The red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of 13 Reasons Why on Tuesday was dotted with an unusual nail polish colour: blue. Selena Gomez, executive producer of the new Netflix show, sported the shade along with a handful of the stars, including Michelle Ang (above), Mandy Teefey, and Amy Hargreaves. So, why the unusual manicure coordination? It's all about the show, of course.
13 Reasons Why, based off Jay Asher's 2007 YA novel, is about putting together the events that led to a young girl named Hannah (Katherine Langford) taking her own life. A teenage boy named Clay (Dylan Minnette) receives a package with 13 audio tapes in it, which were recorded by Hannah to explain, from her perspective, the experiences that led to the last day of her life. She numbered those tapes with a nail polish that is — yup, you guessed it — blue.
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The exact shade is called Endless Blue from Sinful Colors, according to Harper's Bazaar (Nail artist Tom Bachiks shared a close-up of Gomez's perfect manicure on Instagram, below). On the show, that bottle of nail polish makes small but meaningful appearances later on. There's also the fact, of course, that blue has long been traditionally associated with feelings of sadness ("having the blues") and depression, in certain contexts.
If you haven't started the series yet, we highly recommend it. (Catch up here with our Binge Club recaps.) It's emotionally affecting, and definitely not easy viewing. (Hannah's suicide scene is particularly shocking.) It's an important story, sensitively told; in general, 13 Reasons Why does a good job of grappling with the serious issues of depression and suicide at its centre.
All of which is to say: to see the stars of the show (and Gomez) pay a small but thoughtful tribute to the story off-screen in this unexpected, eye-catching way is touching.
If you are thinking about suicide, please contact Samaritans on 116 123. All calls are free and will be answered in confidence.
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