Vent Art From the Heart - The Full Spectrum of Menhera
[Originally Posted on Mar 24, 2022 at 7:01pm]
This was originally an article written for the “Kei Club” magazine in fall of 2019.
It has been republished here.
Hello Kei Clubbers! Today I have a bit of a ‘vent piece’ on menhera! *ba-dum tsh*
Ok but seriously, I’ve been feeling frustrated with some negative feedback.
Let’s start at the beginning
I’m creating a new menhera line, Anxiety Angel, centering around anxiety and intrusive thoughts, with a harsh ‘hurt but survived’ vibe, exemplified with a black base and bright line work. Sounds like a good, standard menhera print, right? Well...
This is a very personal piece for me. As a lucky owner of a PTSD, I’m gifted with a party of various bRaIN problems. With Anxiety Angel I’ve chosen to focus on my personal intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts for myself, like for many others, sit in the background of my mind playing on repeat. An annoying buzz for sure, but muted, and mostly - unintrusive *ba-dum tsh*. But what exactly is running through my head like a broken record?
“I hate myself and I want to die.”
I don’t actually want to die.
and, I usually don’t hate myself too much. But those quiet words are there, constantly bogging me down. So I took this phrase and repeated it - looping and cycling around a metaphorical ‘anxiety angel’. I hoped this would impart the feeling of my nonstop background noise to viewers. I’m also venting “Look at what I live with! This is my existence.”
But...
“I hate myself and I want to die.”
Many who’ve previewed this art dislike it. My printer (a relative of mine) expressed a great deal of reluctance in printing my shirts at all. Even some menhera have told me that it’s just ... too much... for their personal tastes.
I admit I expected some push back but not this much. I remember the ‘og’ menhera prints by Nemutai, ankoROCK, etc., with nooses, razor blades, repeating text of ‘death’...‘suicide’, and internally I lament.
It’s not that I hate the sweeter styles popular in the west, but I feel like we’re missing part of the point of menhera.
Artwork and Thigh High Designs by Nemutai
Art by Kuua Oyasumi, censored and cropped
Menhera is expression and awareness about issues that are societally ignored and stigmatized. Positivity is important but it doesn’t show the full picture, and the stark reality of some menhera topics is lost when we only allow sterilized messages. What happened to the “Pay attention!!” vibes the harsher original prints had?
We are not going to pretend everything is ok just to make you feel better. We exist!
Pay attention!
Maybe in the end I am just the old man (old man-hera? *ba-dum tsh*) shaking my cane at the new wave.
“I hate myself and I want to die.”
It’s too dark. It’s too pessimistic. It’s not a positive message.
It’s not a happy thought. I don’t like it either. But it’s there. Always. Shouldn’t we be allowed to express the negative?
Can’t vent art actually vent?
Signing off,
Puvithel
Menhera Designer, Trauma Survivor
Stop Lying to Me
[Originally Published on Oct 18, 2020 at 4:26pm]
I am so tired of people telling me they care about me only to backstab me.
Both my parents immigrated to America to escape shitty situations in India. Neither of my parents were American citizens when I was born.
Trump has repeatedly stated that he wishes he could strip people like me - born and bred Americans who love our country - of our citizenship. I am seriously worried that a second term Trump will follow up on this threat.
'But I'm Pro-life'. Please. The draconic nature of the recent anti-abortion laws are the exact opposite of pro-life. These laws sentence rape victims to death and criminalize miscarriages. I am someone who is at a higher risk of miscarriage.
These laws could mean suffering for me, or even death, should I get pregnant and have complications.
It probably does not surprise you that I've experienced my share of racism. However most of the racism I've experienced, especially dangerous instances, have been people mistaking me for black.
America is so incredibly cruel to black people that the most dangerous thing to my existence is being mistaken for black.
Trump actively sides with white supremacists and supports violence against black people. It's so bad that this spills over to anyone with melanin. How can I even consider bringing a mixed child into this world knowing that they will face even more of this hatred for skin color than I have?
This administration has caused incredible harm and trauma. It reminds me of my darkest times, and has undone a lot of the work and effort I put into improving my mental health. If you claim to support PTSD survivors like myself you cannot support Trump.
There are thousands of reasons that you should vote Biden-Harris, but I chose to highlight some of the issues that effect me directly, because I want you to understand that voting for Trump will actively harm me.
I want you to understand that your vote for Trump is a vote for removal of my citizenship. It is a vote that you think I do not deserve to have children, or that I deserve to die if I have complications. It is a vote that says the rights and lives of my friends do not matter to you. It is a vote that says my mental health does not matter to you.
If you are still choosing to support Trump don't you dare say you support me and my work. Your actions have shown that you do not care about me or the messages of my art.
Stop lying to yourself and stop lying to me.
Vote for Biden-Harris.
Trump intends to challenge the validity of the election just has Trump and his administration have ferociously supported voter suppression. We need to overwhelmingly win to shut down him and his supporters and to show them what America is really about.
Huge thank you to my friends and fans who have already cast their vote for Biden-Harris. It might not seem like much, but it's a big show of support for me and I appreciate it.
A Message From the Menhera Community
[Originally Published on Sep 26, 2019 at 2:06pm]
I don’t understand.
How can wearing a shirt that says “I want to die.” be... helpful?
“When I discovered Menhera I had a diagnosis of ‘Severe Depression’ for 4 years and hadn’t made any progress on recovering, things felt like they were only getting worse...”
It’s not unreasonable to be put off by menhera at first face value.
The words and art are not what you expect. The topics are taboo.
The initial reaction is often one of shock.
“I can kind of understand... I’m sometimes afraid of wearing certain things that I’d like to wear outside for fear of getting committed, again. That’s how the menhera community helps me.... They get that these clothes aren’t a cry for help or attention, they’re a talking piece, a means of expression, or even simple aesthetic pleasure.”
I ask you to put aside your gut reactions and listen to the menhera community for a moment.
“Rather than harming yourself, put your pain on a T-shirt, rip jeans, paint red splatters.”
Self harm and bad coping mechanisms happen for a reason - the brain is trying to process and get through difficult times. Venting through art and community can help process these feelings in a constructive and non-harmful way.
Sometimes we just need to scream our feelings into the void, and wearing vent art is a way to do that.
“Self harm and bad coping mechanisms happen for a reason - the brain is trying to process and get through difficult times. Venting through art and community can help process these feelings in a constructive and non-harmful way. Sometimes we just need to scream our feelings into the void, and wearing vent art is a way to do that.”
Acknowledgment and acceptance of our struggles is an important part of coping and healing.
Sometimes, the quiet acknowledgment of your issues can be enough to get you through the day.
“Wearing Menhera fashion whilst sitting anxiously in a doctor or therapist’s waiting room, helped me feel comforted. The clothing, depicting what I was going through, felt like a protective barrier around me, saying ‘this is okay, you’re doing the right thing, you’ll get better’.”
I personally don’t like to share the details of my trauma. There have even been times when friends became overwhelmed when I’ve told them my story.
Yet it is still essential that I express my problems to heal.
Wearing small references and metaphorical art allows me to silently reveal my inner struggles in small, digestible pieces.
“Mental health in the black community often is dismissed or written off in favor for some toxic stereotypes or religion. This fashion became a way for me to share a side of myself that gets lost in enforced positivity.”
“Menhera has helped me cope with anxiety.”
To be menhera is to want to better your mental state and the mental state of those around you.
That’s all.
Menhera isn’t a particular character, style of clothing, or color scheme.
Menhera is and has always been about community and activism first and foremost.
“Menhera has helped me feel not so ashamed to have mental illnesses. The community is very accepting and welcoming. I don’t feel like I’m something to be ashamed of or hidden anymore.”
“There’s strength in numbers, and the menhera community...helps provide those numbers simply by existing.”
“This fashion also keeps me grounded as I work through healing ...and I’m grateful for it, it’s a big part of what holds me together.”
The menhera community bands together to help each other through our health issues. We stand up for each other in the face of adversity.
With our art and clothing we have a simple message to others, “We are here, we exist! We refuse to hide.”
Our menhera motivation is to help ourselves and others live a better life.
But don’t just take my word for it:
“I am now no longer classed as ‘Severe Depression’ and genuinely am grateful to Menhera for giving me the strength to get this far”
This section features unedited testimonials from various members of the menhera community.
Content warning: Some testimonials speak about their struggles with suicide ideation, self-harm, depression and/or other related topics.
“When I discovered Menhera I had a diagnosis of 'Severe Depression' for 4 years and hadn't made any progress on recovering, things felt like they were only getting worse, and I was making poor life decisions.
The Menhera community helped me to accept myself and my condition, and to think more positively about recovery options such as medication and therapy. It helped me make my mental health an important part of my life instead of something I was ignoring and hoping would go away. The community also gave me somewhere to discuss with others how my treatment was going and what things I could do next (for example, changing medication or ditching a bad therapist).
Wearing Menhera fashion whilst sitting anxiously in a doctor or therapist's waiting room, helped me feel comforted. The clothing, depicting what I was going through, felt like a protective barrier around me, saying "this is okay, you're doing the right thing, you'll get better".
I am now no longer classed as 'Severe Depression' and genuinely am grateful to Menhera for giving me the strength to get this far <3
[With regard to] other JFashions they have helped me to find communities to make new friends who are like family to me now. Some of these friends are in other countries, where I hope to visit one day, so it's also inspired some travelling and cultural learning too.”
Hoshi Candy, menhera artist/designer
“Menhera has helped me feel not so ashamed to have mental illnesses. The community is very accepting and welcoming. I don’t feel like I’m something to be ashamed of or hidden anymore. I can take my disorders and turn them into something positive. I can be positive. I can be cute despite my brain not being so cute at times.”
Jamie Rae Fisher, menhera
“I can kind of understand [being frustrated when parents don’t understand my love of menhera]. Though my parents can't control my actions at my age, I'm sometimes afraid of wearing certain things that I'd like to wear outside for fear of getting committed, again.
That's how the menhera community helps me. They understand. They know what it's like. They get that these clothes aren't a cry for help or attention, they're a talking piece, a means of expression, or even simple aesthetic pleasure. There's strength in numbers, and the menhera community (even for someone like me who's more on the sidelines and doesn't really know anyone interested in the subculture) helps provide those numbers simply by existing.”
Ätzend, menhera
“Menhera has been a coping mechanism for me for a short period of time thus far, though I do understand why some people feel to them it’s harmful (perhaps their own trauma or they just don’t cope that way, or how people use it to capitalize off mental illness). Naysayers aside, fashion is an outlet and is mostly a healthy one. Rather than harming yourself, put your pain on a T-shirt, rip jeans, paint red splatters. It’s ok to not be ok and this fashion calls attention to and raises awareness for it. I came into menhera very recently so I don’t have many pieces, but a lot of my stuff I can’t wear to work (since it has drugs on it) so I wear them as my Depression Shirts ™ as well as to a convention or fashion event. It’s a way to get myself motivated rather than stay locked up in my room. The community is generally a positive one (every tree has a bad apple but that doesn’t make the fruit any less delicious!). Many of those who are in it are neurodivergent at various degrees and are willing to help anyway they can and learn about each other.”
Jojo, menhera
“Menhera has allowed me to form an outlet for my mental health, A way to express how I feel on the inside and use fashion as an outlet.
Kawaii fashion in general has been a huge thing to help me deal with my mental health problems because it gives me something else to focus on and take my mind away”
Alice Ward, menhera
“Menhera has helped me cope with anxiety by making vent art and crafts. I’ve been able to make friends through [menhera] and share my own thoughts and creations through it.
Lavender, menhera
“Mental health in the black community often is dismissed or written off in favor for some toxic stereotypes or religion. This fashion became a way for me to share a side of myself that gets lost in enforced positivity. With menhera I feel that I don’t have to live an always happy & Kawaii life. It allows me to share more of my personal struggles and experiences that wouldn’t be considered happy/cute.
I was scared at first that my family wouldn’t like me sharing things about myself but found that they came to accept it as just a different way for me [to] share my experiences with poor physical health, and mental health. This fashion also keeps me grounded as I work through healing and recovering day by day and I’m grateful for it, it’s a big part of what holds me together.”
Jadedisland, menhera, artist, blogger
Do you have a testimony you’d like added to this collection?
Shoot me an email at puvithel@gmail.com with your testimony, how you’d like to be credited (or if you’d like to be credited anonymously) and a photo of yourself (if you’d like to include a photo)
Make-up in Menhera and Misinformation
[Originally Published on Aug 5, 2019 at 5:41pm ]
This topic has been on my mind a lot, but it’s hard to know how to approach it.
While it looks like the misconception that menhera is ‘drippy glitter makeup’ is finally dying, we are still having problems with people that think menhera is a specific make-up style, simply medical accessories, or yandere nurse costumes.
I think one of the problems is that a lot of people getting into menhera see misinformation, try to base a look on that information, post something that isn’t quite correct, people see it and the misinformation continues to spread. Conversely those who do menhera correctly are often too shy to post in public groups, and/or are ignored since their outfits are less flashy.
As a general reminder, menhera is first and foremost an activism community with a message of bringing awareness to and destigmatizing various mental health, stress, and chronic health issues. As a style it is casual and accessible, defined by vent art on a top (such as a t-shirt or a hoodie). This activism background and accessible focus means that it’s important to keep the style accessible and casual to avoid becoming a caricature or costume of mental health.
menhera.jp, THE menhera site
Personally I don’t think one non-casual element will completely ruin an outfit. For example, if you are someone who wears heavier make up normally, it would seem silly for you to purposefully wear less makeup than normal when dressing up. However, it's important to remember that these elements are not inherently part of the style.
Kuua Oyasumi, ‘mother of menhera’, in a standard menhera outfit
If you are someone who loves the messages of menhera, but wants to branch out into a style that doesn’t fit into menhera fashion , here are a few suggestions of styles to look into:
If you want to focus on make-up, look into the living-doll community. This style isn’t about becoming a ‘doll’ but using your face and body as a canvas to create art. Many of the artists in this community use their make up as a way to express their inner torments and struggles just like menhera vent art.
Toshi and heirofglee, two prominent living doll artists
If you particularly like cute medical motifs, just want to be a cute nurse, or prefer to be accessory heavy try medikawaii, gurokawaii, or medical themed decora. There’s a lot more freedom with these styles as an outfit can simply be an aesthetic without the need for the vent art and accessibility angle menhera has.
Matty Em does a lot of accessory heavy decora, fairy kei, and pastel goth looks. Sometimes he does medical themed looks too!
Just want to do a ‘yandere nurse’ style or to mix medical elements with gore and blood, try iryouu kei! This style is a bit controversial given the gore elements, but it’s less offensive since it doesn’t have the mental health activism element to it.
Lou Graves does a lot of iryouu kei and vampire themed outfits. This style allows him to play with the contrast of blood splatter and spill with dark or white clothing.
Menhera-inspired looks are always welcome, I personally do more of a menhera-inspired punk style myself, but I suggest mentioning if you are aiming to be menhera, menhera-inspired, or one of the other mentioned styles, particularly when you are posting looking for concrit. I’d also like to encourage those who wear more ‘standard’ simple menhera outfits to not be afraid of posting just because your look isn’t as flashy as a menhera-inspired style :)
Me and my punk x menhera nonsense :) Photo by Maya Lovro Photography
Hard Decora x Puvithel Style Swap
I swapped styles with decora icon Kamilah Jones featuring items from my brand and her brand Hard Decora
Puvithel's Tekko 2018 Fashion Show
Featuring music by Creep-P and special guests Toshi the Dollfille, Kurebayashi, and Hard Decora