# @mary.cj.skinner on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CcwRIZ2Fipt
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/18948059-marycjskinner-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/ca5ac82cad.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-04-25T00:37:45.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Mary Skinner (@mary.cj.skinner) — https://gondola.cc/mary.cj.skinner

## Caption

I speak openly about my experiences living with bipolar disorder, and even though there are certainly still stigmas & stereotypes surrounding mental health, I know it’s nothing like what it used to be. To have the freedom to publicly discuss my experiences without risking social ostracism or being fired is something that I wouldn’t have had 50 years ago. One moment of the new SHOWTIME series, The First Lady, that really resonated with me was the moment when Betty Ford was forced to discuss her psychiatrist visits in front of a crowd. The women listening to her, although they eventually came around in the show, initially heard her admission with a lot of shock and judgment. It reminded me just how recently I could have faced severe social limitations, simply for being honest about my health conditions. I can’t imagine what it must have felt like to be moments away from becoming such a big public figure and to have to reveal something so vulnerable and private to the world. People like Betty Ford helped pave the way for people like me to speak openly about their mental health without (as much) fear of repercussion. Follow her story, and learn so much more about the incredibly strong women that have served as FLOTUS, in the new SHOWTIME series The First Lady. #showtimepartner #thefirstlady thefirstlady_sho

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 15,405
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- **Comments:** 23

## Tags

thefirstlady, showtimepartner

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