Below Deck: The backlash against Malia White is justified

Below Deck Mediterranean did not handle mental health issues well this week as Malia White exposed Hannah Ferrier’s medication for her benefit.

Now that we have all had a day to digest what happened on Below Deck Mediterranean this week between Malia White, Hannah Ferrier, and Sandy Yawn, let’s break it down a little more.  People are (rightfully) outraged at how things went down between the crew members, and mostly at Malia and Sandy.  Christine “Bugsy” Drake isn’t exempt, either.

Hannah has been around the yacht club block as far as experience goes, which is why she was chief stew.  This position, along with bosun, usually requires more experience and maturity than some of the other positions.

If Sandy was more focused on the crew as a whole and the experience of the next charter, she should have probably told the group to get over themselves and get back to work.  Rearranging rooms and beds for relationships isn’t usually a priority.

Malia was mad that Hannah refused to switch rooms so she could be with her boyfriend, went into her purse to snoop, and went to Sandy with what she found.

What she found was a prescription from a doctor in Hannah’s name.  For all that she talking about at the start, wanting respect and the empowerment of women in positions of power, the whole thing was a huge step in the wrong direction.

The behavior exhibited by Malia, Bugsy, and Sandy was the kind of behavior that they seemed to be working against at first.  The catty, back-stabbing, immature stuff that they were trying to separate themselves from became exactly what they were doing.  At the start, the group was focused on being professional.  That went out the window as soon as Malia didn’t get to bunk with her boyfriend.

We didn’t get to see the rest of the conversation between Hannah and Sandy, but it will presumably be one-sided as Sandy seems to have made up her mind based on Malia’s opinions.

Unfortunately, the backlash against Malia is justified.  Those who suffer from issues that require medication to help control it already have it hard enough.  The stigma around medication, anxiety, and mental health, in general, is terrifying as it is.

Now, Hannah is going to get fired on national television for something she is working with a doctor to get under control?  That’s a bad look, and the backlash isn’t over yet since Malia seems anything but remorseful.

Below Deck Mediterranean is on Bravo Monday nights at 9 PM ET!