Sigue Y Sigue by Dior Vargas

This is a blog post by Dior Vargas about her experience as a Latina feminist dealing with depression first published on August 19, 2014. Below are a few excerpts from that post.

There are times when my depression has affected my job performance. It takes away the excitement of everything. For years, I saw this hovering cloud like Eeyore or a bell jar trapping me. Yes, Sylvia Plath was a White woman. But who could I look to who actually looks like me to find commonality in this suffering? It took years for me to find out that I wasn’t the only Latina suffering from this. But when you don’t talk about this stuff, or are only told about the family member who committed suicide, it is painted as something rare, or that there was something wrong, weak about him.

I’m not sure if being a feminist contributes to my depression only in that I have this as a lens through which I view everything. Therefore, I dissect every little thing and how it connects to my being a woman, Latina, and growing up in a lower class family. Nothing can ever be taken at face value, at least not for me. However, I would rather be aware of all the injustices and inequalities in this world than be naïve. This makes me who I am. I’m reminded of when I came out as a feminist to my mom. The first thing she asked was, are you a lesbian? Even with feminism, there is some sort of stigma. However, mental health stigma in my community is far more hurtful. Like my feminism, queer identity, and depression, she thought it was a phase. I cannot pick and choose my identity.

Read the entire post: http://diorvargas.com/writings/sigue-y-sigue

Dior Vargas

Latina. Feminist. Mental Health Activist.

Dior wants to remove the stigma of mental illness in the Latin@ community. She challenges her community to speak out and unburden themselves of the shame and secrecy. She strongly believes in the importance of putting people’s faces and voices to this subject.

Website: http://diorvargas.com

Twitter: @DiorVargas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mentalhealthdv

Tumblr: http://diorvargas.tumblr.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diorvargas