ICYMI, Netflix's newest series 13 Reasons Why is the show people can't seem to stop talking about. Considering the tough-but-important issues issues in brings up, such as mental health, sexual assault and suicide, we're glad it has people talking - and Selena Gomez and the show's actors just took the show's important discussion of these issues to the next level.
Selena, the show's executive producer, along with Tommy Dorfman who plays Ryan, and Alisha Boe, who plays Jessica, got inked this weekend with matching tattoos of semicolons. So why the semicolon? As Boe explained in an Instagram of their new tattoos, the semicolon has become a significant symbol of mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
"Today - Tommy, Selena and I got tattoos of a semicolon," she wrote. "Project semicolon is a movement dedicated to presenting hope for those suffering from depression, thoughts of suicide, addiction, and self-injury."
The Project Semicolon movement is based on the idea that, instead of choosing to end "your sentence" with a period, you use a semicolon to represent the beginning of a new chapter, in lieu of suicide. For anyone who's watched the show, which follows the friends of a high school student who committed suicide as they wonder what they could have done to prevent her death, the tie-in to the show is touching. Not to mention the fact that Selena herself has previously called the show a "passion project" after openly admitting to struggling with anxiety and depression herself.
If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
