The four-piece pop group, Little Mix, first graced our screens on the 2011 series of The X-Factor and have provided us with sassy, empowering and catchy hits ever since, guaranteed to make you forget about that ex. So on December 14th when the four-piece became three, fans were understandably devastated.
After speculation by the media and an extended period of time away from the band, Jesy Nelson broke the news of her departure on Instagram. She explained that being in the band was taking a toll on her mental health and that being in a girl group comes with a lot of pressure and expectations to live up to. Jesy’s honesty shows us that no matter how glamorous your life looks, how much money you have or people you have around you, mental health can affect anyone and it doesn’t make you any less of a person.
By opening up to the world about her struggle, Jesy set an extremely important example to everyone, especially young people, which is what the majority of Little Mix’s fan base consist of. By telling her fans that “there becomes a time in life when we need to reinvest in taking care of ourselves rather than focussing on making other people happy”, she reminds us that its okay not to be okay and you must be your number one priority. There is no shame in putting yourself first and by doing so Jesy encourages young women around the world to do the same.
In addition, this is not the first time that Jesy has opened up about mental health. In September 2019 she featured in the heart-breaking BBC Three documentary: ‘Odd One Out’ which focused on the cyberbullying she faced and how it affected her wellbeing. She spoke about how she was often described as “the fat one” of the group and was targeted by online trolls. By raising awareness of the issue, she showed a lot of people the effects a nasty comment can have and the mental health implications it can lead to. The documentary received a lot of praise with filmmaker Stacey Dooley calling for it to be shown in schools.
Leaving Little Mix was an extremely courageous thing for Jesy to do. Whilst it is upsetting that she is no longer a part of the group and that chapter of her life is over: I think it should be celebrated that Jesy is starting new and has chosen the path that is best for her mental wellbeing. In the process she has become a figure head for self-love and role model for young people everywhere.
Edited by Pia Cooper