Vaporwave tears is an aesthetic derived from the ‘Sad boy’ internet wave, but the meaning behind the composition is much deeper. Lots of adults and youth experience depression, and like any other mental issue, it isn’t a hot topic in community discussion.

The design of the t-shirt is meant to pose the wearer as a helping hand to those who need it. Sometimes, people really only need a stranger’s smile, a “how are you?”, or an “I’m here for you” to get make and get them through their day.

On the back of the t-shirt is a list of local resources, ideally, someone passing by or sitting behind the wearer who needs it will see the message “How are you?” along with the list of resources and at least know that they are not alone in this world.

“You aren’t any less of who you are for needing help”

-Indica Blue

The idea behind this photo shoot was to portray the emotional distraught that lots of people go through, normalize the issue, and reach out a helping hand. There are plenty of resources around us, from bringing dogs on campus to suicide prevention there is a service for everyone with an issue.

“There’s a misconception that it’s rare and a life sentence.”

-Ellen Davis

Trauma Specialist

Sad to say, mental health issues are more common than we may think, which is why we need to talk about and normalize them. One study found that 53% of students stated beginning experiencing signs of depression once starting college. It’s not rare, and it also isn’t a life sentence. CAPS is the on-campus resource for any issue you may need to discuss with a professional. You are not alone.