Just recently, I had a case of the mean reds. If you don’t know what that means, you’ve probably never read or watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In the story, Holly Golightly, the main character is a scared and lonely girl with a cat. She’s an eccentric girl who doesn’t know who she is, doesn’t know what she wants in life, and doesn’t know where she’s going. The only place Holly knows for sure where to go is to Tiffany’s when she’s having a case of the mean reds. The mean reds is essentially anxiety because “suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of”.
Holly Golightly: You know those days when you get the mean reds?
Paul Varjak: The mean reds, you mean like the blues?
Holly Golightly: No. The blues are because you’re getting fat and maybe it’s been raining too long, you’re just sad that’s all. The mean reds are horrible. Suddenly you’re afraid and you don’t know what you’re afraid of. Do you ever get that feeling?
Paul Varjak: Sure.
Holly Golightly felt like she was alone in the world with no support system. It wasn’t until Paul Varjak moved into the apartment upstairs in their New York City building that Holly feels like she finally has a friend. And that was all Holly really needed. She needed someone to show her that she was never alone and that it is okay to be afraid sometimes. However, depending if you’re going off the book or the movie, the way Holly finally feels about it in the end is entirely different. Obviously I won’t say exactly, but I’m just going to say that Hollywood definitely aces the romanticized happy ending. Since I’ve thought about the different endings to the story, I think looking at both really shows how life works out. You either end up with the happy ending or a sad ending.
The story overall really captures a thematic statement about mental health, and the way it affects people. The way Holly had an inner fear of herself, who she really is and who she pretends to be, and the way she kept running away from it. That is what the mean reds are about. And generally, it’s something we probably all go through at one point or another on different scales. The mean reds is something I tend to go through a lot myself. And even though I don’t have Tiffany’s to make me feel better, I do have family, friends and even my dog. However, I kind of wish I had a sense of what to do when I get the mean reds because at least Holly knows to go to Tiffany’s. When I get the mean reds, I don’t know what to do. Sometimes I read or perhaps write. And I suppose that’s better than nothing. Maybe I’m a bit of Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak at times. And maybe I’m not in any position to be talking about the mean reds, but here I am because I figured I can’t be the only that feels this way. Because Holly does, too. And so does Paul.
When dealing with the mean reds, it’s easy to feel alone. It’s easy to want to ignore everyone and think that you can deal with it on your own. However, we should all remember that we are not alone. We are never alone. There are so many people who care about you, trust me. It’s normal to feel scared and be scared, but just remember that you are not alone in it. We’re all loved, whether we know it or not. And we shouldn’t be afraid of that. Holly was always afraid of love and being in love that she would constantly run away from it, but if there’s any point to this article is to not be afraid.
Because coming from a person who used to be terrified of it, let me tell you, love is pretty damn fantastic. And it was the best way for me to deal with the mean reds.
