Olympian Shawn Johnson Gets Real
As a former gymnast myself, Shawn Johnson was my idol growing up. I remember watching her in the 2008 Beijing Olympics almost 10 years ago and being awe-struck at the strength and grace she exemplified.
On Saturday, Shawn Johnson East and her husband Andrew East, posted a video to their YouTube channel detailing the most recent event in their lives. Over the course of 48 hours, Shawn had discovered she was unexpectedly pregnant, surprised Andrew with the news, and then miscarried hours later. Every step of the journey is documented and shared with the world in this touching video, and it is truly an emotional roller coaster.
While watching something so personal and heartbreaking, I realized a few things:
1) How brave it was of Shawn and Andrew to share such a sensitive (and often taboo) topic with the world, documenting every reaction and emotion on camera for everyone to see as it was happening. The idea was to relate to others going through the same thing, and let them know they're not alone.
2) Often times celebrities are made out to be these untouchable, idealistic and almost unreal figures that are unrelatable to "everyday" people. From behind a social media page or news article, their lives seem perfect and glamorous, but the reality is that they are human, and they suffer heartbreak and tragedies just like the rest of us.
3) The strength and grace Shawn Johnson exhibited as a 16-year-old gymnast in the Olympics remain true even now, almost 10 years later.
The full video is below (disclaimer: grab the tissues, you'll need them)
YES! I watched this video when it came out a few days ago, and as soon as I saw the title, I was shook. The fact that filming began with the idea that she was finding out about her pregnancy and ended with something much darker than Shawn and Andrew were expecting. Being able to film every emotional high and low, proceed to watch it over and over to edit clips, and finally click publish takes an extreme amount of vulnerability that viewers have yet to see from her channel. I've since watched the updates of the aftermath of the miscarriage, and I love to see that her authenticity is remaining so raw and that the response has been so heartwarming bringing her community that much closer and attracting an entirely new audience that she can now relate to on a painfully genuine level.
ReplyDeleteI watched this video a few days ago when it came out as well, and was completely shocked. It was heartbreaking to watch their separate videos first when she was pregnant and when he thought that may be the case. I have followed them throughout their Youtube channel, and agree that this video was completely different than the rest. I admire their strength in their decision to post such raw footage and depict every step of their journey. Their story has been played on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and many other media outlets, and have given people all over the country something to relate to. I can imagine how difficult this all has been for them, and believe by publishing all this, they have not only helped others, but helped to heal themselves.
ReplyDeleteTaylor, I hadn't seen this video yet, but I'm glad your blog post brought it to my attention. Pregnancy and miscarriage are such sensitive topics and like you said, it is incredibly brave that Shawn and Andrew decided to share their journey with their whole world. While some would choose not to do this, I think it is admirable that they do. They clearly take their positions as celebrities and role models seriously and decided to use a moment like this to help others.
ReplyDeleteMiscarriage is a super sensitive topic, but is so so so common! I love that your blog brought this to light, and opened a discussion. I was super excited to see Shawn use her platform to talk about her miscarriage.
ReplyDeleteI had not known about this video but so glad you shared it with me! I too loved watching Shawn Johnson in the olympics and cannot imagine experiencing what she has. The fact that people are using the internet as a way to connect people dealing with such sensitive issues such as miscarriage is an amazing thing. I also loved how you highlight your takeaways in an easy to read and sensical way. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI actually just saw a social media post on this. The reasoning, I saw, behind why they decided to post the video was that they wanted people going through similar experiences to not feel alone in their struggles. I also thought this was an awesome example of how celebrities are everyday people. I'm glad she could use her platform to connect with others and normalize the stigma around miscarriages. I was also so glad they highlighted the doctor saying it wasn't her fault. I think a lot of women internalize their struggle and think it was their fault.
ReplyDeleteI love that you did your blog about this because after seeing the video the other night I have been thinking all of the same things. I think its easy for celebrities to lead this perfect life on social media, but I love that she realized people actually relate more to the "imperfect" parts of their life. I actually started watching a few of their other videos and absolutely love the direction they are taking with their channel.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I didn't hear about this! I just watched the whole video and the follow-up video, and I can't imagine the courage it takes to put all of that on camera. It's so important for celebrities to talk about taboo topics like miscarriages, and that conversation doesn't come up nearly as much as it should. I love that Shawn and Andrew are using their celebrity status to start a dialogue about something that is so common but uncomfortable to talk about.
ReplyDeleteI watched this video before I read your blog and I have to agree with what you're saying. Their bravery to share an event so intimate and heartbreaking is admirable. Too often people refuse to talk about difficult subjects and I believe that not addressing it makes it worse. I admire her for using her platform to address difficult topics. Far too often we see celebrities hiding the truth about difficult and sometime traumatic experiences (such as Harvey Weinstein) and enabling inappropriate conduct and actions to continue.
ReplyDeleteI think that this was a really moving and motivating video. It helped people all over the world, who are probable having issues with fertility and miscarriages know that they aren't alone. There is sometimes a huge separation among people and celebrities, this video really reminds you how human they really are. It truly is such a sad topic and it was very brave of her to post a video sharing her experience.
ReplyDeleteI love that she had the bravery and courage to post this video. I watch too many YouTubers who complain about all the negativity on the platform, so it is amazing that despite that, she could be so vulnerable. These days, you never know how people are going to react to things that social media famous celebrities do. I love her honesty and willingness to open up to her fan-base - everyone just loves her more now that she did it!
ReplyDeleteI love how open she is. I think that its celebrities duty almost to show people that its normal to go through these life experiences. When they open up about their own experiences I feel like it makes people feel liek they arent alone in their own experiences. Its hard to put yourself out there and talk about really hard things that go on in your life, but it can truly make a difference. Some peopple criticize when celebrities are too open, but I think it makes them brave and even more deserving of their fame!
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing your blog on this, I definitely would have never known about this otherwise! I totally agree with you that often times we forget that celebrities are "regular" people just like us, and it takes events like this to remind us. I feel like sometimes celebrities market themselves in that way, through their fashion, accessories, and possessions that are another level of ours, but at the end of the day they experience all of the same things we do. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteShawn Johnson relates to her fan base by being a humble, down to earth, real person and that's more than I can say for some people who are not famous. She wants to connect with her fans on a deeper level than just showing how she lives her everyday life. She wants to share the good and the bad. Humans need each other and Shawn needed people who will advocate for her that it's going to be okay.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I think this is a good topic to cover, especially since it involves how people can document every moment in their life. Shawn wanted to share the moments in her life with the world, and this is possible today through social media in order to connect with others.
ReplyDeleteI watched this video earlier this week and it really hit me. It was incredibly brave of her and her husband to share it. It also says something about how social media can really help people share their stories and help people.
ReplyDeleteI saw this video this morning! I loved how vulnerable and intimate this video was. It was nice to see social media used to bring community to a situation. I have always loved Shawn and loved being able to see this side of her. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing Shawn in the Olympics as well! I always wondered how Olympians, who are such incredible and talented people, continue live their lives after their stardom is gone. The video is powerful. Miscarriages happen more often than people realize. I think its really helpful for people who are dealing with a miscarriage to know that there are people out there who have struggled with the same issue. Like you said, Shawn is known for her strength and grace. When people see that she was able to overcome her challenge, maybe they will have more strength to overcome their own. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI loveeee this! I saw the all the shares and comments of this post of their's on FB. It was so brave of them and something I do not think I would want the world to see. It just shows how human they are and hope that it showed other people who have miscarriages that they are not the only ones. 1 and 3 women will experience a miscarriage. This is amazing.
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