Ep. 27: Anna Jacob on acne, depression and Dianette (the contraceptive pill)

Are we putting female beauty above female mental health? Bits of Me is back with season two! In this episode, I talk to Anna Jacob, who's had acne throughout her teens and adult life. When her acne started to negatively impact on her self-esteem, she was prescribed the contraceptive pill, Dianette, which cleared up her skin – but it had disastrous consequences for her mental health. We talk about the narratives that make living with acne difficult, the problematic media representation of skin issues, what it feels like to lose years of your life to depression, and how you can change things – in terms of your own health and confidence, as well as within the healthcare system. Anna mentions two initiatives for reporting and raising awareness of adverse reactions to medications: APRIL and Yellow Card. You can read a case study as well as some more information and comments about the effects of Dianette here, and here is a useful information sheet about it. You'll find Anna on Instagram as @annaflaps, and she's more than happy to chat to anyone who has had similar experiences and wants advice or support. Bits of Me is over at @bitsofme_podcast, as well as on Twitter as @bitsofme_pod. If you like Bits of Me and want to help keep these conversations going to end the stigma and culture of silence, you can become a patron for as little as €2/month. Find out more at www.patreon.com/bitsofme. If you can't contribute financially, subscribing to the podcast on your choice of podcast platform helps a lot, as does reviewing, rating and sharing it on your socials. Music: Ice and Snow by Icreage, licensed by Soundstripe. #bitsofmepod #acne #contraceptivepill #thepill #dianette #severeacne #spots #skinhealth #skinpositivity #femalebeauty #beauty #beautynorms #depression #mentalhealth #anxiety #femalementalhealth #feminism #beautystandards #medianarratives #mediarepresentation #womensstories #april #yellowcard #womensvoices

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