kids out their who don't have that kind of support and the last thing they need is some effing hipster magazine showing them images that glorify suicide.

Sorry, rant over.

We've been glamorizing suicide and self-destruction, artistic and otherwise, for a long time now. Call me jaded if you will, but at this point it's a bit late to get up in arms about it.

The Hipster's bible tries to be edgy and ironic

Looking at the photos, I don't get the impression that they are glorifying or trying to make light of suicide.

I might be missing something but how is suicide ironic?
Unless they work on a suicide prevention hotline or something...

 kronk wrote:
I don't know what duende means, but some of those chicks could use some Kronk to cheer them up.

Be careful, too much concentrated Kronk has been known to cause heart attacks with the ladies.

 purplefood wrote:
I might be missing something but how is suicide ironic?

I think the irony is that, as living organisms, you should be striving for continued survival long enough to contribute your genes to future generations, but instead, you're wearing stupid clothes, listening to crappy music, and then overdosing on one too many of mom's Ambien.

That's like irony, right?

I liked the first couple, facing the oven and the body seen from the point of the fall... but the others didn't seem very interesting to me. Showing the act in progress is kind of boring, compared to showing the scene immediately before or after, and letting the viewer do the work.


I guess there's art in the context, though. It is more interesting because it's part of a fashion magazine, than it would be just as pictures hanging on a wall. That said, it's interesting because its saying things that I wouldn't think a fashion mag would really want to admit about it's place in the world...

I think the whole point of it was to cause a shock.

The first thing I've noticed when watching their youtube channel (which actually has some decent documentaries at times admittedly,) is that their presenters and most of their audience seem to be largely comprised of moody hipster types. This sort of stuff not surprisingly is right up their street, whenever I see something like this coming from Vice I typically just shrug and say "it's just vice being vice."

Like SoloFalcon1138 says they cater to the douchebag crowd, this is their 'thing' so to speak.

Perhaps the artist was trying to make a connection with how they decided to dress when they committed suicide? Did they dress in their best when they made their choice, or did they not care?

 Ardaric_Vaanes wrote:
Like SoloFalcon1138 says they cater to the douchebag crowd, this is their 'thing' so to speak.

Isn't the douchebag crowd the Jersey Shore wannabes?

On-Topic ; These pictures are, for the most part, very good.

And suicide as been a fashion statement ever since Antiquity. Get over it.

 Monster Rain wrote:
Well, I think the "is it art?" conversation may have been done once or twice in the past.

I suppose one could view it as a message to say that "These women also struggled with these issue, and they were brilliant". I personally don't find the spread offensive, and I've been around more than my share of depression and suicide. Lots of art centers around the dark and depressing aspects of life. Trent Reznor has made a career out of it.

Frankly, I am of the opinion that if the question "is it art?" has to be asked the answer is most likely "no".

Art is used as a justification for too many things and its too easy to hide behind.

Grey Templar wrote:

 Monster Rain wrote:
Well, I think the "is it art?" conversation may have been done once or twice in the past.

I suppose one could view it as a message to say that "These women also struggled with these issue, and they were brilliant". I personally don't find the spread offensive, and I've been around more than my share of depression and suicide. Lots of art centers around the dark and depressing aspects of life. Trent Reznor has made a career out of it.

Frankly, I am of the opinion that if the question "is it art?" has to be asked the answer is most likely "no".

Art is used as a justification for too many things and its too easy to hide behind.

Good thing that art is made by people who do not necessarily worship the status quo, then.

There is a difference between being artistic and using art as a shield to hide your perverted actions behind.

It think its pretty tasteful to show a woman hanging herself with stockings, and include what designer the stockings are.

I always expect to get back from work one day and see my roommate hanging from the ceiling fan, or in a pool of his own blood in the bathroom ... Suicide is horrible.

Grey Templar wrote:There is a difference between being artistic and using art as a shield to hide your perverted actions behind.

And can you clarify for me what that difference is? Because "perverted actions" is a value judgement; thus reducing your statement to a matter of taste.

I think someone already had "glamorizing suicide" down...



William Shakespeare and his crazy young lovers Romeo and Juliet.

 Soo'Vah'Cha wrote:
I think someone already had "glamorizing suicide" down...


William Shakespeare and his crazy young lovers Romeo and Juliet.

As I said, even much before that. Rome depicted that well with Cleopatra's speech to her kids after Mark Antony's suicide : dying on your enemies blade was something the pleb did.

Idiotic trashazine does idiotic things....nothing at 11.